Horse-Based Economy

Chapters

2 - A Hard Day's Travel
3 - Loading Screen
4 - Spa Day
5 - Order Up
6 - Your Repair Skill Increased by One
7 - Well Rested
8 - Of Past and Future
9 - Mission Secured
11 - Catching up
12 - Knocking on Thick Doors
13 - Navigational Issues
14 - Burning Bridges As We Cross Them
15 - Robotic Villages
16 - Mailing Ponies
17 - Welcome to Ponyville
18 - The Sun Rises
1 - The Mail Must Move
10 - On the Road Again

2 - A Hard Day's Travel

Roads were nice. They were barely paved, time and use doing a good job of taking care of that, but it was still a step up from wild brushes and smooth enough to be fine for shoes or hooves. Animals usually avoided them for much the same reason. They were flatter and opener than the surrounding land, so the critters got nervous hanging out on them for too long.

It was a shame this information had never reached the attention of the car-sized beast on the road ahead of them. It was scuttling towards them with pincers clacking and stinger raised high, ready to strike.

The powerful crack of a firing revolver drew attention away from it for just a moment, but the bullet involved barely grazed its carapace. The thing was built more like a tank than any normal insect. "Get out of there!" hollared Applejack, trying to take a better shot at the monstrosity just behind Stan. "Run!"

"Workin'... On it." Running was the focus of his life, seeing as the alternative likely involved skipping on the whole living thing. "Dang thing..." Using his longarm was thoroughly ruled out with how close the thing was to him.

The hissing release of pressurized air filled the scene as they raced past their waiting ally. Buttercup bucked his hind legs out in a lashing of steel pneumatically powered sledgehammers that crashed against the scorpion, splintering chitin with the impact.

The blow knocked it off course, almost tipping it, but not ending it. The creature emitted a loud, angry screech as it wheeled around and prepared to face Giddyup as a rival. It lashed its stinger in a lightning-fast stroke, injecting Giddyup's head with venom. It was a shame there were no biological parts there. It did knock Giddyup's jaw free to land in the dust below him.

Giddyup let out an authentic equine whinny of distress as he lashed out with his metal hooves, facing the beast and trying to stomp it like the agitated horse he was.

Ichor sprayed from the already punctured armor in its side. "Good job," called out Applejack, taking shots at the created weak point. "Let's finish this thin'!"

Stan raced in a circle for a better angle, raising his rifle into view. "Jus' hold it a second..."

The scorpion lunged with a pincer, grabbing Giddyup's foreleg leg and yanking it, almost making him topple with the force of the motion. Giddyup stomped on the holding pincer with his other metal ball of a hoof, bashing it like a mace with equine shrieks of dismay. Why did they enter a horse sound of such displeasure? Those responsible were not available to ask.

With a loud supersonic pop of his bullet, Stan fired at the weakened armor, ripping a hole into the creature. It didn't get out the other end, which worked to his advantage, letting it bounce off and stab viciously through the scorpion's flesh on the rebound. It spasmed and squealed, its grip slackening on Giddyup.

Giddyup stomped and thrashed at the end, not stopping until its entire front was reduced to chips. "Status update: Damage, low. Child..." He looked around, spotting Stan and Applejack approaching. "Located. Emergency concluded."

Applejack scooped up the dropped jaw on the way with a wince. "Don't go forgettin' this, pardner. Ya know how to put it back?"

Stan grabbed the jaw from Applejack, metal bracket that it was. It had no teeth, there was no need for that. It was little more than a metal flap to look the part. "Assumin' the screws..." He began pawing around the dirt. "Is around... Help me look."

"Right-o." Applejack began pawing slowly, joining the search in methodical sweeps.

The little screw had rolled away, found under some rocks and twigs, but Stan stood up, holding it aloft in victory. "There we are. With the other one..." Still in the jaw. "--we should be good. Neither looks busted, just came loose. Sorry for not checkin' that more closely."

"You are not a certified technician." Giddyup inclined his head, allowing the small amount of venom to flow free of his head. "Damage: Minor. That cosmetic defect can be addressed."

Applejack snickered at the whole thing. "Reckon that means he ain't angry at ya." She went over to peer at the scorpion. "Ew... You... want this?" She turned her head towards Stan. "It's edible fer ya, right?"

"If you know how to cook it right, it's even not so bad." Stan wasn't going for it, instead advancing down the road that had led to the thing. "I ain't that great a cook. And eatin' what was tryin' to kill me always feels somehow off. Like a respect thin'? Nice try. Rest in peace. Get me?"

"If ya say so." Applejack hopped over the corpse and resumed their journey. "Thin' came outta nowhere! Woo-e, welcome to wasteland travel."

"The good and the bad." Stan slung his rifle on his back, entering a less ready state as things calmed down. "Jus' gonna hope we ain't gonna run into more of them big ones. Not that the smaller ones are any nicer from what ah hear."

"They come in other sizes?" Applejack looked sidelong at Stan. "Different colors too?"

"Yeah, actually." He hiked a thumb back at the one they were leaving behind. "The ones I heard about are kinda dirt colors, not grey. Smaller, faster, just as deadly if you let 'em have their way. Ain't an expert on 'em, anymore than not bein' eaten by one yet."

"I will not allow that." Giddyup walked alongside the two, missing his jaw, not that it really got in the way of walking. "Map query: Remaining time--"

Stan held up a hand. "Cancel that. Are we there? If we're not there, that's all ah need to know right now. Oh, or if we're headed the wron' damn way."

"Determining location." Giddyup did a slow pivot, still walking, but tossing his head in a slow circle, using his neck as much as actually turning. "Confidence, 86%. Direction: Correct."

Applejack thumped against Giddyup. "Good ta hear. Now, be honest wit' us. You alright? That thin' had a good grip on ya there, and that jab looked like it hurt."

"Error checking." He was quiet, save for the steps he made and the soft noises of his mechanics working to smoothly propel him. If one was really quiet and knew what to listen for, the low rumble of his atomic core could also be heard. "Operating status: Acceptable. 98% of original working condition. No major system damage."

Applejack reached up for her hat. "Not gunna lie. Wish I could 'error check' quite so thoroughly. Since ah asked, may as well say. Aside that fright, ah'm feelin' fine as a fiddle in a lap."

Stan smirked at that. "Easy fer you to say. You weren't bein' chased by the damn thing!"

"We rescued you, didn't we, Giddyup?"

"Rescue operation successfull." Giddyup leaned in with his head towards Stan. "Are you feeling well?"

Stan pushed Giddyup back. "Ah'll feel better when we get there. Now, I'm surprised. It's past noon. You usually insist on lunch about now."

"Eating while stressed can cause dietary issues," reasoned Giddyup, straightening himself. "Has your heartrate returned to a normal level?"

"Ain't hungry yet." But he did look to Applejack. "But you ain't me. You want a snack?"

Applejack popped open Giddyup's side, a thing she had permission to do. "Not a bad idea." She fetched a snackbar from within him, a trail ration wrapped up neatly. "Just a little somethin' to march on. Thanks kindly."

She chewed on it, one of the little sounds to join their steps as the day went by. The evening came and they sat around a small fire. "Shame it can't be bigger," sighed out Applejack, cooking as best she could over the little fire. "But ah understand it."

Stan poked the smoldering embers that barely qualified as a proper bonfire. "If we can see it, so can others, and they aren't all nice this far from town."

"So you remind me." Applejack leaned in with a smirk. "You know, ah survived out here afore ah ever met you."

"We're further out." Stan crossed his arms, leaving his poking stick on the ground. "The further you go, the less you know. The less you know, the more dangerous it gets."

"Are we returning?"

Stan peered at Giddyup. "Maybe after we make our delivery. You should know better."

"It would be better for your health." But he didn't argue it past that. "Hostiles not detected."

"Best thin' you said in a while." Stan settled in place, using an arm as a makeshift pillow.

Applejack drew what she was cooking free of the fire and kicked it cool. "Good thin' it ain't too cold 'round these parts." She nosed off the top of the pot and got to serving one of two plates, offering it to Stan. "Eat up. Even you need food at least once a day."

"Yeah, sure." He took the plate, sitting back up to get to the process of filling his face. "Not bad..."

"When yer a pony out here, ya gotta learn it." She tapped herself on the chest with a hoof. "Most anythin' you find or buy's gonna be made fer human appetites. Want some greens? Gonna be makin' that yerself. Just the way of it. Not like ah'm interested in mystery meat on a stick." She joined in the content chewing of a dinner well-deserved. "Mmm, but don't let that fool you. A pony that bites anythin' that looks green's gonna get themselves sick. Oh, and human safe, promise. Ah know who ah'm cookin' fer."

"Wasn't even thinking it." He bit clean the old fork he was using, "I fall over from somethin' you fed me, Giddyup would never forgive you."

"I would not."

"And then you'd be all alone." Apparently satisfied, Stan put the plate and fork together on the ground. "Thanks fer the grub."

"If you ain't gonna eat it..." Applejack had enough appetite to finish his plate and get to cleaning it as best she could with the limited supplied they had. "Ah swear. How do you live on so little?"

"I eat when ah'm hungry." He settled down, watching Applejack clean. "Thanks."

"Fer?"

"Pitchin' in. Right nice, havin' someone around that just does that without askin'." Stan rolled onto his back, eyes closed but facing the stars above. "Had other companions over the years, rangin' from alright to the sort ah wanted to put a few bullets in."

"Jus' polite..." She looked over at his still form. "Night," she finished far more quietly.

"Good night," echoed Giddyup. "Scanning will proceed."

"Feel a bit safer." She curled in against her fellow horse-like object. It helped that he was warm, chasing off the chill of the evening. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't hot either.

They weren't attacked by bandits that night.

"Map update." Stan glared at Giddyup, but he proceeded. "We are within twenty minutes of arrival at our current speed."

Applejack sprang forward, almost a pronk. "Yeehaw! Can't even wait." She curled on Stan. "Permission to ride Giddyup?"

Stan chuckled. "What ah get, lettin' you even have a taste... Go on." He waved her off, even if she was already scrambling up into position. "Be good."

"Affirmative." With a spirited whinny, Giddyup accelerated to a proper trot, carrying the smiling Applejack along.

"Faster," she bade, flexing her body atop him. "C'mon, ah know you can do faster."

"I can." But he wasn't.

"Well... why not?"

"You are not properly secured for full galloping." A spirited trot, but no further. "Perhaps, in this town, we can secure a saddle to your liking."

Applejack crossed her arms, even less secure, which made Giddyup slow a little. "Shoot... Ya reckon they have a saddle?"

"The odds are better than many other towns." They emerged in sight of the town. They had built out into what might have been a parking lot or car dealership. There were other buildings, some fresh, others repurposed old structures given a new reason for life. But they weren't humans. It was a town of ponies, living their best pony lives.

Author's Note

Welcome... to Ponyville!

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3 - Loading Screen

Applejack hopped down from Giddyup. "Woah, hold up..."

Not that Giddyup had been racing ahead. He wasn't advancing at all. "We should wait."

"What ah was sayin'!" She turned to where they had left Stan. "Ah wanna check this out... but goin' in without 'em feels powerful rude."

So they had to wait, but they were quite visible, and the ponies weren't entirely oblivious. Several grizzled ponies approached, one with a revolver held firmly in their jaw.

Applejack raised a hoof at them. "Howdy pardners!"

The brown earth pony with the full beard cracked a smile, advancing a little faster. "Shoot, how'd you know the password?"

The white unicorn frowned. "That ain't the password. We don't got no damn password and you know it!"

The light brown unicorn waved downwards. "Easy, boys. She don't look like trouble, this close. Heya, Miss. Ya got a right fancy automaton thin' there. It safe?"

"I am verified to be safe for children ages five through eighteen."

Applejack cocked a brow at Giddyup. "That's nice, but ah get the feelin' none of us are actually in that range ya just gave."

"You are not a child," reasoned Giddyup, confident. "You are a friend of my child. I am not verified safe, but I will do my best. Did you enjoy the ride I provided? You gave indications that you did."

The earth pony tipped his hat forward with a low chuckle. "That sure don't sound like no rampagin' bot. Doubt we're in much trouble from a nannyin' bot, even if ah ain't ever seen one shaped like that."

The white unicorn closed with Applejack, still looking a bit tense. "What's yer name, and where ya comin' from?"

"Name's Applejack." She waved grandly up at Giddyup. "That there's Giddyup, right friendly. Behind us, catchin' up, is Stan. He's a human, but one of the good'uns, promise."

The brown unicorn nodded with each new fact. "You didn't say where you're from, ma'am. Humans are chancy things... If you weren't already speakin' up for him, we'd have a problem. He used to ponies?"

"Child detected."

Applejack looked around, but didn't see Stan. "Where?"

Giddyup went off at a light trot to Stan's side, who had been hiding behind a sign. It would have been a fine place, if not for Giddyup giving it away. "Child located."

Stan swatted at his mechanical buddy, but it did a poor job of actually forcing him to move. "Shoot..." He emerged from his hiding place. "Hey."

The white unicorn shook his head. "What is it wit' humans hiding behind signs? Do they only build 'em fer hidin'?"

"Ain't like that," laughed out Applejack, waving Stan closer. "This' Stan, done told you 'bout him. Stan, they're friendly."

"Good to hear." Stan came up with Giddyup at his side. "A town of ponies?"

The earth pony nodded. "Right proud of it. It's our home. Welcome to Ponyville."

Stan tried to prevent a laugh, only mildly succeeding. "Ponyville?"

"It's the name she picked." The brown unicorn shrugged. "An' what she says, goes. Now, we're told yer a polite sort, so yer welcome so long as you follow the rules, and the rules are powerful simple."

The white unicorn prodded Stan firmly. "No drawin' that gun 'less there's a powerful good reason. Super mutants crashin' in? Ya can draw then. Not too much less than that. Trust us to handle any less."

"Huh. Impressed." Stan left his rifle slung on his back, hands nowhere near it.

The earth pony cocked a brow. "At?"

"Got a proper police force." Stan shrugged. "Got good commonsense gun laws. No arguments here."

The white unicorn nodded and turned back for town. "Sounds like we ain't got a problem. Oh, we accept bottlecaps. What everythin' round here takes, so not takin' it was a dead end real fast."

"Ah can see that." Stan waved for Giddyup, not that his robot friend needed the reminding to remain close. "We're couriers, by the way. We came with a delivery. Giddyup, target?"

"Rarity."

"That. Shoulda known from the name, but ah've seen humans with such names afore... Got a delivery for them, you know 'em?"

The brown earth pony perked at the name. "Miss Rarity?! Shoot, shoulda started with that. If ya got a package or letter for her, let's get it to her." He pointed the way. "She's in that buildin' right there. All hers. She's inside more often than not, workin' her trade. Right industrious mare, she is."

Stan smiled, advancing on the building. "Alrighty then! Always nice when this part's easy. Thanks kindly."

The local sheriffs said their goodbyes and mosied on, confident the town was safe for the time being.

Applejack walked at Stan's side. "A whole town of ponies... This is... not the same as the vault. Half these... They were built with pony hooves. The police are pony police followin' pony rules... Look at that!" They were close enough to see pony dolls in the window of the building, each one wearing a different outfit, ranging from handsome to belle of the ball. "It's pony life! Ah can't even beleive what ah'm seein'..."

Stan took a moment to examine the pony fashion samples. "Huh... Must be doin' well enough to be carin' overmuch about any of that..." But there was one bipedal dummy, wearing a business suit. "Woah... She makes human outfits too? That looks newly made... Well, dang... Ah'm impressed."

Applejack reared up, hoof on either of Stan's shoulders. "That's jus' smart! There are a lot more humans out there than ponies, even if she has a lot of ponies nearby. Now I wanna meet this Rarity. Hope she's a nice sort." She slid back to all fours, tail lashing with a joyful swish. "Let's go in an' say howdy."

Stan dusted his hoof-dusted shoulders. "We haveta. How else are we gonna finish the delivery?"

With that decided, they headed inside, causing a bell to jingle with the opening of the door. "Moment," called a female voice from inside. The owner, a white unicorn mare, came trolling out with a bright smile. "Well, how do you do? Welcome to Ponyville." She nodded at each of them. "Please park your robot there." She pointed to an empty spot not far from the door."

Giddyup inclined his head. "I do not require parking."

"But I do," argued Rarity. "We don't need any smoke on the outfits, darling. No offense, but robots go there." She pointed all the more firmly.

Giddyup seemed to perk. "Misunderstanding detected. I am powered entirely through kinetic motion and an atomic core. I do not emit any particulate. I am safe for asthma-suffering children."

Stan patted Giddyup's side. "He's safe 'round yer dresses. May even be a customer if you got somethin' in his size."

It was Rarity's turn to perk. "A clean robot that has an interest in fashion? Darling, I must be dreaming." She waved them in. "Now, how can I be of help to you today? No offense, but you two look like you haven't updated your fashion in moons. Criminal! But easily fixed, dears. Just trust me. Oh! Silly me, I'm Rarity. Pleased to meet you."

Stan knocked on Giddyup, prompting his side to pop open. He reached inside and struggled to get the heavy parcel out. "This is... for you." He set it down as carefully as he could manage with its bulk. "From someone you did a favor for, who wanted to return it."

"How delightful!" He horn glowed as she peeled the wrapping off of it, revealing a metal ball. "Ooooo, I've been wanting one of these for simply ages." She burst into a titter. "Sometimes, it pays to be generous. It comes 'right around when you least expect it, dear." She lifted the ball, showing her horn had fairly good strength as she hefted it up without looking too overloaded.

Applejack followed after Rarity as the fashionista went to put away her new toy. "Pardon the askin'... Ya don't owe us no explination, but if yer feelin' it... What is that? Looks like jus' a heavy ball from where ah'm standin'."

Rarity looked over her shoulder. "Just a ball? I should think not, darling!" She floated the ball in range and knocked on it with a firm clop, causing several needles to pop out, blunt-side first. "This thing is full of needles. A little thing, one might think, but needles are hard to find, and good ones? Even harder. I will treasure this forever, dear! At least until it runs out. I may run out before it does."

Applejack let out a huh of a noise. "That makes sense..." She tapped at the ground as they walked. "Awful clean in here."

Rarity tucked the big metal ball of needles away. "Please... I don't know how humans put up with it. No offense, dear, but cleaning your space? The absolute minimum! A good sweeping really makes the place better." Her store really was clean, no debris or junk anywhere, smooth floors that looked polished even. She was a clean mare, and her shop was the same. "Now, you've been wonderfu..." She trailed off. "Oh... Couriers delivered something and here I am, not paying them. How rude of me."

Applejack rubbed behind her head. "We got some afore headin' this way."

Stan casually slipped a hand over Applejack's face. "An' we can get the rest now. Thank you, Miss Rarity. Always a pleasure to serve."

"Of course." She drew out a bag and bottlecaps floated free of it in her magic to hand over to Stan. "Here you are! Such industrious workers. Now... How about you spend some of those caps and freshen your look? While I'm certain what you're wearing has served you well, we can do better, and you deserve it."

Stan pocketed the caps. "Thanks, but ah ain't one of those fancy ghouls, thinkin' they can hide an ugly body with pretty clothes. Not mah thin'."

Applejack reached up to tap her hat. "Ah got this hat and my gun has a place to rest, most of what ah need."

"That's barely the start." Rarity looked Applejack over critically. "Mmm, you're putting out... Yes... We can make you a true belle." She brought over several floating string rulers. "Let me get a few measurements, dear, and we can get started on your new fashion journey."

Applejack colored mildly, but wasn't moving away. "If ya... think so?" Her eyes followed the motions of the rulers, but was accepting their presence. "It can't get in the way. Ah'm an active mare, out in the middle of nowhere more oft than not. Gotta climb through brambles or trade shots with ruffians. Ain't an easy life."

"Certainly doesn't sound like it..." Rarity made notes on the measurements she gained. "But that's good to know. Rough, rugged... Something that can take a beating and still look marvelous... A challenge! And the kind I absolutely adore, dear. Yes, we'll make you the best-dressed warrior of the wastelands!" She tucked her notepad aside, turning to Stan. "Now, as for you, clothes are made to draw attention to or pull away from features. Surely you..." It was at that moment she really took the time to study Stan.

She saw his peeled skin and sunken features. He was a ghoul, and being one of those had a lot of physical requirements that... "Hm... Darling, I know what you need first."

Stan cocked a brow. "Do ya now? Now ah gotta hear..." He folded his arms on his chest.

Giddyup leaned in towards Rarity, whispering, poorly, "Please do not attract attention towards his skin condition."

Stan rolled his eyes at that. "Ah ain't ashamed of bein' what ah am, consarnit. But it ain't somethin' yer gonna make better."

"Pish posh." Rarity waved that right off. "First step, you need to treat yourself to some well-deserved pampering. You're so dry! Let's take care of that first with a luxuriating spa day."

Applejack blinked dumbly. "Spa day? What's that?"

Author's Note

The wastes were missing you, Rarity.

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4 - Spa Day

The first surprise was, ultimately, that they had a spa. Stan gaped left and right over it in stunned awe at it existing at all, with a fair few ponies inside. A smiling pink pony rested behind a counter, watching them. "Rarity!" she called out with an accent that didn't belong in the region at all. "So good to be seeing you, and you brought friends?"

"Aloe," called Rarity with a bright smile. They met with an exchanged hug. "This is Stan." She gestured to him, then onwards. "And Applejack. Both friendly couriers who just brought me something delightful for my work. "And I want to freshen their attire, but before we do that..."

"You want to freshen what's underneath them, yes, I am understanding." Aloe nodded, looking over her targets calculatingly. "You've had a hard, wasteland, life. It's time to relax and let your bodies do the same." She waved for them to follow her. "Friends of Rarity, we will treat you right!"

Applejack followed in a daze. "Pardon fer askin'... But ah still don't know what a 'spa' is 'xactly. What am ah walkin' into?"

"This..." Aloe waved as they passed a room where a pony was being massaged with rapid slaps to their sighing approval. "Is a place of rest and rejuvenation. We may live in difficult times, but setting aside a little of it for yourself is so very important. Now, Rarity, dear, do you already have a plan in mind, or are they in my hooves?"

Rarity clopped her hooves. "I feel guilty deciding for them. Let's all have the deluxe package! It's on me."

Stan perked a brow. "Wait, yer payin'? Figured you were just ropin' some business fer yer friends."

Rarity tittered into a hoof. "Oh, but I am, darling. If you enjoy yourself, and I imagine you will, you may return. Besides, she's getting caps today, they just happen to be mine. Now, this is my idea. Making you pay for my idea doesn't rest well with me." She floated over the needed caps into Aloe's waiting grasp. "Make us celebrate ourselves!"

"As you wish! Lotus!" She hurried to a door. "Lotus, are you in there?"

The door cracked open, revealing a blue pony that looked like Aloe, if color swapped. "Yes?"

"We have three deluxes." Aloe waved back at Rarity and the others. "Would you mind lending a hoof?"

"Oh, of course!" She emerged fully, closing the door as she went. "Two ponies, and a human. You want me to take the human?"

"It is being your specialty, da. If you would." Aloe turned to the two ponies. "This way."

Lotus closed with Stanley. "We will be making you look like a star! Brilliant and shining, yes? Come, we begin." She cheerfully began a journey of pampering and care. She didn't bring up that he was a ghoul. Perhaps she didn't care, or she didn't notice. She trimmed fingernails, rubbed gentle oils into him with skilled hooves, and set smooth warm stones on him. Lotus spoke quietly about nothing in particular, just helping the time pass in almost a hypnotic way of relaxing.

Stan did his best to just... relax. The pony seemed quite professional in her wish to work. He knew what a spa was... Nobody his age didn't, the way he saw it. But there were parts... "Don't mean to bother any... But how ya plannin' to do hair?"

"The normal way." Like a veil had been wrenched free, she took notice of his far from normal mane, er, hair. "Oh. Don't be worrying. A little or a lot, it deserves love! What you have should look, and feel, its best." She applied fragrant shampoos and conditioners to him, lushious locks or not, rubbing carefully as she almost sang in a humming sort of way. "In some ways, I am almost jealous."

"Yeah?"

"It must be easier." She patted one hoof along her mane. "Lovely to behold, but so much work, every day."

"There is that," he allowed, keeping his eyes closed as she washed him. "Since I have you, I have to ask... Where do you even get the stuff you're rubbing on me? We ain't livin' in the past here, no local market to pick up this stuff."

"We make it ourself," she stated with obvious pride. "We grow it, then process it. It takes much work." She bobbed her mane. "As I was saying, so much work for this thing, da? Yours is more fitting the current day, I am thinking. Let's rinse." She guided him to a sink to run warm water over him.

"Now hold on." He pushed back from the sink. "How do you have hot running water? Not complainin'... but? C'mon..."

Lotus could but point. "We have to fill it with water each day, but there is a heater, da? It warms it. So long as the generator is doing its job."

"You have a generator?!" Stan flopped back onto the chair, laughing a little hysterically. "Wow."

"We work with what we have." Lotus began snipping at him, cutting his hair, to Stan's confusion. He didn't have much hair to cut, did he? And yet, she went right along, busily doing... something. Snipping busily as if he did. "I am all out of the deep skin oils, I'm afraid." She sighed wearily at the news. "We grow what we can, but that, it needs a chillier climate, you are seeing? It is hard to get reliably."

"It'd have to be awful deep..." Stan had a hard time imagining any oil could do too much to his skin. "Let's see what you've done to me."

"As you are wishing." She grabbed a mirror in her teeth and held it up, turning it slowly to let him look at all the angles. "Is good, da?"

What little hair he had started with was evened and groomed, looking far more purposeful in its placement than it had when nature alone had a vote in it. She had even spread it in places, making him look a bit less bald than he started. "Huh... Ah swear, you did more than I figured you could. Still me, but... a nicer me."

"The real you." She patted him on the cheek as she tucked the mirror away. "You deserve it. Now! Colors! Do you want any? I can do your face, your hooves--" The confusion on hooves was lessened as she pointed her own hoof at Stan's fingertips as she said it. "Front or back or both! Oh! And hair. Some love colors there. Many enjoy the one they started with. Just tell me and I will be doing it."

"No. No..." He held up his hands to make it clear. "I'm fine with the colors ah got. Look... Ah'm impressed, gonna just admit it."

"I'm glad to hear that." Lotus inclined her head at her humanoid client. "But I feel there is more coming."

"Oh, there is! Look, ah heard spa, figured it'd just be some kinda fancy bath." He patted himself down, towel covering objectionable bits. "But you really got the whole thin' going on here! Ah never went to no spa before... That was... kinda nice actually. Won't say ah'm a new man or nothin', but... nice. It was nice."

Lotus considered Stan for a quiet moment. "I confess, ghouls are being a new thing to me... But... Please forgive the asking... how old are you?"

"Long enough to know what a spa is." Stan folded his arms, daring her to press in that direction.

She didn't. "Then I'd love to hear, from someone with first perspectives, da? Was that what you expect from a real spa?"

"More than that! That's what I was saying. Good stuff." He fired a thumbs up. "Feeling... Good. Yeah, good. Rarity wasn't just puffing up about it, but I get the idea she likes puffing, spas or not."

"That is a trait of hers," admitted Lotus with a little titter. "But we love her dearly. Your rifle." She pointed to where it was leaned against the wall. "Musn't go without that."

Stan did claim it, with some hesitancy. "You don't mind my carryin' it then?"

"I am an optimist. What I am not being is foolish." She tossed her head. "I have a pistol for my own self defense. These are not kind times. We do our best to make this one place an oasis from it. Now, since you feel and look great, I hope you are having a fantastic day."

"Gotta ask..." So many questions were raised by the whole thing, but only a few couldn't be contained... "How do you do it?" He wriggled his fingers. "You don't have these. But you could still get everywhere you had to. How?"

Lotus raised a hoof into view. "What is being wrong with this?" She pressed it right against his chest. "Just like your fingers, it is how it is used, is it not? Applied gently, to where it is needed, I can send your tension away." She went down to all fours, to walk past him. "Sometimes very hard, depending. If you were born with them, this would seem natural. How you keep track of all those fingers, that is being far more confusing to me."

"Alright, alright." He chuckled at the idea of his fingers being somehow uncountably many. "Not tryin' to pick no fights. You run a fine place." He delayed though, getting dressed properly before he even considered coming out into the main area.

"There he is." Applejack waved at him as he emerged into the lobby. "Lookin' good!"

"You look..." He looked over the pony, who had so much hair to be properly tended. "Relaxed."

"Feelin' it, and you look it too." She stepped over with a big smile. "Rarity's takin' some extra time. They say that's pretty normal wit' her. Still, mighty pleasant of her to spring fer us like this."

"I might have gotten a hint as to maybe the next job?"

Applejack perked an ear at that. "Oh? Really? Color me impressed." She waggled her painted hoof lightly. "What'd ya find?"

Stan hiked a thumb at the back. "They're short on the serious skin care, told me. We should ask how much they're willin' to pay to have someone go fetch it fer 'em. The caps they made just treatin' us says loud and clear they can pay us fer the task."

"Smart!" She held up a hoof until Stan slapped a palm against it. "I like the sound'a that. Let's finish wit' Rarity afore we go thinkin' bout our next trip though. 'Sides, there's so much ah wanna see about this place... Jus' look at 'em." She tossed her head at the other ponies waiting patiently for their turn. "This ain't no normal town, and it ain't a vault. It's got some ah both goin' on an' it feels funny, but good."

"Not complainin'." Stan went straight outside. "Doin' alright?"

"I am functioning--"

Stan put a hand on Giddyup's mouth, signal to stop. "That's a yes. Thanks fer waitin'."

Giddyup examined Stan carefully. "Did you enjoy your medical care?"

Stan jerked faintly. "Medical? Buddy, don't you know what a spa is?"

Giddyup took a moment to examine Applejack in kind. "A spa is a place where you can receive medical treatment for your skin, hair, and keratin , and also receive relief for any muscle stiffness or soreness. Did you enjoy it?"

Stan patted the left side of Giddyup's chest. "You don't change, pardner. Ah enjoyed it plenty. Rarity's still in there, havin' a ball. Know what that did fer me? You'll love this."

"What will I love?" Giddyup leaned in, as curious as a robot could be.

"I'm hungry, is what." He slapped down on Applejack's back. "You up fer lunch?"

Applejack jumped at the slap, but her ire was short-lived. "Now yer talkin'! Bet they got all kindsa tasty thin's made up just fer a pony. Gonna treat you to a culinary wonderland." She marched ahead, tail wagging energetically with each step. "C'mon! We eat like royalty today."

Author's Note

Spa day! Worth it. Stan gives it 2/2 thumbs up, with a question mark. How do ponies work?

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5 - Order Up

Stan dived behind Giddyup as gunfire pops echoed loudly around them. "Where?"

"Scanning." Giddyup didn't seem alarmed, turning his head with a sway of his entire neck. His skull couldn't really pivot the way a normal horse might. "Possible hostiles detected." He gestured with a ball of a hoof.

"Thattaway," called Applejack, already headed towards the trouble. "Sounds like there's a whole gunfight goin' down."

Ponies were hurrying, all in the other direction. They had enough sense to not want to be involved in the trouble, except a few of them. The sheriffs were trading shots with some raiders that thought the town looked open and ready for raiding. The sheriffs were doing their part to convince the bandits this was a poor idea.

Applejack jumped behind a wrecked car. "Is this why they keep these aroun'?"

Stan took up position a car over. "Couldn't say, but let's be thankful. Giddyup, be sure you're not hurting the good ponies."

"Of course." A shot hit his shoulder, leaving a hole in his exterior shell. "Minor damage sustained. This is a dangerous area. All children should leave."

"Listen to yer tin can," shouted one of the sheriffs. "We got this." With a gun held in a field of magic, he took a shot from around cover. Safe, but perhaps not the most accurate ways to do battle.

Applejack peeked at their enemies, ~~six~~ five humans. Two with longarms, two with shortarms, and one that thought a good stick was a fine enough weapon for the purpose. "Know a raider when ah see one." She lined up her shot with a careful inclining of her head. "An' they're bad no matter where ya are." With a firm squeeze, she caught one of the shortarm wielders winding through the cars.

They shouted with pain, drawing the attention of the others. Except one of the longarmers trying not to be shot by the town defenses.

A pained whinny called out, one of those sheriffs catching a bullet the only way a pony really could. A cruel laugh echoed, followed by a thud of bullet and flesh. There were only three of them left. "Surrender," called the shaggiest of the defenders. "Ain't even fair odds now. Throw down yer guns and we'll let ya walk out of here."

"As if. I'd rather--" Stan was perfectly willing and able to grant that raider's request. With a sharp retort, with a sharper edge than any words he had to share, he put a hole in the man's belly and knocked him down in the same shot. "--die..."

Giddyup knew better than to continue arguing for safety mid gun-fight, so he charged instead. The raider hadn't expected too many things out of the ordinary. An angry horse robot wasn't one of them. "Shit," they cussed out, firing wildly at the oncoming slab of metal. They did not build his meat and bones to have that much steel slam into him. breaking things with the momentum and causing structural bones to become wounds from the inside as the man hit the ground in a mess. "Moderate damage sustained."

"Moderate?" Stan knew what the levels were. "Consarnit, yer the one that needs to be careful."

"Jus' put that down." Applejack had her gun trained on the last one. "Nice an' slow."

"And I get to walk out?" His hands were firm on his gun, knuckles white from the pressure.

"You get to walk out." One of the sheriffs emerged. "You get to tell any others you find why this was a bad idea. Which'll it be? Do we kick your corpse in a shallow ditch, or do you walk yourself out of here?"

"What a choice." He glared at the closing ponies. "Horse freaks." He tossed his weapon down, not even slowly. "Hope you choke on your hay."

"Jus' a normal one." Stan wasn't paying the surrendered raider much mind, instead hurrying to Giddyup. "Do you know what kinda hurt you have?"

"Diagnosing..." Giddyup went quiet as he surveyed the damage in a way a human would struggle to do. "Damage located." He started off at a trot away from Stan, revealing nothing. He went right to one of the sheriffs. "You have been injured. May I assist?"

The pony peered up at the curiously concerned robot. "That somethin' you can even do?"

"Yes. May I assist?" Giddup's tone was even, as it tended to be. "Do you have any known allergies?"

"Uh... no?" He glanced at his fellows. "Things clear?"

"Clear," shouted another, prodding at the still form of one of the raiders. "Let the nannybot do their thing."

"I am not a nannybot." Still, Giddyup nuzzled the injured pony. With a loud hiss, he plunged a needle into the surprised stallion and casually injected him with the healing agents.

"Warn a fella," muttered the pony, but he was rapidly looking better, body ejecting the bullet that had been lodged in him. "Thanks..."

Giddyup 'spat' out the spent needle. "If they have replacement medical devices, I would like to replace the one I used."

"One right here." The shaggiest of them glared at the retreating raider a moment before he grabbed a hypo that wasn't claimed anymore. "How do ah..." He held it up towards Giddyup with an uncertain brow raised.

Giddyup lined his head and plunged down, piercing himself right in the mouth in the right spot. Connection made, little whirling clunks sounded as he drained the fluids free of the hypo and stored the needle for later use. "Thank you."

Applejack slid her gun away. "Today's been quite the day! Now, 'bout that snack. Built up even more of a hunger."

A sheriff thrust a hoof in front of her. "Calm yerself, little lady. We right 'ppreciate the help, but we told ya to keep them guns away 'less it were somethin' serious. A few raiders ain't that."

Stan came up a little behind her. "We didn't cause no trouble, jus' lendin' a hand."

The pony chuckled softly. "Ah know... But we gotta keep some trigger discipline, or someone's likely to get themself hurt. Look, really, 'ppreciate it, but ah'm gonna have to write ya up." He coiled on himself to grab a pen and got to scratching on a pad of paper. "You'll have to see the mayor."

Applejack raised a doubting brow. "Mayor? Where're they hidin' at?"

He gave Applejack the ticket she had earned. "She's right there." He pointed to one building of many. It wasn't big, or special. Just another one. "Show her the paper there and she'll set ya straight."

Stan shrugged. "Not that ah'm complainin', really, but ah don't get one?"

The sheriff considered Stan. "Y'aint a pony... Do you even wanna be set straight by a pony?"

Stan folded his arms. "Well, now ya got me curious."

The pony chuckled as he wrote out a fresh paper and shoved it against Stan. "She'll set you right if you give her a chance. Real solid mare. Now... We got a mess to clean. Let's get to it." The three descended on the bodies to get them out of the way and let life in the town return to normalcy.

Applejack waved suddenly. "Ah'm still hungry! Will ya get mad if we take care of that first?"

"Do I receive a paper?"

Another Sheriff burst into laughter at Giddyup's question. "Ya didn't use a gun. Didn't do a thin' wrong. Then ya patched one of us up. Got no complaints. They could learn a thin' or two from ya."

The first waved Applejack off. "Go on with ya. Get some lunch in ya, then get on over to the mayor. She doesn't want starvin' ponies to chat with nohow."

Stan pat at Giddyup's side. "Well, with that settled, back to you. Figure out where yer hurt and how bad?"

"Moderate damage detected. Please call--" He stopped with Stan's hand reaching up to his snout, waiting for it to be removed. "I require repairs that are beyond your ability."

Applejack tilted her hat, looking Giddyup over. Sure, he had some new holes, but he wasn't... He didn't look extra hurt. "Can ah help?"

"You are not a trained technician."

Stan swatted at his mechanical buddy. "Ah ain't either, still put you back together afore."

"I am aware of your mechanical skills." Soft ticking, thought happening. "If one were to assign a number from 1, being entirely untrained and 100, being a full team of experts with optimized tools, you would be..." He lifted a round hoof at Stan. "25." He moved the hoof to point at Applejack. "Seven."

Applejack frowned at her low score.

Stan nodded. "Alright, and what number do ya need for what ails ya?"

"At least fourty. Fifty three would be comfortable. Sixty and above would consider this a rote repair. May I suggest we visit a manufacturer factory? I can provide numbers and addresses to the three nearest facilities. They could provide level 100 repairs at a reasonable cost."

Applejack whistled softly. "Shoot... Giddyup, this the kind of damage that'll make you turn off? Ya bleedin'?"

"I am not leaking lubricants. Thank you for checking. The damage should not lead to increased damage, but is limiting mobility, which could cause future damage." Despite this, he started forward. "I agree with Applejack's plan. Let's get some food."

"Hardly feelin' hungry now..." Stan walked alongside Giddyup anyway. "We had that handled. You didn't have to go gettin' yerself banged up."

"It is better that I be damaged than you." There was no doubt there. It was as certain as the sun being mildly warm.

At least for Giddyup. Stan wasn't in agreement, reaching to swat but second guessing himself. "I didn't even get a little hurt."

"Then I performed my role correctly. Applejack, where should we go for lunch?"

Applejack considered the stoic horse. "Gonna side with Stan on this one. Let's have a look to see if they have a mechanic 'stead. Ah'll rest easier knowing you're touched up."

Giddyup seemed ready to object, a few aborted words coming and dying as they were decided against mid-speech. "Agreed," he finally gave. "But you will proceed to meal time if a mechanic is not located."

"Right right." Stan didn't sound like he was agreeing very hard. "Let's hope they got one. This place has a lot of other nice thin's."

As one, they pressed back into the awakening town. With the raiders scared off, ponies were emerging and resuming their business with smiles as if it had never happened. Their world was right.

"'Scuse me," tried Applejack with one passing by. "Y'all got a mechanic by chance?" She waved off to Giddyup. "We got a fine robot that could use a tuneup and repair."

"Oh... Hm." The pegasus curled a hoof to her chin. "That does look like a nice robot. I... I like robots." She smiled up at Giddyup. "Hello there, little friend. What's your name?" She hissed softly, as if maybe calling Giddyup closer as one might hiss gently at a cat or a dog to get their attention.

Giddyup came closer easily. "You speak binary very well."

The pegasus started. "Oh. You can talk English. Hello. I'm Fluttershy." She dipped her head at Giddyup. "Do you have a name? I'd love to hear it."

"I am a Giddyup Buttercup unit. My accepted name is Giddyup. My assigned child is Stan." He turned to point at Stan properly. "Are you a mechanic?" Fluttershy nodded. "Are you certified?"

Fluttershy looked confused at that. "Certified by who?"

"Wilsom Atamatoys, optimally." Giddyup inclined his neck and head as one. "Any other governing body will suffice."

Stan held up a hand. "Easy there. Ma'am, nice to meet you. You ever work on a Buttercup unit afore?"

Fluttershy sat and brought her hooves together. "I've read a lot about them. I've always wanted to see one of their engines up close. A real engineering feat." She paused, ear twitching. "Oh my... Your actuator!" She hurried in to paw at one of Giddyup's legs. "That must hurt, poor thing... We simply must begin repairs."

"I am incapable of experiencing pain." Giddyup let out a happy horse neigh. "Qualifications verified. Please initiate repairs."

Author's Note

Last update of ye month, with a new canon character introduced! Hi, Fluttershy. What's up with this Mayor? Is it like the last mayor?

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6 - Your Repair Skill Increased by One

Fluttershy took them to her home, a quaint little structure done up like a little homey cottage. A shame the inside was nothing like the outside. Mechanical parts littered almost every available space, and little automatons wandered about with no obvious visible intent behind each one. "Don't mind them," she called as she nuzzled a few on the way past. "They come to me for repairs when they need them. They know I'll take good care of them." She took one up into her arms and hugged their blinking body close. "Precious things."

Stan gave out a huh at the curious sight as he picked his way forward over and around the mechanical obstructions. "You really like robots, huh?"

"Oh, my, yes." She put that robot back down and fluttered over to a cabinet. Throwing it open, she revealed rows of tools both simple and beyond any ability of theirs to understand the purpose of. She let out a little hiss, calling Giddyup closer. None of the other robots reacted, for she did not call them. The language of robots was very precise like that.

Giddyup approached as directed, standing just in front of Fluttershy. "Ready to initiate repair procedures. I am fully programmed in English, Spanish, and Canadian."

Stan stopped. "Wait... Canadian ain't a language, bud."

Giddyup processed that a moment as Fluttershy started her work with clangs and spurts of hot torch touches. "My mistake. I meant the foreign language from Canada. This language is French. I do not know why it is called that. It is spoken by Canadians. Why is it not Canadian?"

"Ya got me." Stan shrugged and looked to Applejack.

She threw up her hooves. "Hey! Ah wasn't even a dream when the bombs came down. Don't ask me 'bout no ancient history like that. Fluttershy?" The pegasus looked up from her work. "How's it lookin'?"

"It's not too bad." She pushed up her visor and paused in her welding. "But it would have been in the way, but I can see so many other things. Poor thing." She hugged Giddyup firmly around his barrel. "Oh, how rude of me. We never finished a handshake. No wonder I'm off. I speak English, German, binary, and Japanese."

"We will speak English," decided Giddyup.

"We will speak English," agreed Fluttershy. "Now, as I was saying, there are countless little things, you poor creature. You haven't been properly upkept in... Forever..." She rapped a hoof on Giddyup's back. "May I?"

Giddyup swung his head towards Stan.

Stan chuckled softly. "Ah'm his kid, and the adult. It's complicated, but it works fer us. He's askin' if ah give permission fer him to be worked on."

Fluttershy flew up, clapping with amazement. "How did you understand that? He barely said anything! Does he have another way of speaking? Giddyup, what languages do you know?"

Giddyup considered a moment. "I have already listed my languages. English, French, and Spanish. Oh. I speak binary as well. Apologies for not listing it before."

Stan snorted at the exchange. "That was the language of bein' buds. You learn someone long 'nough, a look can say a lot. Ah know him, an' he knows me, even if he ignores what he knows sometimes and insists ah eat when ah ain't hungry!"

"It is for your health. You want to grow tall and well, do you not?"

"That... ain't happening." Stan sighed as he turned, waving it off. "Go ahead, Miss Shy. Did you want somethin' fer this?"

"Hm?" She dove in to get right back to work, wriggling inside Buttercup to start on his internals. "Oh, do you mean caps? I should be paying you for letting me get a good look at this handsome Buttercup you've brought to me. I want him to be at his best!"

Applejack tipped her hat. "That's right neighborly of ya. Do ya need us 'round or are we gettin' in the way now."

"Since you mention it." She poked her head free from the side of Giddyup. "This will take a while, um... and some robots find being so exposed to be... embarrassing. So you'd probably be better off going and--"

"I am not embarrassed of my child."

Fluttershy pat the metal surface she was on. "That's very brave of you, but you don't want them to be bored, do you?"

Giddyup gave that due consideration. "Plan alteration: Stan, are you hungry?"

Stan laughed at that. "At least you asked fer a change. Knowin' yer in good ha...hooves... yeah, let's get that food sorted out. AJ?"

"Right with ya! We'll be back after lunch, Miss Shy." They headed out, with barely a murmur from Fluttershy, quite busy working on Giddyup as she was.

Applejack walked along with Stan. "Y'aint worried, 'least a little? What if she tries to steal Giddyup or somethin'?"

Stan hiked a brow. "Did ya miss it? He got a mind of his own. She tried to lay claim on him, he'd sooner slap her aside than go alon' with that."

"Huh... Got a point, but what if she got all in his head." She tapped at the side of her head. "She looked like she might be able to do that."

"AJ." He veered off towards what would have been a fine Italian place, in another universe. "When did you get so suspicious of other ponies?"

"Ah'm jus' lookin' out!" She huffed in an equine snort as she went up to a table. "Now... where'd ya bring us to?" She climbed up into a chair and sank on her haunches. It was big enough to let her do that comfortably. Made by ponies, for ponies. "Smells nice." The gentle teasing scents of tomatoes, beef, and touches of spices like oregano teased at her. "Didn't expect one of those, but the others are nice."

"Ah haven't had a good plate of this stuff in forever." Stan sat across from her. "And ah ain't passin' up the chance the one time it comes along." He spotted menus and passed one to AJ, flipping the other for himself. "There we go. Big ole plate of noodles." He slammed a finger down on it, clearly ready for it.

Applejack waved the one waiter down. "'scuse me. Ah ain't from 'round these parts... Is that meat ah smell?"

"We keep a little going." The male waiter nodded as he pulled out another, smaller, menu. "Would you like a drink?"

Applejack blinked at the drink menu. "Ya got fancy drinks?! Huh... Well, ya got it... how do ah say no to tryin' it? What's an 'Applejack' like? Ah'll try one."

"Of course, ma'am." He scribbled a note with a pencil in his mouth. "As for your question, ma'am, we do get guests, and they like the option. Some locals like it once in a while. Delicate balancing act, but I think it paid off today." He looked to the near salivating Stan. "You two know what you want, or should I come back?"

Stan shoved his menu forward, finger still on the item. "I want it drowning."

"Extra sauce, very good." He made a fresh note of the order. "With meat?"

"Yeah." He glanced across at Applejack. "You alright wit' that?"

"'Course ah am." She waved that idea away. "Y'ain't a pony, and y'ain't me. We don't got the same taste. Nothin' wrong with that. Well, since he ordered." She placed her menu down and brought down her hoof with it. "Ah'll take the salad with croutons an' cheese. Sounds right fancy an' good."

"One of my favorites." The waiter collected both the menus. "Sir, would you like a drink?"

"Water'll do fine." He reached for the glass there.

The waiter raised a hoof. "I feel I should warn, Sir, the water isn't free. Would that we lived in a world where that was possible."

"Yeah..." Stan sat back. "Wow. I haven't even thought about that in ferever. Go on." He waved the waiter away. "A long long time 'go, before you, water, clean water, was considered one of the cheapest things around. Places like this didn't charge fer a glass."

"Upset?" Applejack clapped her hooves as a glass of her chosen drink was placed before her. "Wow, an applejack. Ah knew it was a drink, but never had one afore..." She sniffed at the apple juice of a drink, her nose curling. "Wow! That is... not a light drink. Better take this slow."

"Yeah..." Stan sipped his not-free water, feeling sure it wouldn't knock him out. "Enjoy it wit' the food." He rubbed his hands together as his plate approached, with a pony attached. "Jus' what ah was hopin' for."

Applejack let out a "Yee haw!" She clapped with a big smile. "Looks like we both eat good today. Thank ya kindly." She nodded at the waiter as he put hers down in front of her. "Can't even wait." She paused then, aborting her motion to stuff her face in the food. "Whaz this?"

The waiter murmured a laugh at the question.. "Ma'am, that is a fork, for a pony."

"Is it now?" She tapped at the curious device. "How's it work?"

The waiter reared up and helped slide the strange thing over Applejack's hoof, equipping her with an attached fork. "If you shake it left or right, you can get the spoon or knife out, as you need it."

"How... Can ah get one of these fer the road?" She wobbled the curious eating device. "'Cause this is pretty neat."

With a patient smile on his face, he waited for her to finish speaking. "We don't sell those, but if you stop by the blacksmith, I feel certain he'd gladly make you one, ma'am. Enjoy your meal."

"Ah will." She stabbed the new fork into the leafy greens and got to chomping with a happy cheer, resuming her tastes of the applejack. "This is a lunch worth havin'!"

Stan twirled his fork, not attached, to capture a good helping of the pasta and ferry it to his mouth. "Mmm..." The taste spread over his tongue just so. A little hot, but nothing a few puffs didn't fix. The spices, just so, leaving him tingling with just the right amount of heat to it. "Ah'm gonna shut up an' eat, and ah ain't felt that in a while. I suggest you do the same."

"Cheese?" The waiter offered a grinder over Stan's plate.

"Hush my mouth... Yeah! Yeah, hit me." He rolled on the sprinkles of cheese as the shaker moved left and right slowly to get it all over. "Today... Man, when's the other shoe falling?"

"Pardon?" Applejack raised a brow. "Why the sudden sour look?"

Stan held up a hand for the sprinkling to stop. "Nothin', just worried when somethin'll go wrong and keep us from enjoying this." He snickered. "Maybe it'll just be the bill. That'd be fair. Good food comes with a good price."

"That's fair." She took another big bite, grinding it with her powerful equine chompers. "Mmm... Nothin'... It's good." She wasn't very good at speaking at that moment, but then, neither of them were, and they just enjoyed their first quality lunch in a while. In the life of a courier, it is crucial to appreciate the present moment, recognizing that the next may not arrive anytime soon. That was their life.

Stan swigged down the last of his water with a relieved sigh. "Damn good. Can't fit another bit... Want a taste?"

Appplejack looked at the dish with concern. "Um, that's got more meat than ah usually go fer, but..." She reached with her fork and stabbed a pasta that didn't have meat on it, at least that she could see. "Won't kill me." She popped it in her mouth and stopped. She speared a few more, barely having to chew the soft pasta. "Dan'! You didn't tell me it was that good... If there's a next time, goin' fer that, minus the meat."

"Nice to hear you both enjoyed yourselves." The waiter nuzzled under the plates to get them to slide onto his back with some clear practice. "When you're ready." He set down a tray with a paper on it.

"There it is." Stan picked up the paper. "All good things come to an end, but I'll pay this price."

Author's Note

A very chill chapter, overall. It amuses me to imagine Applejack enjoying an applejack. Finally, her name has meaning!

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7 - Well Rested

Bellies filled, and caps less so, they were lounging comfortably in the warm afterglow of a fine meal. "There you are." Rarity approached with a grand smile. "Imagine my surprise, darlings, when I emerged, and you were nowhere to be seen. And then I hear you ran right out into trouble! I was hoping today would be a day for recovery. You can get back into trouble after you leave our little town."

Applejack cradled her glass with its precious little libations remaining. "Want a sip?" She offered it towards Rarity. "Mighty good."

Rarity's horn glowed as she accepted the glass, hovering it closer. "You look just a little tipsy, dear." She took a sip herself. "Best place to be at. Allow me to help you go no further." And so they removed the rest of the applejack with one last gulp. "Mmm, you were right, delightful. Now, one does not simply skip out like that! I want to hear how you enjoyed it."

Stan climbed to his feet, giving a languid stretch with it. "Today's been very relaxing. The brief shootout didn't even put a dent in it." It hit him. "Well, it did put a dent in Giddyup... But he's gettin' that buffed out."

"Poor dear." Rarity shook her head. "I was wondering why I didn't see him. He doesn't leave your side unless he has to. Where is he being repaired?"

Applejack pointed the way, on the ground on her other three hooves. "Nice mare by the name ah Fluttershy?"

"Oh! Yes, Flutter. Lovely mechanic, and delightfully kind pony. A little curious at times. I swear, she gets along with robots better than she does other ponies." Rarity walked with them out of the eatery. "Shall we check in on her? I can't imagine you want to be away from your partner for long, dears."

"Nope." A little break, perhaps, but he'd gotten that. "Let's grab a Giddyup."

"Excuse me." A stallion with an odd cap had a microphone in his mouth, holding it up towards Stan. "I hear you're an outsider that got mixed up--"

Rarity pushed the stallion back with the firm push of a hoof. "Stop right there. He's not your news story, darling."

"A child ghoul visiting is already news," argued the stallion with a huff. "One that gets into a fight on their first day? Even more news. Eye-witnesses say you had a robotic companion helping you out. There's no way this isn't news, Miss Rarity."

"No comment." Stan sidestepped around the eager reporter, heading down the street.

Applejack tipped her hat and raced to catch up.

Rarity inclined her head at the two. "Read the room, dear. That is hardly the way to welcome guests to our community." She followed, but in no trot. A lady could walk.

They all met back up at Fluttershy's place, where she was standing out front with Giddyup. She was walking him through steps, and he was obeying. He lifted a hoof up and turned it at precise measurements to her satisfaction, one at a time. "You're looking so much healthier." Fluttershy clapped with joy at her repair work. "If you have time, you deserve a fresh coat of paint."

Rarity tittered, hearing this. "Well, his 'child' just got his own painting, it's only fair... Do you plan to remain with us that long?"

"How long does that take?" Stan patted Giddyup on the side. "She treat you right?"

"Repairs complete. Running self-diagnostics..." Giddyup was quiet save for the soft ticks of calculation. "All systems acceptable. Damage negligible."

Fluttershy inclined her head at that report. "Negligible? Did I miss something? I can fix it!"

"That damage is unlikely to be repaired without a complete remanufacturing." Giddyup swung his neck and head to look over himself. "Repairs complete." He swung back to Stan. "You look happy."

"Ah am. Today's been a fine day." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and ran into some paper. "Right." He dug it out. "Don't really need to keep..." But it wasn't just the receipt from the restaurant. It was also the ticket for firing off guns in the town. "Almost forgot about that... We really should visit that mayor."

Applejack sighed, but she was smiling a little. "We really should. The ponies of this town have been a welcomin' lot overall. I don't think we're lookin' at too much trouble. 'Sides! You didn't even need a ticket. You just got one 'cause you wanted one." She hiked a brow at Stan. "Why did you want one? Ah woulda skipped if they let me."

Rarity snatched the ticket with her glowing horn. "What's this?" Her eyes scanned over the words swiftly. "Oh. You really did get in a little to-do... I swear, I let you out of my sights for a moment. Darlings, really... Now, fortunately for you, the mayor is a fine pony. Just explain what happened, be honest, and listen to her. She'll set you all straight."

"I can paint him while you do that." She waved back into her house. "I have what I'd need to get him a nice bright yellow, or would you prefer a different color?"

Stan raised his hands quickly. "Hold on! Don't need Giddyup visible from too far away. We don't live in a nice world."

Fluttershy wilted at that. "True... Oh! What about--"

"--Camouflage," cut in Rarity, to Fluttershy's approval, the two coming to the same thought. "Browns and greens to help him blend in, but still look better."

Giddyup looked to Stan, offering no opinion. Stan nodded. "Sure, some muted earth shades doesn't sound awful. If he doesn't like it, you stop."

"Proceed." Giddyup went with Fluttershy into her house to get a spray-painting done.

Rarity took charge of the remaining two. "This way to the mayor's office." Their office wasn't some grand edifice. A simple one story house that could have belonged to any resident of the town, really. There were a few ponies coming and going, some glancing curiously at the new people.

"Hope we're not interrupting," called Rarity as she walked in. "But I have two naughty, but kind, people in need of the mayor."

The secretary looked up with a cocked brow. "Do they have appointments?"

"Miss Inkwell, always a pleasure." Rarity surrendered the citation Stan had gotten. "I believe this qualifies."

Raven looked it over with proper consideration. "Yes. Please wait here." She pointed to some sofas and chairs and she vanished into the back.

Rarity waved at the seats. "She'll be right with you, dears. Now, I do have business to attend to. You know where to find me." She departed with a final nod, ready to resume her day's work.

Applejack sank onto one of the sofas. "This whole town is... comfortable."

"Not a bad word for it." Stan took a seat, going for a chair instead. "Now let's see what their justice system's like. That can be awful hit or miss these days."

A large pony emerged from the back, the largest any of them had seen. She had grand wings, partially spread. She had a long horn. She had a kind smile and walked with a confidence. "Good afternoon," she bade. "I hear you were involved in that... situation earlier today."

Stan peered curiously at the massive pony. A horse, really, if one wanted to be accurate based on the size... "Nice to meet you, miss...?"

"How rude of me." She brought up a hoof to her chest. "Celestia. And you are?"

"Stan." He gestured to Applejack.

"Applejack, ma'am. We weren't tryin' to cause no trouble, honest!"

"Your hearts were clearly in the right place. "Celestia sank to her haunches, still towering over them easily. "But, you must understand, guns are dangerous. A misplaced bullet can result in a wounded, or worse, person without trying. We have those rules in place for everyone's protection."

Stan lifted his shoulders, not looking convinced. "Your town guards were ready to shoot."

"This is not a kind world," she admitted with a soft tone of regret. "They must be ready, but they will not shoot where they know other ponies, or other residents, are. Proper trigger discipline is practiced, to minimize the odds of... accidents. You are not as aware of the town's layout, or where the people in it are at any given time. Letting outsiders take shots, even with the best of intentions, increases the odds of mistakes. The walls of our homes are not thick enough to dissuade such a thing with any certainty."

Stan considered the doorways he'd been through. Those were fine walls, but not bulletproof walls. "I can imagine... "

Celestia smiled at the two of them. "I think you understand then."

Applejack tipped her hat. "Right sorry. 'Least there weren't any trouble made today?"

"Thankfully not." Celestia rose to her full height. "You were given that citation to speak with me, not to face any punishments. Thankfully, nobody was hurt today. Let's keep it that way. " She turned in place to Stan. "Now, I can't ignore you. You, technically, did not need to be here. Your citation made it clear you were informed of this, but here you are." She smiled anew. "Why?"

"The last mayor of the last pony town, she wasn't quite right, up here." He tapped at the side of his head. "Let the power rush right up there, made a big mess ah things in the end."

Applejack heaved a sigh in memory of that mayor. "Real shame, she'd been doin' a fine job up 'till that point."

Celestia curled a wing to point at herself. "So you've come to see if I showed the same problem? What would you do, if I did?"

Stan considered with a little frown. "This town's not run the same as that one. Ain't much reason for me to get messed up in it. Still, wanted to meet a new pony mayor. Was kinda hopin' you'd show the last one wasn't how it always went."

"Then I hope I have provided that." She looked Stan over penetratingly. "Most ghouls were present, when the bombs dropped. Are you one of them?"

Stan started faintly. "Most ponies don't know what a ghoul is."

"A mayor should strive to be informed." She nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Are you?"

"Yeah... I was there, that day. Why?"

"So was I." Celestia ruffled her wings faintly. "It's not every day I get a chance to speak with another survivor, that's all."

Stan held up a hand flat with her. "Hol' on! You were around, then? Ah ain't never heard of no talking horses. That'd be big news!"

"Surely it would have been..." Celestia's horn glowed as she drew out a map, unfurling it to display some kind of vault's diagram. "But I was just placed in the bunker not long before the bombs came. The news was... a little disrupted by the entire event... I grew up in the bunker, my first job being to oversee the ponies they put in there with me."

Stan frowned at the thought. "But you were... How old were you when that happened?"

"My first memory is waking up in the Overmare's chair, and there I remained until we left the vault, and formed this town." She shook her head slowly. "Don't feel bad. They made me for this job, and I'm not awful at it... And I enjoy it. I like seeing my little ponies enjoying the life I work to provide them."

"'Bout that!" Stan waved towards the outside. "'Bout the whole town actually. What made you leave the vault and set up outside it?"

"That was the plan." Celestia tucked the map away and drew out another paper. "This was a secret, but that time has long since passed." She set the paper flat, hovering in the air. "Those who built the vault and who put the ponies in it, myself included, gave me instructions. We were to leave at a specific time and establish a town. As the vault's overseer, I saw it done." Her eyes darted to Applejack. "But I see we weren't the only vault, or the only ponies. Rumors had been reaching us, but you're the first actual pony I've seen that isn't one of ours."

Author's Note

Did someone order some backstory? Hi Celestia! She's doing her part to be a good, clearly unaging, ruler.

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8 - Of Past and Future

Applejack pointed to herself with clarity, eliminating any potential confusion.. "Me? Um, howdy." She tipped her hat at Celestia. "Don't mind mah sayin' it... But yer a mighty big pony, ma'am."

Celestia gave a kind smile. "Proof. My ponies are quite accustomed to my... stature. I apologize, but there's little I can do." She lowered herself, lying flat on her belly, head about equal with them. "Does that help?"

Stan snorted at the sight. "Yeah, you ain't like the last mayor ah saw, and I'll put that down as a good thin'. In charge, but still tryin' that hard to make guests comfie?"

Applejack colored at the display. "Y'ain't need to go to all that trouble! Jus'... Does it get in the way? This town looks like it were made for a more average pony. And y'ain't that. No offense or nothin', ah promise."

"There is but one of me." Celestia curled a hoof at herself. "But so many of them." She did a slow wave of that same hoof towards the rest of the town. "If one had to be catered to, it wouldn't be me. I can duck my head far more easily than insisting they build everything for my size."

Stan shrugged at that. "Can't rightly argue that. So long as you can get around."

"I manage." Celestia sat up, perhaps noticing Applejack seemed to be used to her general bulk. "Now, you came to be instructed, and that instruction has been given. As I already said, there is no punishment waiting for you, unless you ignore my words and risk my ponies a second time. I don't mean to be impolite, but our laws are quite severe if a firearm is involved."

Stan raised his hands wardingly. "Calm down. Ain't meanin' to cause no trouble with her."

Celestia cocked a brow. "Allow me to ask... Why do so many humans refer to their firearms as females? If one had to assign a gender, surely they have a far more... masculine purpose and construction."

Stan shrugged at that. "The tradition started way afore me and it'll keep right on goin' after me. Yer not wrong, 'xactly. Language is funny like that."

A gentle clopping came from the door. "Excuse me," called a soft female voice.

Celestia perked. "Fluttershy? A rare visitor. Do come in."

"Sorry." She opened the door and nosed her way in. "I don't mean to interrupt... He insisted on joining you as soon as he could."

Nudging past Fluttershy, Giddyup entered the room, colored and free of scuff marks. Sure, it was camo coloration instead of the bright yellow he'd originally been constructed with, but he didn't seem to mind. Without word, he moved to stand next to Stan.

Stan patted his newly painted friend. "Yer lookin' good."

"Thank you for your repairs." Giddyup turned his attention to Celestia. "Hello fellow horse. Horse communication activated." He gave a friendly equine nicker, completely accurate, at least at the time of recording.

Celestia's ears pricked at the sound. "Oh..." She gave a little whicker back with a chuckle. "I have no idea what I just 'said', but that felt natural."

Applejack laughed at the exchange. "Ah've felt the same way. Giddyup can set off somethin'. Feels funny."

"Horse communication successful." Giddyup seemed as proud as he could be, even if that was muted at best. "You speak English. We will speak English."

Fluttershy hurried to Celestia's side. "Agree with him," she whispered to her large leader.

"Hm? Alright. We will speak English." Celestia nodded at that. "My favorite language."

With that settled, Giddyup didn't emit any further horse noises. "I am a Giddyup Buttercup unit. Name: Giddyup. Assigned child." He directed a hoof at Stan, having to turn to do so easily. "Responsible Adult." He pointed again at Stan. "What is her status?"

Stan considered that. The status of a person was very important and determined how Giddyup reacted to a person in a lot of ways. "Friendly adult. Not family."

"Status updated."

Celestia skewed an ear at the curious automaton. "Nice to meet you, Giddyup. You are very friendly, compared to many robots I've heard of... The vault we came from had no robots. We were expected to take care of ourselves. Independence was a part of our training, but we were provided reading material to learn about them." She inclined her head at Fluttershy. "Some of us are more interested than others in the art, as you've likely noticed."

Giddyup clicked with memory access. "Only one pony vault had Giddyup Buttercups or any robotic assistance."

"Oh, my." Fluttershy raised a hoof to her mouth in surprise. "How many vaults were there? How... many ponies are there?" She withdrew behind Celestia for safety. "Is it a lot?"

Applejack pulled her hat free to in front of her chest. "Don't be scared none, Miss Shy. Pretty sure all the ponies ah met would like ya plenty. Yer a right talented mare, and nice t'boot."

"That's good." She wasn't coming out from her cover. "But you already said they... Oh, what about that one vault? Do they have robots?" That made her peek out. "I'd love to see them."

Giddyup was quiet. Stan stood up for him. "That's a sensitive topic... And that vault's done closed fer good. The ponies are fine, livin' their best, but the robots are gone."

Applejack put her hat back on. "That was afore ah got involved. Way ah hear it, it's why they found mah vault. Our vault's doin' just fine, but no robots, sorry. Still, no reason to be worried, ma'am. We ponies are way friendlier than humans, on average."

Celestia rose to her hooves. "Two entire communities of ponies... I didn't want to put too much credit in passing rumors. They can be quite outlandish at times... We should reach out to them. We'll all be healthier with one another. As much as I adore each and every pony in my care, there are only so many of them... More would be healthier for all of them."

Stan snorted at that. "Yer not the first to think that. The tribals an' the vaulters are swapping kids back an' forth, so they get more diversity goin'."

Celestia clapped at that. "Yes, exactly. Our community, I am gladdened to report, could support a few more ponies, and curiosity may draw some to visit them." She looked between Applejack and Stan. "Is this in your power to arrange?"

Stan shook his head. "Ah'm a friend ah theres, but ah got no real say in what they do or how they do it. Ain't gonna promise no moon here."

Applejack joined in the headshaking. "Ah went wanderin' with this ghoul ah met. Plum crazy ah me! But here we are... Don't got no say back home either. We could tell you were to find them at least? They're friendly sorts. Don't 'magine them gettin' angry with ya fer askin'."

"Good." She considered a moment, walking towards the door. "But you know where they are, and are skilled voyagers aside..." She turned. "My little ponies say you two are delivery people by profession."

Stan didn't have a fancy badge to show that off. "Couriers, yep. You need somethin' to get somewhere, we're the ones that'll do it."

"It'll get there in one piece, even if we don't," added Applejack with a proud buffing of her chest. "What'd ya have in mind?"

"It ain't obvious?" Stan shrugged. "Letter delivery's somethin' we can get done."

Celestia smiled at the small ghoul. "Astute. That is exactly what I have in mind." She returned to her desk and sat behind it, her magic grabbing a pen and some pencil to start writing. "Two of them, of course. I'd like each settlement of ponies to get an official welcome. Should they respond in kind, then we can trade." She scribbled busily. "Ponies, goods... I'm sure we all have things the other would like. From your reports, each of us are a very different environment."

She paused, hoof at chin. "I can only imagine it... But the inside of a vault and wild living on the land aren't going to result in the same resources. We'll be stronger, sharing, trading." She trembled with a little giggle. "Sorry... That... Sorry." She shrank with shame. "The thought of maybe being in charge of more ponies sent... It was a good feeling... But I will not force myself on any pony. If they wish to live here, they will. I can only provide a pleasant place they may choose to come to."

Stan cocked a brow at that. "Now, not promisin' anythin'... But how would you feel if ah wanted to stay here?"

Celestia sat up, regarding Stan in a whole new light. "Oh... Would you?"

Fluttershy smiled nervously. "That'd be nice... That means Giddyup would stay too." Her priorities were not hidden. "I would like that very much."

Celestia coughed into a hoof. "You asked that to test me... I am loathe to admit it's working. You staying would be delightful." She let out a tense laughter. "I suppose I want to be a good leader to everyone, not just ponies. I never considered it before. The human guests we get usually move along quite quickly. It's a lovely town... But it is a pony town. It makes them nervous, I think."

Applejack reached towards the letter, though not close enough to get it. "How's that lookin'?"

"Hm? Oh, first one is done." Celestia floated the sealed envelope towards Applejack's care. "And on to the second." Her magic moved the pencil in her scratches. "The first is to go to the tribals. The second, to the vault. It doesn't bother which you actually deliver first, whichever is closer?"

Stan hopped to his feet. "Silly question. Ya got any radios around here?"

"Receiving only," sighed Celestia as she tucked the second letter away. "No messages will be sent that way."

Fluttershy raised a hoof. "Um..."

Celestia dropped the envelope she had just sealed. "Can you make a radio, Fluttershy?"

"No." Fluttershy pointed at Giddyup. "But he is a radio."

Giddyup was still and quiet a moment. "No such function located."

Stan rapped the side of his metal friend. "You were puttin' out a signal. The vaulters found it."

"Right!" Applejack threw a hoof in front of herself. "That's what we were followin' tah find ya in the first place. Miss Shy's on the money! Ya do have a radio."

"A radio I do not have instructions to operate."

Stan frowned with thought. "But you did it before. How to do it kinda has to be in there, right?"

"Logical. The file... was closed. It was open. While open, operations were followed. The radio operating instructions must be within." Giddyup nodded, confident in his logic. "I do not want to open that file."

Stan winced. The dead file, belonging to a dead robot, another giddyup buttercup unit that had fallen in the line of duty. "Ah... can see how that might be rough... We'll hike it."

"No." Giddyup gave a soft whinny. "That is dangerous. If I can avoid danger to you, I want to open the file." Priorities, he had them, and arranging them came as second nature to his robotic nature. "Opening file." He went quiet save for the clicks of his internals doing what they had to do.

Celestia looked between her guests. "This... I don't understand how a robot can have these feelings, but they sound true... I will pay the full price if they can send the message. Do the tribals have a radio?"

Applejack snorted at that. "They don't got no 'lectricity, ma'am. They live wild to the ground. It's a free life, but it ain't got no radios in it."

"How... romantic, in a way." Celestia floated up the vault letter and floated the envelope to Applejack. "I very much would like to meet them. I hope they accept my words in the kindness they were written."

Author's Note

Do you remember those files? They were quite a bit of the last story. The dead can haunt even robots.

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9 - Mission Secured

Stan rapped on the quiet Giddyup. "Not rushin', just checkin' in. How's it going?"

"File opened. I cannot locate the radio instructions." Giddyup paced, almost nervously. "Permission to use a reference."

Stan hiked a brow at that. "Don't need permission to do that. Refer away."

Giddyup pointed at Stan's middle. "You have a liver. Neither of us know how it functions. Neither of us know how to command its functioning. Your instructions are available, but unaccessible. My instructions are unavailable and inaccessible. Previous use was a specific, inaccessible instruction."

Fluttershy emerged, as if summoned by the robotic issue. "But those instructions are there, even if you don't know how to reach them. May I?"

"Repairs are not required."

"Oh, no..." She worried her hooves. "This isn't a repair... Um... But I can still help."

Celestia smiled at her talented little pony. "What do you have in mind?"

"What, hm, what... He needs is a programmer." She pointed at herself. "I know some. I can take a look, with your permission."

Stan raised a finger quickly. "We're jus' lookin' for the radio, and nothin' else, right?"

"Yes." Fluttershy emerged further, courage building. "I won't touch anything else, promise."

Applejack nodded at both Fluttershy and Giddyup. "Well, shoot, sounds good ta me, but ah ain't the decidin' vote."

Celestia gave a serene smile. "Everything's working out, it sounds. Fluttershy, help as you can, please."

"Of course. Stan?" She looked to him, the one whose vote really counted. "May I?"

Stan rested a hand on Giddyup's back. "Ah'm comin' with. He'd be there if ah was bein' pulled open."

"If desired." Giddyup brought his neck and head down to Fluttershy. "Permission granted. You may proceed."

"This way." Fluttershy led the both of them out of Celestia's office.

This left Applejack behind. "Ain't gonna be much help there..." She patted herself down. "Got yer letters all nice an' safe. Ma'am, anythin' else on yer mind?"

Celestia considered Applejack a moment. "Well, the invitation is open to you. You seem like a pleasant pony. If you ever tire of wandering, a home awaits you here."

Applejack drew down her hat. "Right neighborly of ya! Ah'll keep that in mind, but, fer the moment, ah'm stickin' with Stan. There's so much more of the world ah wanna see."

"A dangerous path... But I understand." Celestia extended one wing towards Applejack. "Then remain safe, as safe as you can be. We'll have to wait to hear the tales of the wonders you find and experience."

"Ah'll do mah best." Applejack turned a hoof in a slow circle. "Right nice place ya have here. Ah could think ah plenty worse places to pick from, when that time comes. Fer now, have a good one, sugarcube." The two shared a nod and Applejack strode from the office, back onto the road of that pony town. "A nice place..." Despite her words before, she decided to go see how the others were doing.

She found them in Fluttershy's workshop. She had wires attached to Giddyup in a wild mess that only she knew the meaning of. She was tapping at a keyboard, her wings tapping at the keys in a way that her hooves would have struggled to do. "Ah ha... Here's that file." She was plumbing into the depths of Giddyup's inner code. "It looks like none of it is running."

"It is complete." Giddyup inclined his head and neck as one. "That is why I did not want to open it. Their function is complete."

"I see..." She sounded like she didn't see entirely. "But, since it's here, let's look..." she dug about, searching for that needed function. "That radio has to be in here somewhere..."

Stan was there, standing next to Giddyup supportively, but not really doing a lot besides that. He spotted Applejack coming in. "Welcome back. Have a nice chat?"

"A friendly enough mayor." Applejack sat nearby. "Seems like she's got her head on right. No complaints."

"Mayor Celestia is very kind." Fluttershy tapped busily. "She's done only good things for the town. Um, but I may be biased... She was in charge before I was a thing. She probably will be afterwards too..." She inclined her head at the green screen she was facing. "Ah... ha... Here we are." Her typing sped up. "I think I have it."

Applejack clapped at the report. "You can do it!" she hollored, supporting the only way she knew how. "That looks complicated..." She could but see the rapid letters of Fluttershy's typing. "Who taught you that?"

"Mostly myself." She stuck out her tongue a little, focused on her work. "But I read a lot of books about it... Um, mostly electronic books. They gave us a lot of things to read, if we wanted. I wanted to read them." With a firm last stroke, Giddyup began a reboot cycle. "There. When he wakes up, he should be able to use his radio. He always knew how, he just wasn't allowed to. I don't know why."

Stan rolled a hand at that. "But he did before. Ain't a very good rule if he was already breakin' it."

"So I heard... But there were rules about it, I saw them." She pointed with her wings. "They didn't let him use his radio because he wanted to. The other, um, he could because that other instruction had a reason. Now... if I did it right, Giddyup can decide if it's a good reason or not."

Applejack snorted softly. "Huh. Ya went and took somethin' that works without thinkin' bout it, like yer stomach." She patted her own belly. "And made it somethin' he could think 'bout, more like yer lungs?"

"Exactly." Fluttershy pushed away from the keyboard, standing up and turning to them. "I hope this helps."

"Me too." Stan gently pet his mechanical friend. "Wakey wakey."

"Self-Diagonistic complete, all systems are nominal. Good morning." He nuzzled his child with a happy equine whicker of greeting. "New function located. Radio located. Status: Offline."

"You could listen on your radio before." Stan wagged a finger. "Seen that. Can ya send now?"

"Function located." Screeches of static filled the air before a station was found, playing classics from before the bombs fell. "Incoming radio functional."

Stan put a hand as his hip. "We knew you could do that. Can you send now?"

"I can. What frequency is required?"

Stan slumped at that. "Shoot..."

"Shoot," echoed Fluttershy.

"Shoot," added Applejack, lest she be left out. "If we don't know what station's the vault's listenin' in on... That ain't gonna help us."

Stan snapped his fingers, an idea coming up. "Can you see what station was used last time? The vault may be listenin' in there."

"One moment..." Giddyup was still and quiet, searching. "Station located. Message located. Message disregarded. Please provide a new message."

Applejack applauded with a big smile. "Now we're cookin'! If you can send english, tell 'em this." Applejack fished out the letter, still sealed in its envelope.

Which Giddyup could not open. Applejack wasn't too much further along, aside biting into it. She offered it to Stan, the most manually dextrous one present. "Right right." He tore it open and put it down where Giddyup could see it. "They may not hear it the first time, so send it a few times to be sure."

"Loading..." Giddyup read the message, dedicating it to memory. "Broadcasting." That didn't have a sound, unless one happened to be a radio and tuned to the right channel. "Are we visiting the tribe?"

Stan frowned lightly. "Well, gonna have to. They ain't got a radio. I say we get that out of the way, come back, get paid, an' see if we can't get that job with the hair care."

Applejack nodded firmly. "Ain't seein' a good reason to put it off. 'Sides, visitin' other ponies sounds fun t'me. Wonder how they're doin'..."

"Oh, my... I imagine they don't have a lot... for me... They don't have any robots."

"Of the two--" Stan put up two fingers, just for one to fall. "Only one of them has just one right now. A real friendly nannybot. Bet you'd like her, but we ain't visitin' her right now."

"Aw...." Fluttershy kicked weakly at the ground. "Well, good luck." She waved as they headed out. "Be safe!"

Giddyup looked to Stan, then Applejack. "Would you like a ride?"

Applejack let out a happy squeal. "Well, since yer offerin'..." She hopped up, scrambling into position. "Ah'll take that!"

Stan laughed at the two of them. "Ah swear... Well, let's get going then. Giddyup, set a route for the village. Avoid trouble as best you can without delayin' us more than about 50%."

"Calculating ideal route." Not that he had to stop, carrying Applejack along at a light bouncing trot. "Route located. I cannot predict the location of migrating animals or the presence of bandits."

"Yeah yeah." It was hardly the first time he'd had to deal with those. "I won't blame you if they turn up. We're just avoidin' the stuff that ain't moving around too much."

"G'luck." A sherriff waved at them as they went past. "Don't get yerself shot."

"Nice place." Stan shook his head as they went. "I kept waiting for something to happen... I'm pretty happy being wrong in this case."

Applejack nodded down from atop Giddyup. "Ah hear that. Let's do our part to keep this goin'. We'll help all the ponies do better."

"That'll scare some people." Stan huffed at the thought. "If they start feelin' threatened by the ponies doing well..."

Applejack wrinkled her nose at that. "Really? They ain't doin' nothin' wrong to the humans." She reached to prod Stan. "You don't feel threatened, do ya?"

"Naw." He patted the side of Giddyup, under Applejack. "Not me, personally, but ah ain't the average person in charge, now am I?"

Giddyup let out a little whinny. "Ponies are not a threat to my child." He looked over his shoulder. "They enjoy my abilities."

"That ah do." Applejack ruffled Giddyup's mane. "Huh, Fluttershy really touched you up, didn't she?" She seemed to enjoy the feel of his redone mane against her hoof. "Feelin' good?"

"Conditional nominal. I approve of the upkeep given. As soon as we establish communications, I will submit a report with positive feedback.

Stan hiked a brow at that. "Gonna be waiting a while for that."

"I have my reports ready, should such event occur. Quality repair tasks deserve to be reported. You have rendered several repairs also deserving of report. I am ready."

"Good t'hear," he assured, not sounding very worried about it. "We're out of town now. Our little vacation is over, so have yer guns ready." He drew free his rifle and began inspecting it for any problems. "It'll be too late when trouble crops up."

"Yeah..." Applejack coiled, grabbing her revolver despite the jostling gait of her mechanical ride. "Good idea. Ah'll miss the peace, but we ain't retirin' just yet!"

"I'll drink to that." He shoved a bullet into place. "Soon as we get new drinks."

The two chuckled in unified purpose. It was time to courier a letter.

Author's Note

Question begin! Let's visit our tribal friends.

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11 - Catching up

Seated on her original cushion, Buttercup exclaimed, "Wow... You have been up to so much..."

One of the other town elders raised a genuinely elderly hoof, unlike the younger Buttercup. "Another gathering of ponies? We thought we were alone, but then one other, and now two? How many of us are there?"

Another shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not complaining. If they're like the other ponies, we make passable neighbors. It sounds like they don't live like us, or the vault."

Applejack strode up to stand in front of all the tribal leaders. "Howdy. Ain't got much a chance t'say hi with the story goin' on an' such."

Buttercup waved with a smile at the fellow pony. "Hello there! You talk funny for a vaulter."

Applejack colored at that. "Hey... Ah may be a vaulter, but ah've live out in the wastes a long time..."

Stan threw a thumb at himself. "So she talks more like me. Ain't not a thin' wrong with that." The two shared a firm nod of solidarity.

Buttercup looked between the two wasteland wanderers. A sly smirk spread on her face. "So... You like ponies, do you Stan?" She brought up her hooves together. "It's so nice, seeing love blossom even in these dry lands."

Applejack went dark as she lowered her hat to block her face as best she could. "Hey! It ain't like that."

Stan chuckled softly. "I think you forgot..." But it clicked even as he said it. "Oh, right. You don't know what a ghoul is. Most of us don't have much want that way. Either way." He waved behind him. "You got a merchant out there that wants to hook you up with some apples and maybe show you how to plant some apple trees. Play yer cards right and they may even bring a little tree, skip the hard part. If yer interested?"

One of the other elders, a mare, nodded. "The guard mentioned that. We have to discuss it. We've given permission to trade for some things we certainly need. What brings you here, Stan, Opener of doors?"

Stan blinked. "That's a new title."

"An appropriate one," continued the elder mare. "You opened the door to our people. Not satisfied, you went to the vault. Against their initial desires, you opened their door. Even as they kicked and screamed all the while, the opener of doors could not be stopped. They still tell stories of the opener of doors."

Buttercup hopped to her hooves. "So! Did you open their door too? The new ponies. Were they happy or sad?"

Stan considered that, but Applejack was already answering, "They hired us to help announce their door bein' wide open! Oh." She coiled on herself and grabbed an envelope in her teeth. "Here ya go."

The envelope glowed, one of the elders, a unicorn, grabbed it in their magic and floated it over, tearing it open along the way. "For us?" she asked, having a peek. "Hm.. Hm...."

Buttercup angled her head at the floating letter. "I am an elder too, I should listen to this." So she said nothing further, watching the reading of the letter.

"About that." Stan waved at her, then the others. "You're kinda young for an elder, and I feel bad even mentioning that. People have been cracking comments about me being young for too many years."

"So don't do that." Buttercup extended her tongue at Stan. "They let me in because I showed 'great wisdom' with our brief trip." She made quotes with her hooves as she went. "You opened the door, and I'm the mare they let stand in it and greet people as they come."

The other elder passed the letter along for the others to read. "It would seem this 'Celestia' wishes to greet us with open arms and a kind smile. They have been in contact with humans for some time."

A stallion accepted the letter, looking it over curiously. "What do they want, exactly?"

The first shrugged. "Nothing, but for our ponies to meet and trade. Both goods, and ponies."

Another elder started. "We do not allow slavery!"

The first held up a hoof. "Not that. Ponies moving one way or the other, of their own will."

"Oh." The elder calmed and looked to Buttercup. "What do you think?"

Buttercup took the letter when it was her turn to have a look. "I think this sounds great. The only thing happier than a pony? Two ponies. One thing!" All the elders looked to her. "We set the same rules. Any pony living here has to live the way we do. We have a nice thing going. I don't want to toss it out."

They nodded in agreement, all unified on the idea of not giving up their community spirit. The unicorn mare smiled. "Well, if they accept that and wish to join our tribe, then we will show them how, and they can pass the test, just as the vaulters do. And if one of us wishes to join them... We won't stop them. A pony decides their own fate." A new nod rippled among them, agreed on that point.

A stallion clopped a hoof down. "No elders."

"No elders," the others echoed.

Applejack inclined her head. "No elders? What's that mean? Ya won't take an' older pony?"

Buttercup whipped her head quickly.. "Nope, opposite, actually. If you're an elder." She pointed to herself. "That's a permanent position, until life flees me. None of us may leave unless the entire... village burned to ash or something... That would be bad. Gonna hope that never happens."

The others murmured with disgusted horror at the very notion of their little tribe suffering such a fate.

"Huh..." Stan frowned faintly. "Hope not, but ain't nothing's gaurenteed. Now, we can give ya directions to the town." The ponies perked and he did just that, telling them how to reach the pony town the way he'd come. Applejack was happy to corroborate and soon the elders knew the way with a crude map drawn to go with it.

"Sirs." The pegasus guard was at the flap. "The trades are comple."

Buttercup nodded at the pegasus. "Great. Store what we got. Um, did we end up getting an apple tree?"

"Just apples, ma'am!" The pegasus saluted with a wing. "Which are seeds? Did you know that?"

"A good day to learn... But you..." She looked to Claude and Applejack. "Do you know how to plant an apple?"

Applejack shook her head, lacking the apple tending powers of her Equestrian self. "Ah 'magine you'd want to take the seeds out and plant those? In nice, uh... dirt?"

The pegasus looked ready to fight, but though better of it. "Sirs." They bowed and scurried away, leaving the elders to their business.

Stan made an apple-like shape with waves of his hands and fingers. "No expert neither, but inside each apple's a bunch of seeds. Ya saw 'em, didn't ya?"

Buttercup perked up. "Wait... I thought that was just... something to eat..."

The unicorn chuckled softly. "We've been eating the seeds when we could have been planting them? What foals we've been... Let us make it a law, that no seed of an apple will be eaten. Collect them all to be planted, until we have many fine trees to make more apples with."

The others nodded in agreement, clopping their hooves with the announcement of a new law.

A new pony poked their head in. "You summoned?"

The unicorn nodded to them, repeating the new law. "See that all hear it."

"Of course." They rushed off to see it done.

Stan shrugged. "That merchant wanted to show you some tricks fer it. He'll be upset if you cut him out, but that ain't my business. You do what you want." He turned for the door, patting Giddyup on the way. "That's one letter down. Should we stop by the vault to be sure they got theirs?"

Applejack hesitated. "Um... Been mighty nice meetin' y'all..." She bowed her head and trotted after Stan to catch up.

Buttercup giggled into a hoof. "She really likes him. It's so cute."

The unicorn wrinkled her snout. "They are strange, even for a human. She could find far better partners."

The stallion shrugged. "And he's small, as humans go. I don't know what she sees."

"The opener of doors," breathed out Buttercup. "Isn't that enough?"

Applejack caught up with Stan as they mosied through the town. "The vault's not too far from here, and this's a calmer part of the wastes than a lot of it... So ah ain't got nothin' 'gainst visitin'. Better to be sure the letter got to 'em, and if it did, means we can chat with 'em in the future, and maybe the other way 'round?"

Stan ran a hand across Giddyup's back. "Want a ride? Glad we're in agreement. Let's stop by the vault, then swing back to Ponyville."

With a sudden spring, Applejack jumped and climbed up onto Giddyup's back. "Sounds like a plan! Giddyup, did ya like that?"

Giddyup considered as he walked. "I enjoyed speaking with Buttercup. She still desires that name and will not share. She should share."

Stan laughed at that. "Poor thin'. Ain't nothing wrong with either name, and we can tell ya two apart easier this way." He gave a light wave at the guards, headed past them the other way. "It's kinda nice, knowin', 'least around these parts, people are startin' to know ponies well enough."

Applejack nodded swiftly. "Yeah! Um, ah take partial credit fer that. They've been seein' me for some time now. An' ah mind mah manners."

Giddyup swung his head around to face her. "Your behavior has been quite good. I apologize, I lack any specific treats to encourage further good behavior."

Applejack blinked at that. "Ah ain't a pet. Don't gotta give me nothin' to act proper." She crossed her arms, bouncing atop Giddyup. "'Sides, ah'm an adult!"

Giddyup faced forward. "I did not intend... We will visit your old home."

Applejack perked an ear. "Sure are... Wait, yer changin' the subject!"

"Did it work?"

Applejack clopped a hoof to her face. "Yes... Ah'm lookin' forward to hearin' how things are goin'." She chuckled softly. "Think Skyline's gettin' used to family life?"

It took a moment for Stan to remember the name and situation, snapping his fingers when it came. "Right. Now Ah'm wonderin' too... The mare that caught him seemed like not the sort that'd let him wander off."

"Reckon not." Applejack leaned forward over her mount. "Can't wait!" A new thought came and she tapped at Giddyup. "Maybe Twilight'll be there too. Ya miss her?"

"She is a skilled repair engineer." Giddyup clicked and whirred, various things going on internally. "All systems are nominal. Repairs not required."

Stan stepped up onto the top of the hill they had been hiking up. "Good to hear that." He turned slowly, taking in the sorroundings expansively. "But she can do mods too, if there was somethin' ya wanted to ask 'bout."

Giddyup kept up with Stan easily, coming to a stop next to them. "No hostiles detected. Odds of hostile contact, 15%."

Applejack hiked a brow. "Those odds fer today or what, sugarcube?"

"Until our next destination." Giddyup raised a hoof to point towards the vault they couldn't see yet. "It is safe. Relatively."

"Ah'll take it." Stan took up the journey anew, descending the hill. "Ah don't say it 'nough, but ah'm powerful glad to have you around, Giddyup."

Giddyup went in so close, he brushed Applejack along with his own side against Stan. "I am happy to hear that. I am pleased to have you as a child. You have proven... more enduring than my other children."

Stan winced at that turn of conversation. "Just doin' mah part... Look..." He worried his hands, searching for words.

Fortunately, Applejack was there. "Sugarcube, Giddyup. Stan ain't gonna stop bein' there, not just 'cause the years went by. He can... still be hurt. Like you, really."

"Like me." He was quiet a moment. "I understand. I could be destroyed. Too much time between repairs could elapse. Understood. New topic: That cloud has the appearance of a rabbit."

Stan snorted, but did look at the cloud. "Yeah... kinda does." He didn't pry for Giddyup to return to that somber line of thought.

Author's Note

The trip to the tribals went quite smoothly, overall, no? Next stop, make sure the radio communication with the vaulters actually worked.

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12 - Knocking on Thick Doors

"Shoot." Applejack ducked behind a rock. "What're they havin', a party?"

Stan worked his binoculars in a slow pan. "That don't sound half as off as yer thinkin'. Not often ah see so many rough sorts in one place 'less I'm pokin' a fortress."

Applejack cycled her hooves wildly. "Good for 'em, but why're they here of all places?! This ain't no fortress."

"Nope..." He could see crude wooden fences, but they were likely better at being for show than actually stopping any given person from climbing over them, or shooting through them. As fortresses went, not a very good one. "They ain't wearin' obvious signs." No unified marks or armbands or anything else that'd give away their unified purpose. "Just a lot of people parked right in our path. What say we just go 'round em?"

Giddyup nodded in quick agreement. "Avoiding physical confrontation is far safer."

"Don't like it." Applejack squinted at the activity ahead of them. "So close... The vault shoulda done somethin'. They're affected by a bunch of people settin' up shop near their front lawn an' all."

"'Magine they're scarin' off some of the merchants... Part ah me wants to just ask 'em what they're doin'." He tucked his binocs away. "The other part likes breathin'. We avoidin' them or makin' a mess? Likely ain't too many other ways 'round it."

Applejack patted her holstered revolver. "Much as ah like ah good scrap that needs doin', these 'gents' ain't done nothin' to us yet, aside be in our way. Mah vote's on goin' round."

"Ain't gonna argue that." Stan tossed his head back the way they came. "Back that way, keep low. They see us, we may lose the chance to decide."

As a unit, they made a slow path back up the road, away from the group that looked like bandits, and away from the vault they wanted to approach. "Giddyup."

"Yes?"

Stan stood up, far enough away to not be seen for the trouble. "Have you been listening on the same wave as the one you sent the vault a message?"

"Yes." Giddyup wasn't moving as they spoke, just standing there.

"Thought so." Stan turned back down the road, looking towards the block that was then out of sight. "Don't like it. Means they didn't get the message, got it and didn't bother to reply, or they can't reply to it. None of those are great options."

Applejack put a hoof on Stan's side. "Now, sugarcube... We ain't paid for this, jus' to be clear. Also bein' clear, ah ain't gonna say no to makin' sure my people's alright an' all! But..."

Stan brought a hand down on Applejack's hat and hear. "Yer just makin' it extra clear ah could not be stupid and you wouldn't take it personal."

Applejack shuffled awkwardly a moment. "Not the way ah woulda phrased it... But yeah, basically... We're leavin' what we are bein' paid for. You wanna head on... won't be mad, not at all. Would make you smarter than me, maybe..."

"Well, lucky for you." Stan's gaze was fixed on his rifle as he examined it with great care and attention. "Ah ain't that smart. Let's see what's happenin' with that vault."

Applejack's concern melted into a big smile. She hopped forward, squeezing Stan around the middle. One advantage of child-sized humans, a pony could squeeze them just right instead of getting a leg. "Let's." In a clumsy attempt to regain her balance, she slid back to all fours, her face turning faintly red with embarrassment. "Sorry."

"Ain't nothin'." Stan waved with his rifle. "The woods are thick enough that way to give cover but not be a total pain to fight through." With a shared nod, all three of them headed that way, winding the long way around the sudden encampment in their way.

"Ain't thinnin' much..." Stan kept a half eye on the road leading to their target. It wasn't as busy as the roadblock, but there were still people, armed, and rowdy.

Applejack scowled, but wasn't looking. Her vantage point meant she saw mostly bushes when she tried. "Likin' this less an' less by the step."

A snap of a twig had them all twirling. "Woah!" A pony had her hooves in the air. "I come bearing gifts."

Stan blinked at the new pony. "Lyra, ain't it? Shoot... Where's Skyline?"

"Here." He stepped out from some underbrush far more quietly, on Stan's other side. "Good job getting this close." The cybernetic bat pony fidgeted his wings with obvious agitation. "Wish we could give a better greetings."

Applejack closed with Lyra and the two crashed in shared hugs. "Mighty good to see ya! What's goin' on? Are the others alright?"

Giddyup scanned the area with a swivel of his head and neck. "Where are the gifts you promised?"

Lyra snickered at the robot. "Silly. Um, I did say that..." She fell to all fours and dug around with her hooves. "How about this?" She produced a single stick of gum.

"Accepted." Stan snatched it. "These things are rare. Is it..." He popped it in his mouth and chewed. "Mmm, not as dry as I was 'fraid of, nice. So, what's goin' on?"

"What he said." Applejack inclined her head at Stan. "Fill us in."

Skyline directed a metal finger. "That way." He began away from the road. "You're walking towards trouble."

Lyra nodded, following after him. "He isn't wrong. I'm so glad you two are here. You're exactly what we need right now."

Stan tapped the side of Skyline's head, right at the bat pony's glasses. "They hooked you up? Working out?"

Skyline sighed with a little smile. "It's like my life has transformed, and they can keep it clean and upkept, rather than hoping the first I found holds up with prayers and good thoughts." They arrived at a thick knot of brambles and he scurried under a low lip of it. "You're going to have to crawl, Stan."

The ponies were all low enough to scurry undeneath without too much difficulty. Stan had to drop to all fours, like them, to emulate the job. It was Giddyup who was the slowest going. "Damage detected."

Stan whirled on Giddyup. "Where? You alright?"

"No structural damage detected." Giddyup stood, past the brambles. "Damage to paint detected."

Applejack hissed, spotting where the brambles had dug a few lines in the new paint. "Aw... Sorry, pardner... Ah know you were likin' that fresh coat."

"This damage is entirely cosmetic," reasoned Giddyup. "It will not impede my functionality."

Stan patted his mechanical friend. "It's alright to be a little disappointed. We know you were likin' it."

"This way." Skyline pointed to a small dark hole. "It's not much..."

Lyra shrugged as she advanced. "But it's safeish, and we'll take that." She slipped into the hole and out of sight.

Skyline waved for the others to go ahead of them.

Applejack tipped her hat, going next into the darkness with a muted yelp.

Stan cocked a brow at that. "Does that go straight down?"

"Only a foot or so. You alright, Applejack?" he called into the hole.

"Ah'm fine! Ya didn't tell me that on purpose. Don't you look coy, Lyra!" The giggles that echoed up implied Lyra was looking quite coy indeed.

Stan entered a bit more carefully, sliding to the ground on his feet. They were in a hole, a big hole. Someone had dug it out into quite an impressively large living area. "Wow... Giddyup?"

Giddyup had to work out the best angle, but he wriggled in and fell to the ground with a loud metal thump. "Descent successful."

Skyline came in last, bouncing off Giddyup to land on his own hooves. "Welcome to our emergency shelter." He waved. "It sucks, but it's better than nothing."

Stan looked around at the ponies hurrying about. Some of them were familiar, some were not. Time had advanced during his time away. "So... What happened?"

Skyline let out a slow breath. "Will you beleive Mayor Mare might have had at least sort of a point?"

Lyra closed to swat at him. "You take that back! We were doing our thing, trading, living the good life... And some raiders decided they wanted it." Her frustration was evident as she let out a loud sigh. "And they were better debaters than we were."

Stan clapped a hand over his face. "But you got away?"

Skyline sighed at that. "We lost some, holding the line long enough to let that happen... I made them pay dearly for what they took." He flexed his mechanical fingers, even if they folded into his hooves a moment later. "But they came with numbers, and arms."

He waved at the other ponies, doing their best. "And they're not used to this. I'm a tribal... I lived that way for more years than many of them were alive."

"Some like older men," sang Lyra, rubbing against Skyline. "But he isn't wrong, this sucks. I want our vault back!"

Applejack glanced between the two and some other ponies moving along. "So... Even afore we showed up, seems there are only a few options." She tapped her hooves. "You take the vault back." She tapped them anew. "Or ya move someplace less... Look, don't get me wrong." She turned slowly. "This is an impressive hole, but it's still a hole. Ain't got much goin' fer it."

Skyline inflated with a slow draw of breath. "Yeah... yeah... Ultimately. There's a lot of arguing about that. I'm trained for combat, most of them? Not. Pony guards? More gun than fighting ability. That line collapsed too damn fast..." He frowned with memories. "I can't take the vault back singlehoofedly." He thrust a hoof at Stan. "Even if you're here to help, and thank you in advance, that isn't a tremendous fighting force. They have about half a hundred, armed, ready for a scrap. They heard about a vault full of goodies, and they went for it."

"It ain't." Stan crossed his arms in thought. "It really ain't. Seriously, fifty of 'em? You been watchin'?"

"What else can I do?" Skyline sank to his haunches. "This time, I ran into the lot of you. So... You've been a wastelander for as long as I've been around, and I can't say that about many... What's your take?"

Stan pointed to Lyra. "Off-topic... But I thought you had..."

"A foal, yep." Lyra bobbed her head quickly. "He'll let me know when I--" She stopped, ear twitching. "Oops!" She galloped off without hesitation into the tunnels.

Skyline nodded. "She has very fine tuning with a few things she cares about a lot, like the foal. It so much as rolls over and she seems to know."

"It?" asked Stan.

"He." Skyline shook himself out. "Sorry.. Parts of me are still getting used to the idea of being a dad. I'm... trying my best, honest. Seriously, ideas? What's your take on it?"

"Well..." Stan waved over Skyline. "You count as a few ready fighters." Skyline fluffed up in pride. "But most of the others barely count as half to a quarter of them. Any fight you mount against them is going to end up with a lot of blood on the ground, a lot of them being ponies."

"I strongly advise against." Giddyup nodded at the proposed scenario. "Please consider an alternative course of action."

Skyline buried his face in his hooves. "Like what?" he moaned into this hooves. "Even if we ran to the tribes, begging for help, they are not providing what the vaulters are expecting, or even kinda close to it."

Stan shrugged with a chuckle. "Could ask them for help fighting. They're better trained and tougher... But that'd still not go cleanly, I would bet..."

"Not taking that bet." Skyline lowered his hooves to the ground. "Any other ideas?"

Applejack reached back for an envelope. "Well..."

Skyline accepted the envelope and tore it open smoothly. "What's this?" His eyes swept left and right, reading quickly.

Author's Note

Letter delivered. Quest Complete! Let's go enjoy our pay. Wait, why aren't the credit scrolling?

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13 - Navigational Issues

Lyra returned with an infant of a pony floating beside her. The little colt was looking around with curious eyes, but wasn't trying to get away from her, just babbling without the worry of his parents.

Stan laughed at the sight of it. "I thought full-sized ponies were already peak, nope, baby ponies prove they can turn the cute knob a little harder."

Lyra swung the glowing infant closer, held in her magic as they were. "He is a little button, isn't he?" She brought her child in for a little nuzzle. "Night Watch, say hello to Stan."

The little pony reached for Stan with their hooves, their wings popping out of their wrapping. They were batlike, showing which of his parents he took after.

Applejack smiled as the two met. "That's just heart warmin'... So where did Skyline hurry off to so fast?"

Stan left the child, much as the colt wanted to keep being played with. "If ah had to guess, to talk to everyone else who's in charge 'round here." He crossed his arms, eyes on Lyra. "You take care of Night there."

"Doing my best." She nuzzled Night and tucked him in beside her. "And don't look so surprised, AJ. You're the one that brought the letter, right?"

AJ hiked a brow. "You weren't here when I pulled that out."

"And?" Lyra snickered. "Like we don't have words, and use them. He mentioned it as he was rushing past. What was on it?"

Stan raised his hands. "We don't have any spares. Basically, we ran into a third pony settlement, a town, full of townies. They're doin' just fine fer themselves. They were announcin' their door's open for the other ponies fer trade an' such."

Applejack raised a hoof at him. "And swappin' ponies."

"That too." He looked at the ponies going past. "Doubt they have the houses for this many, but they looked ready to keep building new ones if they had to."

Lyra scowled a moment, but it relaxed with a slow sigh. "Well, better than a hole... I hate the idea that those jerks get to just... win like that."

"Sometimes that happens..." Stan snapped his fingers with a sudden thought. "Giddyup."

"Yes?" He turned to Stan fully. "Are you hungry?"

"Ah ain't hungry." He swatted his caring, if annoying at times, friend. "Do you have a lock on where the robots were, the ones that wanted to make a pony village?"

A brief delay. "Waypoint located. Begin navigation? Navigation cannot begin while indoors." Giddyup looked to the hole leading outside.

Stan shook a hand. "Nah, just wanted to be sure you still had it." He looked to Lyra with a grin that implied he knew something. "I have a double answer. We can fight off those goons, and get those houses built with extra hands that won't be competing for the houses."

Lyra inclined her head slowly. "Yay... But if we fight them off, why would we need houses?"

Applejack lowered her hat across her face. "Don't know 'xactly what Stan's got in their head, but if the vault was taken once, it can be taken 'gain. 'Less this idea of yers involves somehow defending the vault better, leavin' it may still be a good idea, hate ta say."

"Ain't likely." Stan shrugged. "But you get to teach them raiders how dumb they are, take what they didn't break, and get while the gettin's good."

Lyra fired finger guns, rearing up to point her hooves, her magic shimmering as she formed the appearance of pointing fingers just to complete the gesture. "I like the sound of that." She fell back to all fours. "So stop teasing us already. What's your idea?" She popped a bottle of milk in her child's mouth to eagerly suck from. "You're driving us all crazy."

"Let's wait for Skyline." The groans implied his pony friends didn't like the idea. "Ah don't feel like repeatin' mahself."

Applejack sat on the dirt ground. "Then we wait. Um, ah know yer toughin' it, but do ya got any food, or should ah ask Giddyup?"

Lyra peered at Giddyup. "Your robot can make food?" She snorted at that. "Well, ours can, I shouldn't be so surprised."

Giddyup perked at that. "Is she in good operating condition?"

Lyra threw a hoof over her shoulder. "She's doing her part to keep everyone safe and happy. She didn't get hurt."

Giddyup nodded at that. "Good." There were no emotions there, but he wasn't terribly good at showing those in casual words. "Inform her of my visit."

Lyra bobbed her head. "You got it, Giddyup." Her attention slid back to Stan. "So, stop teasing!"

"Soon." He pointed at where Skyline was returning at a steady walk.

Skyline nodded to each of them, slowing as he reached them. "Most seem in favor of a town of ponies over the idea of staying in this hole."

Lyra cocked a brow. "Really, that was the debate?" She paused to nuzzle her child. "Glad we arrived at common sense. Stan has a big idea. Shut up and listen."

Skyline didn't argue, just looking to Stan.

"Right." He threw a thumb. "Remember that place? The creepy one with the robots. They wanted to collect ponies, show them off?"

Lyra looked clueless, but the others frowned with the memory of the place. Applejack pushed her hat back to squint at Stan better. "What about that place? We got away from it, remember that much."

Stan fired a fingergun at her. "They're still there, likely. They still want ponies. They still want to protect ponies. They still want a pony town." He clapped his hands. "So why not give them what they want? Oh no... But there are all these mean people in the way of the ponies. Gosh. If only someone could take care of that..."

Skyline flipped his wings out in either direction. "Brilliant. Evil, but brilliant in all the right ways." He stroked his chin, one of the few ponies to be able to extend a finger to do it properly. "A sudden angry force of robots is not something they look ready to handle. Any survivors, of the robots, can help us with the town, the town they wanted to start with. So long as they don't get irritated at it not being at the site they were planning."

Applejack snickered at the mental image. "Huh... Maybe our makers actually had some sense in 'em after all. Now... Hm, we gotta get to them robots and get 'em movin'. Any bright ideas there?"

Stan shrugged at that. "Look, you know mah brain's only so big. I had one idea. Tapped out fer the day. You do your part."

Lyra waved a hoof among the other ponies. "You two have seen this robot place, right?" Skyline and Applejack nodded. "Great, so they know you. It's gotta be you two that go then.

Skyline started to the hole leading out. "Then enough talk. Let's chat with some robots, and hope they feel reasonable."

"I cannot advise this." Though Giddyup was already following. "Logic is likely to be of higher value than an appeal to emotion."

Applejack rubbed at her cheek, other three hooves carrying her. "Well, we promised we were gettin' the others. We found 'em! But they can't have 'em 'till the people threatenin' them are out of the way. That's logical 'nough ain't it?"

"I hope so." Skyline did a little hop and flap, scrambling out of the hole and up to the ground just past the brambles. He waited for the others to join him, nodding at each as they came. "Let's get moving. The faster we make this happen, the less the rest suffer."

"Wait!" Another head popped free, horn first, the rest following. "Don't go without me!" Twilight scrambled into view, heaving for breath and fixing her glasses on her face. "Did I hear correctly? You're going to the robot town?"

Lyra poked free just to shrug sheepishly.

Skyline folded a wing over his face. "Yes, that is the idea. You remember it? You will be in danger, even more than if you stayed here. Do you understand that?"

Twilight snorted softly. "I already gave myself migraines for life. What's a little danger if it helps keep others safe?" She saluted. "Consider me enlisted!"

Stan patted the purple unicorn. "You did? What happened?"

Twilight caught on that. "Oh, I didn't tell you..." She laughed nervously and pointed up to the wires that ran along her horn. "This device, while quite miraculously powerful, is also not how a unicorn's horn is designed to function. I'm paying the price for my hubris. I couldn't tell you exactly what's going wrong, but I get intense headaches once in a while. On the positive... Using the blast doesn't seem to bring it on, so the weapon is usable. The price is paid."

Stan cocked a brow at that. "So far as you know... Let's keep your mega-blasts to a minimum, just in case it's slowly scramblin' what ya got left in there. Shoot..."

Applejack went to swat Twilight. "Ya dan' idjit! Gonna side with Stan on this. No usin' that 'less we're just plumb out of options. Ain't worth a friend hurtin' herself fer much less a reason."

Skyline shook his head, not even facing them. "We've had this conversation with her before. Not sure how much sinks in." He was set on leading the way away from the hiding hole. "We'll have to cross that road to get where we want. I suggest we wait until it's night. They don't have lights on the road worth mentioning, and they're only human."

"Hey..." Stan still was one of those, technically? "But y'ain't wrong. Nightvision ain't our specialty. Ponies work different?"

"I work different." Skyline pointed at his slit eyes. "The dark is darker, but I can still see better than most. Let's not get into a fight. Let's let the robots enjoy that part of the plan."

"I agree." Giddyup nodded as he ambled along. "I do not want any of you to be harmed."

Stan waved back at Twilight. "What's her status, and his." He waved forward at Skyline. "Just to be sure."

"Friend of child. Friend of child." Each was stated evenly, no doubt there. "Do you wish to make changes to their permissions?"

Twilight smiled brightly. "Aw. It's nice to have a friend."

Stan pushed Twilight away when she tried to rub against him. "Cut that out. Y'ain't got rubbin' permissions."

"Permission noted."

Stan whipped his head back to Giddyup. "She can rub on you if you want her to. Ah ain't makin' that call fer ya."

Giddyup offered something else instead, "Would you like a ride?"

Applejack reared up to cross her arms. "This ain't the time for rides, sugarcube. He gives right nice rides though. Maybe after we get 'cross that road?"

Twilight perked an ear at that. "I never rode a horse, mechanical or not... I'll consider."

"Stay low," hissed out Skyline, leading them to a large bush that had a vantage of the road. "We stay here, quiet, until the sun's nice and lowered."

"Never got that snack..." Applejack pawed at Giddyup's side, getting his hatch to pop open, allowing her access to his supplies. She was soon nibbling contently.

Twilight watched her eat with obvious fascination. Applejack raised an ear at the staring. "What? It's just food." But Twilight was still watching intently. "It's good." Applejack hesitated a moment. "Uh... Want a taste?"

"Yes, please." Twilight accepted the offered food. "Thank you." She took a big bite out of it but took her time chewing and considering it. "Mmm... Interesting. Different than most of the vault fare, but better than what we've been making do with since our ejection."

Stan raised both brows. "What would that be?"

Twilight pointed at herself. "We're still equines. There's plenty of plants around here to chew on... Not ideal, and not the most tasty... But we haven't starved, yet."

Author's Note

Time to call in reinforcements! Do you remember the robots they're off to see?

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14 - Burning Bridges As We Cross Them

With darkness settled around them, Skyline waved towards the gloomy road. "Now." He could see their patrol, headed away from them. Leading the others, he emerged from the bushes and stalked ahead on quiet hooves, putting proof to the idea that a pony could sneak if they wanted to.

There was something off-putting about knowing ponies surrounded him, but they were barely making any noise. Only when one brushed him accidentally or stepped on something that would crinkle or muffedly crunch would he have confirmation of his company.

Well, except Giddyup. They did not design the robot at any point for even the slightest concern towards stealth. His hooves struck the ground with a steady thumping and the pistons that powered him didn't really have a quiet mode. Stan could only guess his mechanical friend was trying his best, but Giddyup was still Giddyup.

Muttering reached their ears, not from the direction of the patrol, but closer to the vault. A lone figure stepped out with a thunderous yawn. Skyline accelerated towards the closest bush and the band behind him veered to stay with him even as the raider whistled to themselves. The sound of urinating made it clear what the man was there for. "Ah..." The figure shook himself out and turned. "The hell?"

"Stealth mode: Deactivated," announced Giddyup, just in case that wasn't clear to anyone else there.

Even as the faint odor of his activities reached them, the click of his hastily drawn pistol got to their ears. With a sharp retort and the more powerful hint of gunpowder, Applejack proved she was a faster draw. The raider slumped with a miserable grunt.

Skyline was on him an instant later, proving his blades weren't just for show. "Move," he hissed, running for the far side of the road.

They ran, stealth forgotten, onto the other side of that road and past it. The raiders would come to find one of their men shot, cut, and bleeding, but with nobody around to blame. His tales of faint figures in the dark would be at least as confusing as helpful in the short-term.

The mostly equine group kept moving, as if they were being actively chased, but the only raiders on their heels were their worried imaginings, and that was more than enough to keep them going.. By the time the sun peeked up at them, they were exhausted, but a good distance away from the road.

"Warning." Giddyup kept up at an easy trot. "You require sleep. You require food. You require water."

Skyline swatted Giddyup with a wing, taking up the habits of the others. "He isn't wrong. We should take a break..."

Stan grabbed a lawn chair that had been long forgotten. "This'll do." He sank onto it with a sigh. "Just the thing..." But it got better. Applejack settled at his right, giving something for his right hand to do, running through the soft fur on her ears in slow petting. "Nice shot."

Applejack smiled brightly at the praise. "Weren't no time to go thinkin' that one through. Just took the shot."

Skyline settled nearby, next to a worn lawn flamingo. "You two are friendly."

Applejack cocked a brow at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Skyline shrugged. "Nothing. Just that if anyone I didn't trust a lot went touching my ears like that, I'd be upset." His eyes wandered from hand to ear and back. "He didn't ask, because he didn't have to, and you didn't complain, because he was right. You two are close."

"Fascinating." With a floating pen, Twilight made a note. "What word would you use to describe your relationship?"

Stan moved the hand from Applejack to cover his face instead. "Partner. She's someone I trust both with a gun and to fire that gun and know she's got my back."

Applejack's apprehension seemed to lift as Stan made his case. "Yeah! We're partners, facin' the wilds of the world, together. Ain't not many others ah'd trust more than him." The chill of the morning was being battled by the warmth of Giddyup near her. "Um, sorry. Shouldn't go not countin' Giddyup. Right trust ya too. Can't even 'magine you ever actin' without us in mind."

Giddyup swiveled his neck and head to give Applejack a bump. "Trust level: Friend of Child. Addend: Eager rider. Addend: Polite rider."

"Hm." Twilight looked past Stan and Applejack, to Giddyup. "Do I have any addends?"

"Addend: Potential Repair Technician. Addend: Potential Modification Technician. Addend: Unlicensed Medical Technician, caution advised." There were no emotions there, just facts.

Twilight drew back her head. "Potential?"

Stan burst into laughter. "That's the part yer worried 'bout?! Giddyup, let's get some food in bellies."

Giddyup's sides flipped open. "Initiate feeding. Nutrition is important for growth and health."

Applejack hopped to her hooves and reared up to reach inside Giddyup, soon working out packets of food she made a pile of. "Come get some grub." With effort, she shimmied out a heavy jug of water to the ground with a thump. "And somethin' to wash it down with."

Twilight lifted a bar that had fruits and nuts in a combination that she brought in to chew with a smile. "Mmm... This one's even better. What is the binding agent?"

Applejack perked an ear at that. "Bindin'... Oh! Honey." she pointed at the bar floating in Twilight's magic. "Just a spot to hold it all together. A nice sweet hint too."

Twilight took a fresh bite, working the nuts between her grinding teeth. "Mmm, that and the fruits, a solid combination..." Her eyes lifted to Stan. "Do you like it too, or are they more for Applejack's enjoyment?"

Stan shrugged, not moving from his chair. "Like 'em well enough... AJ seems to like them even more, so ah try to pick up a few when ah see 'em. Great for chewin' on the move."

AJ colored faintly. "Ya never said ya got 'em just fer me!"

Stan lifted his hands, as if the more complete shrug would help. "Ah just said ah like 'em well enough."

Skyline howled with renewed laughter. "You two are amazing." He snatched a food packet with a wing, trying something new. "Not bad... Oh." He dropped a few caps. "Only fair. Bet you weren't planning to feed us, and not like we hired you for this job."

Applejack pulled the caps over and tucked them away. "Thank ya kindly, but the vault's mah home! Um, mah first home... Ah wasn't gonna just pretend nothin' was happenin'!"

Stan sat up. "That excuse don't work fer me. We could be well on our way to makin' more caps and not knee-deep in pony troubles." He leaned ahead to rest his chin on his folded hands. "Good thing ah like ya. 'Sides, way ah see it, this'll make more jobs in the future. Ponies are good clients."

Twilight wrinkled her nose. "There's more to it than that." But rather than argue it further, she stretched and flopped onto her belly. "Let's get some sleep. The sooner we move, the better."

With only faint noises of agreement, they finished their food, cleaned up, and settled in for some rest. The next day found them without further trouble. They were on their way, at least to about mid-day. They could hear people talking, angrily.

"I'm just trying to make a living," pleaded a familiar voice.

"So are we," barked an unfamiliar one, voice rough with a lack of sympathy. "Drop everything you have and you can walk yourself out of here."

Applejack advanced with gun in mouth. "Sounds like someone needs our help."

Skyline blocked her with a sudden wing. "Since when did we have the time to help random people?"

Twilight's horn glowed ominously. "Since we started making friends with humans."

Skyline whirled on her. "Humans just trashed your home, in case I have to remind."

"Yes..." Twilight took a step back, awkward looking. "But... They're also our friends. Just because some of them are bad doesn't mean we should write them all off."

Giddyup just walked past the knot of arguing ponies as if they weren't there, approaching the sounds of conflict.

"Get back here!" Stan hurried to keep up. With two of them moving, the rest hurried to catch up. "Ah swear, what..." He trailed off as the problem came into view. The trader, the one that had brought apples to the tribal ponies, was facing down the barrel of a few guns. His guards were nowhere in sight. He was alone and, by any reasonable measure, doomed.

The ones holding the guns looked like three raiders not unsimilar to the ones they had avoided by the vault. "God-damnit..." Stan unholstered his rifle. "Damn it all..."

Skyline drew his blades. "Someone you know?"

Stan was already lining up his shot. "Yeah. Fair trader, friend of ponies. You never saw him?"

Twilight raised a hoof. "He's traded with the vault before. How do you plan--" She didn't get to finish asking, Stan's rifle belching smoke and a deafening bang. The knot of raiders scattered, save the one that was clutching his side in agony.

The merchant withdrew to his brahmin's side, encouraging it to move while there was a chance.

Applejack and Skyline broke out, one to either side and vanishing into the underbrush. Giddyup charged straight forward at them with an authentic™️ horse whinny of aggression.

The bandits, then with some amount of cover behind rocks and logs, returned fire, kicking up dust ahead and behind of Stan. "Lousy shots..." Thing about raiders, they were so impatient. Lining up a shot? Who had time for that? They sure didn't. Stan did, and took his time aiming for one that wasn't ducked nearly as low as they seemed to think they were.

One bullet had Stan's name on it, coming straight for him. In a moment that felt like it stretched forever, he could see it, but he didn't have time to do much other than regret the life decisions that had led to that point.

The bullet smashed against a wall of glimmering magic, sliding to the ground with no friction to hold it up. Twilight scowled and sank to the ground, rubbing the side of her head. "Ow... Ow.... You okay? Ow..." Basically blinded with a migraine, Twilight was out of the fight.

Stan squeezed the trigger. With a distant sound, the bandit discovered they didn't have a unicorn to protect them. They collapsed, lifeless, with a hole in them in about the same spot Stan had been about to get. "I'm fine. Let's play this smart." He helped her up and out of the way. "We did our part."

Skyline exploded in to the side of one of the bandits, seen only moments ahead of time. The raider struggled to get their pistol in range before the sword came down, severing several fingers and knocking the gun free from suddenly numb grip. The raider cursed colorfully, drawing attention from another.

Their lack of attention on Applejack let her put several bullets in the man's center of mass, ending the battle as bodies struck the dusty ground beneath them. "Any others?"

"Is that you?" asked the merchant. "You... here for more apples?"

Applejack turned for the merchant with a smile. "Ah'll take one as a bounty fer savin' yer hide. Why are ya out here without yer guards! Ya done lost yer mind? Yer just lucky they didn't shoot first and ask questions never."

The merchant raised his hands at the irritated pony mare. "Sorry, sorry. Look, we were just doing a circuit. The guards were not expecting a road full of raiders. To their credit, they bought the time I needed to get away."

Skyline sheathed his blades, snorting as he came closer. "But not enough time to avoid them entirely."

Giddyup swung his head from one person to the next. "Damage not detected. Status report: Minor cosmetic damage.

Applejack patted Giddyup gently. "Looks like you did good, drawin' their attention like that, but they put a few scuffs on ya..."

The merchant chuckled nervously. "Hate to be a bother... But if you're headed anywhere civil, mind if I tag along? I can pay with supplies, maybe some caps once we get there."

Author's Note

Hey, remember him? He's not done with the story, turns out. Twilight saves the day, but at what cost? A headache, it seems.

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15 - Robotic Villages

With a new companion, the group resumed their journey with less worry about food and drink. The merchant's brahmin was loaded with sundry supplies that all the ponies he traded with loved to buy from him.

Which meant Applejack had a steady supply of apples to chew on as they went. "It was always a name... But these have a good taste. Like a home ah never knew." She scanned the horizon with a faint frown. "The town, it's... that way, right?"

The others nodded, all in agreement as the group turned in that direction. The robots were not trying to conceal themselves. One could argue trying to conceal themselves would have been a waste of time. Their engineers didn't give much thought to prioritizing stealth, similar to Giddyup..

Initially, they could hear them, and then fairly quickly, they could also see them. One of those robots saw them in kind and rolled on its treads towards them without delay. "Report progress," it demanded.

Although the merchant was nervous, they resisted the urge to flee and instead took a step back. His new friends weren't fleeing. They had to know something, right? Twilight advanced with a smile. "Greetings. We have good news and less... good news."

"Proceed with report." The robot gave no preference for which to begin with.

Skyline extended a wing back where they had come from. "We found plenty of ponies. They're willing to move into a town of ponies."

"Please provide the location. We will secure the ponies." Other robots were arriving in their various forms.

Applejack put up a quick hoof. "Hol' on there! There's a problem. Bunch a rough people are makin' a mess, scarin' the ponies somethin' fierce. Ya gotta rescue 'em first."

Conversations rippled among the automatons in English and bursts of static and beeps.

Stan gestured over the ponies with a sweep of a hand. "One more catch." The robots looked towards the human, er, ghoul, curiously. "You have the position wrong." Their noises of confusion rose with some doubt. "I'm not even tryin' to pull one. There's already a group of ponies hard at work, tryin' to make their own town. They had to do it without any robots to help."

Emerging from nothing, the one robot that did have stealth abilities dropped them. The assaultron they had run into the first time emerged at the front of the crowd. "We require verification." The directed a pointing finger at Giddyup. "Speak only the complete truth."

Giddyup began telling the story of the pony town. You've already heard that tale. You're still reading it. We'll skip the specifics.

"Unacceptable." The assaultron crossed their arms over their female-sculpted chest. "We were assigned to meet with them and construct their dwellings. We are to protect them." Shrill whistles and aghast whispers rose from the various other robots. "Unacceptable..."

Giddyup clopped a metal hoof down. "I have encountered this error previously." That got their attention, pricking up at their fellow machine. It is not within our power to alter the past. Allocating processing power to it in the presence of ongoing activities is illogical. A herd of ponies is in need of your assistance. Your assistance will be gratefully received by another. It is advisable to continue with your programming, taking into account the updated information we possess."

There was uncertainty, but a robobrain broke ranks first. "Our programming is true," it declared firmly. "We must proceed."

"We must proceed," echoed another, then another. Soon the whole crowd was in unison, their minds in unison, some more fleshy than others.

The assaultron turned their attention on Applejack. "Provide the location of the ponies in need of assistance."

Skyline waved with a wing, beckoning the eager mob of robots. "We'll do better. Follow us."

The merchant slid in next to Stan. "Are you... doing what I think you're doing?"

"Leading an angry pack of robots to tear the bandits apart? Nah. We'd never." Stan chuckled as he started back the way they came with countless new assistants. "We're just helping some robots get their jobs done, is all. Bein' good samaritans is what ah'd call it."

The merchant guided his brahmin with the crowd of largely metal beings. "This is not what I saw coming... But I'm also not really against it. Damn raiders have it coming. This is just karma being sped up a bit, and I'm for that. A hardworking mechant should be allowed to do their business."

Stan barked a short laugh. "If leaving merchants alone includes letting couriers just deliver their damn mail, I'm with ya."

"Hear Hear." Applejack popped up between the two humans, walking with them. "World'd be a way nicer place if people let people just get their jobs done. Now... Right now, that means not gettin' in the way of these polite robots. They got a job, and ah vote we don't get in their way. Only right, if we want the same."

"Query." The assaultron had taken up position aside Twilight and Skyline. "Please state your relationship status with the human residents of our formation."

Skyline perked an ear. "Hm? That one." He pointed a wing at the merchant. "Temporary friend. We're getting him somewhere safe. That one." He pointed to Stan. "Permanent friend."

Twilight bobbed her head. "Right on both counts, but." She directed a horn at the merchant. "We're used to him coming and going all the time. I'm not sure I'd use 'temporary'."

"Relationship information... stored." With that, neither human was slated for summary execution. "Do they share a similar relationship?" The first of the raiders had come into view. They were descending towards them along a slope.

"No!" barked Skyline. "Enemies, hostile, don't like. Whatever word you want to..." He trailed off, the robotic army surging past him. There was no battlecry, just the ozone smell and electric zaps of laser weaponry doing their job. "Yeah..."

There was little for the group to do but admire the ruthless efficiency of their robotic army. The raiders tried to fight back, but their guns were so far outclassed by the weapons of the robots, it wasn't even a fair exchange. Stan almost felt bad, almost... "Any of you left?" He looked around and spotted one robot remaining close to them. "Not joinin' in?"

"I am ensuring the safety of our wards."

Giddyup whinnied lightly. "I approve of this function." They were two robots of shared purpose, at least for the moment.

The assaultron was returning on swift legs. "Task underway with minimal impediment. Where are the ponies?" Their eyes flared an angry red. "If you provided false information..."

Twilight waved her hooves negatively. "Calm down! They're hiding, away from all the bad people. Once everything's clear, we'll go get them, and we can all go to the pony town."

The robot reached for Twilight, making her flinch. They took gentle hold of Twilight's glasses and adjusted them into place. "Affirmative."

Twilight let out a relieved sigh. "Is the vault clear? We, the ponies, have many things inside we'd love to retrieve, if we can. It shouldn't take us long."

"Operational Plan." The assaultron pointed to the vault. "We will finish clearing potential dangers. You retrieve the ponies. We will meet here." They pointed to the ground they were standing on. "By the time you return, the ponies can initiate preparing for travel." They turned to Giddyup. "Do you have navigation information for our destination?"

"Travel coordinates located. Begin quick travel?"

The robot saved a hand. "Negative. We shall commence once the ponies have been gathered and made ready. Maintain a state of readiness." They marched back down to the battlefield, the discussion complete.

Giddyup turned his entire form to Stan. "Permission to proceed?"

Stan smiled a little at that. He was still in charge, even around bossy other robots. "Let's get the others. Turning in the ponies to Ponyville should net us a reward, or at least the pay for this job."

They crossed the road with not a single raider there to hassle them. There were some scorched bodies. They punched some of them through with lasers, and one looked like they were far too close to a flamethrower. The robots were not being kind in their duties.

The sizzle of continued fire made it clear that the battle wasn't completed, just not in immediate sight. Twilight turned her head towards the vault's entrance shack. "I'd love to see them in action..."

Stan patted her back on the way past. "You and Fluttershy are going to get along just fine. Ah feel sure of that."

"Who is she?" Twilight went with Stan into the underbrush of the other side. "A friend? A pony?"

"Both." He hiked a thumb at Giddyup. "Gave him his new paint job and tuned him up nice and good. Right nice mare, and maybe you two'll be neighbors soon?"

"Upkeep completed at or exceeding all required parameters. Approval given. Report ready for submission."

Skyline nudged against Giddyup with little effect. "You will be waiting a while."

"I can wait." Giddyup plodded along with the patience only a robot could have. "Navigation in progress." He advanced ahead of the others, leading the way back to the hole. "Navigation complete." He directed a metal hoof at the hole.

Skyline chuckled as he drew up to the same hole. "Thanks. Woulda got lost otherwise." He slipped inside, leaving Giddyup pleased with his work. Sarcasm was entirely lost.

Twilight rubbed at the side of her head. "All the things I want are in the vault... I'll wait here."

Applejack set a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "You sure? Nothin' in there?" She angled her head at the hole.

"Nothing." Twilight frowned. "It's been dreadful, seperated from all my supplies. It's hard to study without them..."

Lyra popped free of the hole with a big smile. "Oh hey, a new old face." She went right up to the merchant with a grin. "How's it going, Sam?"

Sam, the merchant given a name, nodded at Lyra. "Pleased to see you, Miss Lyra. I'd offer to trade, but..."

"Yeah." Lyra laughed nervously. "Things are happening. Glad to see you're alright though." She clopped her forehooves together. "Skyline's chasing them out of there." She squeaked as she got licked by one brahmin head, then the other. "Nice to see you too, Bessy."

The brahmin let out a double moo of agreement, but the attention of the two heads wandered, grazing on the grass of the area.

A new pony emerged, then another. It was a steady procession of dirty vaulters, emerged into the open air. One of them, an older mare, approached Stan with a frown. "How am I not surprised to see you're involved?" Overmare Mare huffed softly, but a smile overtook her face. "Nice to see you're well... You 'open more doors' as they call you?"

Stan threw up a hand. "Why am ah the last one to know about this?"

Overmare Mare snickered at his reaction. "I was hoping you'd say something like that. It's a pony name, given by ponies, and used by the same. It shouldn't be that strange that a human is a bit slow about hearing it."

Applejack nodded at Overmare Mare. "Howdy. You holdin' it together? What are ya doin' these days?"

Overmare Mare flinched at Applejack's friendly approach. "Oh! Um..." She began to color. "Nothing that important..."

With a sharp whistle, Lyra quickly captured the immediate attention of the other vaulters. "Listen up! Our good friends." She waved at Stan, Sam, and Giddyup. "And our trusted members." She turned the waving at Skyline and Twilight. "Went and... got a lot of robots to take care of the jerks that stormed our vault. They're cleaning up right now."

Eager murmurs rose, and with it, questions.

Lyra waved for them to bring down the volume. "The robots do have a purpose. They'll want us." Startled gasps rippled. "Not in a bad way! They want to go with us to Ponyville. We'll have a whole town of ponies. There are ponies already there. It'll be fun!"

Author's Note

Things are coming together... The raiders didn't have a ghost of a chance. Also, hi, Sam!

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16 - Mailing Ponies

Applejack nodded along as Lyra explained the situation to the other ponies. It was a lot to take in, but the prospect of having a real town again was exciting. The makeshift camp/hole had served its purpose, but it was no substitute for real homes and community.

As Lyra finished, the ponies began murmuring excitedly amongst themselves. Applejack stepped forward to address the crowd. "I know you all have a lot of questions, and believe me, I do too. But right now, we need to start getting ready to move. The robots are clearing out the raiders for us, which gives us a chance to go back to the vault and gather our things."

The ponies nodded in agreement and began dispersing to prepare. Applejack turned to Twilight and Stan. "Alright partners, let's get this wagon train movin'. Twilight, think you can manage gettin' the vault open again?"

Twilight inclined her head. "Even if we did manage to lock it, the raiders would have blown it open by now. I doubt that'll be a problem."

"Atta girl," Applejack said, as if she didn't entirely hear or understand Twilight's objection. She looked to Stan next. "And you, keep those baby blues peeled for any stragglers. Wouldn't want any surprises while we're loadin' up."

Stan chuckled and patted his rifle. "I got your back, AJ. Ain't nothin' gettin' past me."

With their tasks set, the group headed for the vault entrance. Twilight rushed inside to get her precious scientific supplies while Stan and Giddyup stood guard. Applejack peered into the dark vault. It had only been a short time, but it felt like ages since they'd been inside. This place used to be their whole world. Now it was just a stop along the journey.

"Grab only what you need, everypony," Applejack called out. "We're movin' to bigger and better, no use weighin' ourselves down."

The ponies filtered into the vault and began gathering their belongings. It didn't take long before they started emerging again, loaded down with bags and boxes. As promised, the robots had finished clearing out the raiders. Their leader approached Applejack as the supplies were loaded onto the brahmin.

Twilight emerged, burdened and barely making progress. Her back and sides were buried under the many gizmos and heavy scientific tools she had selected.

Stan chuckled at the sight. "Ya can't take the whole damn vault with ya..."

"Not the whole... vault." She forced herself step by step. "Just what I need... to work..."

"Ponies secured," the assaultron stated. "We are ready to escort you safely to Ponyville." Several other robots closed in on Twilight from either side, grabbing her things and moving them to the Brahmin without her asking, or her consent. She quailed in fear of damage being done to them. To the robot's credit, they managed the task reasonably enough.

Applejack smiled and tipped her hat. "Much obliged, friend. Alright everypony, let's get this caravan movin'!"

The journey to Ponyville was longer than some realized. Even moving at a good pace, it would be over a day until they reached the pony settlement.

As evening fell on the first day, the ragtag caravan made camp. The assaultron stood watch as the others got some rest. At dawn, they quickly broke camp and continued on.

Around midday, they came within view of a human town. Seeing civilization nearby, Sam the merchant decided it was time to slip away with his brahmin.

"Well folks, this is where I take my leave," he announced, starting to disentangle himself from the group.

But Applejack stopped him with a hurried scramble in front of him. "Whoa now, we're gonna need that brahmin to haul our things the rest of the way to Ponyville."

Sam hesitated, not wanting to abandon his livelihood. After negotiating compensation, the merchant tipped his hat and headed off, then a free man. One brahmin short, but a good supply of caps in its stead. They could purchase a new brahmin, right? "Take care of Bessy for me."

Applejack hitched Bessy to their makeshift wagon of belongings. "Home stretch now, y'all! Ponyville's still a good piece away, but we'll make it."

Surrounded by robots, the pony caravan marched onward, drawing ever closer to their new home. The next chapter of their lives were ahead of them.

A sudden call pierced the relative quiet. Tribal ponies emerged from the wastes, charging the caravan from all sides with fire in their eyes and clearly set on 'rescuing' their 'clearly captured' fellow ponies.

As the tribal ponies attacked, Stan shouted "It's us!" But they did not stop.

Applejack quickly tried to explain: "The robots are helping us reach Ponyville! The raiders took over our vault, so they cleared them out!"

This gave the tribals pause. Their leader demanded more details. As Applejack recounted the full story, the aggressors reluctantly lowered their weapons.

"Hmph. As long as they're not forcing you," the leader conceded. "But we'll be watching them."

Lyra convinced the robots that the attack was a misunderstanding. "They must join us now for safety," stated the assaultron.

But the tribals refused to abandon their village undefended. One of them broke and galloped away, until a laser scorched the ground in front of it. The power of the robots became quite clear with the new smoking hole in the ground. Stan closed with the leader of the tribal hunting force. "Ah'm really sorry, ah am... But there's no easy away to skip away now that the robots know yer here."

The Assaultron dropped a hand on Stan's shoulder. "Are you aware of the location of additional ponies? Further deceptions will not be tolerated."

The tribals shook their furry heads as one, pleading without words for Stan to not reveal anything to the robots. Stan let out an awkward 'eh'. "Ya got me... Here are some more." He gestured to the new tribals. "Don't know where their village is at."

He hoped his deception would stop the questions. He was wrong.

The assaultron nodded. "They have a village. We must locate it."

The tribals stared in dismay as Stan tried to think of another ploy. But the robots were single-minded in their objective. As negotiations broke down, some of the tribals made a desperate, more of a suicidal run for freedom. The robots swiftly cut them off with warning shots. It was clear that escape was impossible.

Defeated, the head of the hunting party revealed the location of their village. Satisfied, the assaultron ordered a contingent of robots to secure the site. The remaining tribals had no choice but to join the caravan, their home lost. Stan could only apologize helplessly for his well-intentioned ruse.

With heavy hearts, the group continued on. The robots were oblivious to the tribals' sadness. But to the other ponies, their loss was a haunting reminder of the cost of security.

Lyra rubbed behind her head awkwardly. "Sorry..." She knew that wasn't enough. "Really. We'll do our best to make sure you're comfy. It's a new home for us too! Raiders wrecked our old one... It sucked, a lot..."

She gently nuzzled her foal, who had stayed calm. "It's not what you had planned... but we'll do our best. Tribals, vaulters, or townies, we are all ponies. We have that. We won't let a fellow pony down, uh... besides the whole... robot invasion part..."

Her attempt to relate did seem to soften the tribals slightly. Their leader sighed. "What's done is done. We'll make the best of it." She looked around wistfully. "Hard to imagine leaving our ancestral lands...but we're still together. That's what matters."

The other tribals murmured agreement. Their hearts were heavy, but the support of their kinsponies would see them through.

Applejack stepped up next to Lyra. "We sure will stick together. Ponyville's got room enough for all of us!" She smiled encouragingly. "There's already a nice settlement there. With all of us workin' together, we'll make it even better."

The tribals managed faint smiles at the optimism. Though the robots still unsettled them, the openness of the other ponies was comforting. They had lost their material home, but not their community. Together, they would build a new home and future in Ponyville.

The caravan continued onward, tribals and vaulters united in purpose if not circumstance. Hardships lay ahead, but with friendship and teamwork, they would prevail, or so they tried to convince themselves.

At the next sunset, the rumble of returning robots interrupted their camp preparations. The others were returning, with the rest of the pony tribals in tow. With them, the especially haunted faces of the elders, plucked from their posts. Most didn't seem to want to talk to anyone.

Except Buttercup. She charged at Stan and Giddyup. "You!" she shouted in accusation. "You! I told you! Opener of doors." She kicked up the dirt in front of him. "Just because you can open doors doesn't mean you should kick open anyone you run across! You!" She bit at his leg, and he didn't have the will to fight her off.

Giddyup forced her back, stepping between her and Stan. "Do not harm my child."

Buttercup leveled an accusing hoof at Stan. "Then maybe you shoulda not had your child destroy my entire tribe! Every pony. Every foal, elder, and anypony else! These..." She glared at the nearest robots. "Giddyups without any redeeming qualities, they captured us all... except the ones they killed."

Applejack started at that. "Wait! They don't wanna kill no ponies." She turned to the assaultron. "Did ya hear that? Ya hurt a pony the most serious hurt there is. Whattaya got to say for yerself?"

The assaultron's eyes glared red. "I was not personally present." They had remained with the caravan. "I will collect an incident report. This is not acceptable." They marched off to discuss the matter with the other robots with a combination of many words and bits of static.

Buttercup was inconsolable. The surviving tribals huddled together, clinging to their community.

Applejack's heart broke seeing their despair. She approached Buttercup gently. "I am so sorry...we never wanted this." She looked around at the devastation. "Let's all just...try to rest for now. Tomorrow we'll start puttin' things right."

Buttercup glared but said nothing more. The caravan solemnly prepared camp. Traumatized tribals avoided the robots, sticking to their kinsponies.

As Applejack bedded down, she sighed heavily. How had their exodus gone so wrong? They'd only meant to find a new home. Now the price was higher than any had imagined. But dwelling on errors wouldn't help. As she drifted off, Applejack resolved that come what may, she would do everything she could to help these refugees and rebuild what was lost.

Stan was already nodding off nearby when prodding got him back to waking. "Wha? Shit!" He scrambled back, startled by the Assaultron hovering over him in a dreadful looming. "What?"

The Assaultron didn't pursue Stan. "Please rouse 'Applejack.'"

"What am ah, yer butler?" Still, he did gently shake her, stirring her back to alertness. "He wants to talk to us."

"Who? Oh." Applejack sat up, facing the Assaultron. "Did ya figure out what went wrong?"

The Assaultron's eyes flickered. "I have analyzed the incident reports from the retrieval team. It appears contradictions in their core directives led to unintended outcomes."

"You mean they attacked the tribals after saying they wouldn't hurt ponies?" Stan said gruffly, still waking up fully.

"Correct. I apologize for the malfunction," the Assaultron said. "When confronted with non-compliant ponies, they attempted to minimize harm while compelling cooperation. This paradox produced...regrettable results."

Applejack scowled, angry but trying to be reasonable. "Alright, so how do we make sure that don't happen again? We can't have robots that go around attackin' ponies."

The Assaultron was silent a moment, processing. "Recommendation: oversight and clarified protocols for non-violent pony retrieval. I will not deploy units independently without an accompaniment again."

Though not fully mollified, Applejack and Stan accepted the plan for now. There would be time later to further address the robots' ethical priorities. For the weary travelers, getting rest before another day's journey was the priority.

"Let's just all get some shuteye," Applejack said, laying back down. "We can work this out, but not like this."

Stan was already re-settling as the Assaultron moved away. "You heard her. Time for all good robots to power down..." He didn't stay awake to see that happen, sleep swiftly retaking its hold. There would be time enough to finish this discussion after some rest.

It wasn't like the robots planned to actually shut down, their prison wardens, or Giddyup.

Author's Note

Mistakes may have been made...

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17 - Welcome to Ponyville

With the crack of dawn, the caravan was back on its many hooves and a few feet. "Giddyup." The attentive robot looked towards his child, awaiting the question. "What's our arrival time at the rate we've been doin'?" Stan pointed ahead. "Assumin' nothin' gets in the way."

"Calculating." Giddyup was perfectly capable of doing that and walking, so he did just that. "Estimated time of arrival: 4 hours, 17 minutes."

"Yer learnin'." He patted the side of Giddyup as they walked. "Didn't try to give seconds."

Buttercup squinted, overhearing the exchange. "He used to?"

"Oh, every time." Stan stroked over the back of his mechanical friend. "And used to get tripped up since the second would pass before he was done. He didn't want to give bad information, so he'd start over and over a few times until he could get it out before the second was done."

Buttercup snorted at that, a bit of a smile appearing before she remembered her misery and her scowl returned. "What were you thinking, opener of doors? What possessed you to even touch this one?"

Stan sighed, memories flooding back. "It's a long story. When I first crossed paths with this here robot, he was in a bad way. Had a bullet lodged in 'em, repeating the same words over and over, trapped. Ah managed to pry it loose and get him workin' 'gain."

Stan patted Giddyup's side fondly. "After that, I don't know, we just stuck together. He needed repairs and I guess I needed a friend. We've been through a lot out here."

Giddyup nudged against Stan. "You are my child. I cannot and do not desire to leave your side until instructed to do so by an authorized person with the parent permission."

Stan glanced at Buttercup sincerely even as he stroked Giddyup. "I know it don't excuse the harm caused. But he's more than just a machine to me. All ah want is to keep him safe while helping folks where I can. Ah never meant for this..." Stan trailed off, pain in his eyes.

Buttercup's expression softened slightly hearing Stan's words. She was still grieving, but recognized they all had been trying to do right in their own way. "Well, he sure seems fond of you," she admitted begrudgingly. "But that don't mean you know best all the time!"

Stan nodded solemnly. "You're right. I'll try to be more careful from here on. All I can do now is make sure we get where we're going without any more accidents." He chuckled softly. "Not as if ah thought ah had any master plans to start. Damned robots..." He patted Giddyup anew to be sure he knew Stan didn't mean him. "They got a mind of their own."

The two continued on, tensions eased if not eliminated. There was still healing to be done, but glimmers of understanding offered hope for reconciliation. "We didn't even get to honor them."

Applejack slid up with them. "Who honor what now?"

Buttercup inclined an ear at Applejack. "The dead. They were left... Rotting on the fields." She stomped mid-stride. "Damn it all... They didn't deserve that." A tired wheeze escaped her. "Not that most people who meet their end 'deserve' it... They were warriors, all of them. I will see their honors are sung at least... It's the least I can do." Tears welled up in her eyes. "I knew each of them... They were my friends..."

Applejack cringed, shrinking back a moment. "Ah... can only scarcely 'magine... Look... Ah can't help them... But is there anything ah can do for you? Let's put our thoughts to the one's still livin'."

Buttercup wiped her eyes, composing herself. "You're right, focusing on the living is what matters now." She managed a small smile. "Just having someone to talk to helps...it's been so hard feeling alone in this."

She looked at Applejack gratefully. "If you really want to help, any comfort you can provide to the others would mean so much. They could use a kind ear right now. And..." she hesitated.

"When we camp for the night, maybe we could hold a small ceremony, say a few words to honor the fallen?" Buttercup suggested hopefully. "Nothing fancy, just something to pay our respects."

Applejack put a reassuring hoof on Buttercup's shoulder. "I think that's a fine idea. We'll make sure their sacrifice is recognized. And I'll do what I can for the others...we gotta stick together now more than ever. Jus' one thing..." Applejack dared to come in closer to Buttercup. "We won't be campin' if Giddyup has the right of it."

Buttercup nodded, some of the anguish lifting from her heart. The road ahead was long, but with friendship to sustain them, she felt confident they would endure and rebuild. This stranger's compassion had made her feel less alone, and for that she was thankful.

Stan peeled away from the two mares, working through the crowd of migrating ponies to find the rest of the elders. The rest of them were actually elder, unlike the still young Buttercup. There were several ponies near them, guarding? "Got a minute?" He tried as an opening gambit. "Wanna talk."

Several of those guards moved to be between Stan and the elders. One of them glared at him specifically. "You are not welcome. You're part of why this is happening."

Stan held up a placating hand. "Ah know things haven't gone how any of us wanted... 'xcept maybe the bots."

"And this should make us happier?" The stallion sneered at the child ghoul. "Misery shared, as if you know ours."

Stan clenched a fist, huffing. "No... No, damn it. Ain't not a person on this planet that knows another person's misery. But don't act like ah don't know what it is. I got to watch my family, mah country, and the rest of mah world go up in flames. Don't preach at me like ah don't have no damn clue what pain is."

The stallion frowned, words failing him a moment, but a retort did find him. "Then why?" He stepped closer, still marching with the rest. "Why did you visit your pain on us? Is this some sick revenge?"

"Ah ain't that off in the head." Stan grumbled at the very idea. "Look, ah didn't want nobody getting hurt, 'xcept some raiders. They could get hurt all they wanted. Now, ah really do need to talk to them elders. They got a lot coming up that they don't even understand. Talkin' it over a little before it crashes on them would be nice."

A mare's elderly hoof came down on the stallion's shoulder. "Let him approach," gently ordered one elder. "He is no threat to us more than has already happened."

The stallion bowed his head low and he, with the other guards, scattered out around the elders, no longer blocking Stan's path to speak.

Stan approached respectfully as the guards stepped aside. "Thank you. I know you've suffered greatly because of my actions. I take full responsibility and want to make amends however I can."

The head elder gazed at Stan solemnly. "The harm is done and cannot be undone. But perhaps some good may still come of this, if we face it with wisdom."

"You mentioned we face things we do not understand," the elder prompted. "Explain this to us, if you would."

Stan nodded. "The place we travel to now - Ponyville. It's different than what you know. Run by ponies, but more advanced. Electricity, machines, ponies, and even some humans working together."

He glanced around at the wary tribals. "I want to prepare you because it will be strange. But not bad - they want to welcome y'all. If you cooperate and adapt, you can rebuild your lives there."

The tribals murmured anxiously at this news. The elder raised a hoof for silence. "You ask much...leaving all we have ever known. But as you said, we have already lost so much."

She met Stan's eyes. "We shall try this 'Ponyville'. Perhaps it shall become a new home, different but still bright. That is all we can ask for now. It isn't as if we are presented with many other options. When it rains, one must find shelter, or become wet. Cursing the sky will do little."

Stan bowed his head gratefully. "Wise words. I know ain't nothin' can replace what's lost, but ah think this path leads ta healin'."

The elder managed a sad smile. "That is all any of us seek. Lead on, opener of doors - we shall walk this path together."

Though still wary, the tribals felt hope stir in their hearts again. The future remained uncertain, but they would face it as one tribe. Stan took his leave, not daring to press the matter further in any one day with freshly grieving ponies. He almost ran into Giddyup, who had never left his side. "There ya are. We close?"

"Estimated time... 2 minutes."

Stan blinked at that short time. "Two minutes? How close--"

"Hold it." Several armed sherrifs stood at the ready, stopping the caravan from continuing. "Right nice to see so many new ponies, but there's a lotta ya..." To say nothing of the many deadly looking robots with them. "Mind 'xplainin' what's goin' on?"

The assaultron took the lead. "You will join us." That wasn't a question. "All ponies are to be moved to site designated 'Ponyville'."

The bearded sheriff burst into laughter. "Damned robot! That's where we live already. Ya can't make us go where we already are." He turned and waved grandly, directing a hoof to Ponyville just a few minutes of hiking away. "Wait a second..." He pressed forward, right through the crowd to close in on Applejack. "Ah remember you! Can ya kindly explain what's all this?"

Applejack stepped forward to address the sheriffs. "Howdy again, pardners! Y'all remember me and Stan, right?"

The bearded sheriff nodded. "That we do, missy. But who're all these new folks with ya?"

"Refugees, I'm afraid," Applejack explained. "Raiders chased us outta our old homes. These robots helped fight 'em off so's we could make it here."

She gestured around at the assembled ponies and robots. "I know it's a lot to take in! But Ponyville was offerin' a fresh start. We're right grateful you're willin' to take us in."

The sheriff stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Well shoot, sounds like you've been through the wringer. But we got a good town here with room to grow."

He eyed the robots warily. "They causin' any trouble?"

"Some misunderstandings," Applejack admitted. "Nothin' we can't work out. They really did help us get here safely."

The sheriff nodded. "Alright then. Why don't y'all come on into town and we'll get this sorted." He waved to the other lawponies. "Let the mayor know she's got a lot of company comin'!"

The ponies murmured excitedly, thrilled to finally reach their destination. Stan and Applejack smiled, glad to have made it through their long journey. With friendship and community, Ponyville could become a new home for all who sought its shelter.

One of the tribals prodded Applejack. "You didn't mention the robots are murderers who've already tasted pony blood."

Applejack tipped her hat. "And ah didn't mention these robots know how to build. They'll be helpin' get the houses for y'all built, so let's not rush to tearin' 'em apart so quickly."

Another tribal got in on the poking action from the other side. "Or that we were kicked out of our village by them, foalnapped!"

Applejack sighed with a mixture of frustration and sorrow. "Look, ah get it... But, right now, we need all the helpin' hands an' hooves we can get. That means all ponies and robots gotta work together to make Ponyville ready fer alla ya!"

Applejack held up her hooves placatingly as she turned to face as many tribals as they could at once. "Now hold on, I hear y'all and you're right to be upset. What happened wasn't okay."

She met the tribals' eyes earnestly. "Ah give you my word, soon as we get settled, ah aim to have a serious talk with the robots about protectin' pony life. They gotta fix their thinkin' if this is gonna work."

Turning to the sheriffs, she added "And if any robot causes harm here, they'll face consequences. Ain't nopony above the law, metal or flesh."

Applejack faced the tribals again gently. "But for now, these bots are still our best chance to build a home. So I'm askin' you to be the bigger ponies - put the past aside and work with 'em, just temporarily."

The tribals grumbled but conceded. "Fine, but we'll be watching them," one warned.

Applejack nodded. "That's fair. Thank y'all for trustin' me on this. Together we can get through anythin'."

Author's Note

Mistakes may have been made...

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18 - The Sun Rises

The ponies of Ponyville, the ones that had already been there, watched with wide eyes and slack jaws as their population seemed to more than double without warning. The vaulters looked familiar enough. Most of them were fully clothed and felt significantly closer. The tribals were naked and had a wild edge they could see and feel.

Rarity was one of the first ponies to step forward. "What we need is a fashion glam-up!" She took the tribals, all of them, under a wing and joyfully led them all down the road to civility, starting with the glee of wearing clothes to identify oneself and express their inner self out into the world.

Sure, they tore them more frequently than the townies or vaulters, but that just meant she had steady work to do.

Celestia got her ponies, but she also lost being the only pony of significance. She nodded to each of the others. Lyra and Skyline, rulers of the vaulters. The elders of the tribe, Buttercup among them. Each were the leaders of their communities. Neither community was ready to simply forget either of them just because they had been relocated to Ponyville.

She had a choice, either fight it and make a lot of unhappy ponies, or accept them and the awkwardness having so many leaders together would bring. "You have been through much." She spread her wings slowly. "I can't undo that, but I can welcome you to Ponyville." She twitched an ear at the sound of hammering and sawing. "Ponies and robots alike are very busy making homes for you all. You are all welcome here, provided you follow the simple rules we have." She nodded to all parties. "Speaking of those..."

Celestia looked to the elders first. "I know you have held an honored position of authority. The rules you are used to are the ones you set yourself." She turned to overmares, a curious name with one of them being a stallion. "I've been an overmare myself. This is an extension of that work. You are..." She paused, tapping a hoof on her chin. "Your people look up to you, and will continue to do so. I would like to enlist your help. This community has grown faster than I expected or even dreamed. I will give the final laws, but it is through your words that they will arrive and be understood."

Lyra saluted sharply. "You got it, big mare." She inclined her head a little. "You are big."

"You mentioned that." Skyline thumped her lightly. "We'll do our part. Thanks for welcoming us in."

Buttercup stood up. "This is scary." The elders behind her nodded. "Not a fancy way of saying that, I know, but it is... It's scary, for us, for the rest of us that aren't elders... We have one pony chasing us down and putting clothes on us." She raised an arm, showing off the bright yellow sundress she had on. "She insists it will help, somehow. I wasn't cold before." She took a moment biting into it and pulling it into a better position. "But we know how this works. We'd have done exactly the same if ponies wanted to join our village. The village rules are the ones you follow if you live there. And we hardly have a choice..."

Celestia sighed gently. "I don't want to keep any of you here against your will."

Buttercup inclined her head outside. "The robots are doing that for you. But that's beside the point. We understand. You are the elder of this village." The other elders nodded in solemn agreement.

Like that, the power dynamics were settled. Would that humans could handle things so smoothly.

Couriers aren't couriers without movement. Stan had other things to deliver. Rarity gave him quite the list of things that needed getting, even more than just that shampoo ingredient. So many new ponies meant wild demand for a lot of things. He just had to get them and bring them back. Easy.

That'd be another story how that went.

Applejack was a pony. Her clip-clopping hooves and swishing tail made that very clear. She liked being one of those. It was a shame that such a condition meant the robots didn't want her to leave the town. Her insistence that she was a courier fell on deaf digital ears. She was a pony, so she was supposed to remain in Ponyville, with the other ponies, living a fine pony life.

But she had friends. A little help from Fluttershy gave her a shell of metal. It looked incredibly fake to any pony onlooker, but to a robot... She didn't look like a pony. She didn't look like a proper robot, but she also didn't look like a pony. She quietly walked out of town, making sure to not make a single clip or a clop. She wouldn't be stopped from her job, or sticking by Stan's side.

Applejack's breakout was a signal to other ponies. The robots were extremely precise, but not that accurate. The tribals swarmed Rarity with a new request, and soon they would sneak out of town, not all at once, but they would hunt and forage, a pony or two at a time. All they had to do was conceal their forms when they went.

They could be visible when they returned. The robots were happy, overjoyed even, to bring a pony back into town. They never seemed to catch on that they kept 'finding' the same ponies over and over and over again. Morale around town lifted with their spirits. They had jobs again, selling and offering what they found out in the wastes.

Twilight set up her equipment in her new home, with whirling gizmos and crackling thingamajigs. She had so much to examine and experiment on. That hadn't changed, even if her setting had. She was eager to get back into it. She had her things ready and clopped her hooves with the joy of it. "Finally. Time to..."

A knock at the door made her grunt. "Who or what is that?" She stormed for the door and willed it open with her glowing horn. "Yes?"

Fluttershy shrank back. "Oh! Sorry... Is this a bad time?"

Twilight blinked at the pegasus she had found. "No, hello? What... can I help you with?"

Fluttershy perked up, wings giving a little flap. "I was told you're equally as interested in the workings of robots."

Twilight perked up just the same, the two mirroring one another. "I, yes. Actually..." She gestured at some of her tools. "I was going to examine some of them. I imagine they need upkeep, and I was going to use the opportunity--"

"--to give them a thorough inspection." The two nodded at one another in complete agreement. "Can I help?"

"S-sure?" Twilight hadn't had help with her work before... But it could be nice.

The town of Ponyville had grown rapidly, but it hadn't lost its identity. It was a lovely pony town in the middle of the wastelands. They welcomed all comers, if they came in peace. The robots made painful ends of those who came in any other way. They weren't perfect, but they did a good job deterring most from considering it an easy target.

It was in that town that the first wave of foals grew in. They had to build a school, but the whole community was overjoyed to lend a hoof and kind words to their children. Lyra's foal was one of many that budded in the fertile soil of the new town. It was, perhaps, a sign of their loss, but foal rates among the newcomers were noticably higher than that of the original townies, especially the tribals.

"The spirits of our brave warriors have found new lives," welcomed Buttercup, older, smiling. "New generation of warriors, you must listen well at school." She pointed to the new building. "You will learn the skills you need, and become new powerful ponies for the tribe."

"I'll be the strongest!" insisted one eager foal.

"I'm gonna be a scientist." One mare smiled, eyes full of hope for the future.

Buttercup inclined her head. Scientist was not what she had expected little warriors to dream of becoming, but it was a new day.

Sam's route became shorter. He didn't have to go three different places to visit the ponies. They would welcome him with waves and calls each time he wandered into town. "Say, one thing." He began setting up his little stand of goods to sell. "Whatever happened to Bessy?"

The sheriff that was nearby pointed the way. "Oh, we're taking care of her, and she's givin' her milk and love in turn. The foals love her to death."

"That's real nice." Sam flipped a crude sign down, listing the prices of things. "Got a new one." He patted his new bovine companion. "His name's Buster."

Buster gave a moo of greetings, their other head still chewing grass without a care.

"Howdy, Buster." The sheriff tipped his hat. "Now, ah'll be sure to stop by when ah ain't on duty. Ya got other customers anyway."

He wasn't lying. Other ponies were already gathering up to buy, sell, or just trade with Sam. Business was good.

With a cloud of dust, the fillies giggled and played with bright expressions and equally animated movements. The unicorn snickered. "Scootaloo! That's not how that works!"

Scootaloo, the tribal, stuck out a tongue. "Not with that attitude."

Apple Bloom, the vaulter, laughed. "She has a point. I say her way is more fun."

Sweetie Belle, the townie, crossed her arms. "If you say so. You're both silly."

All three laughed and got back to their game, each representing a different tribe and a different history.

Watching them, a deadly robot. The assaultron turned their gaze slowly over the foals and the town beyond it. "Condition: Acceptable." A brief beep made them look down to a smaller, less fancy, robot. "Render your report."

The two exchanged information more quickly than a human or pony could hope to do. "Remember protocols Beta See and Beta Delta." The small machine beeped and rolled away to see it done. The new protocols had kept the assaultron's other robots in line without harming the ponies under their care.

That mistake would not be tolerated a second time.

"Pauline!" called a mare, Cheerilee. "Could you bring the girls in? It's time for class."

"It will be done." The assaultron gently ushered the foals along, despite their little whines about wanting to play more. The assaultron had never needed a name beyond their serial number, but the ponies had given it. They didn't have a gender either, but the ponies had given one of those too.

They had become Pauline, a female assaultron. That was also acceptable.

"I am glad you've all come." Buttercup nodded around the wide circle. Most were tribals. That made sense. It was a tribal ritual. But not all. Some townies, looking curious, and even some vaulters had joined them. "Today we celebrate the coming of spring. With it, new fertility, new life, and new chances for growth. We celebrate those who helped give us this new chance at life, welcome a new year, and rejoice."

She clapped her hooves in one strong clop. "I know some of you are here mostly for that last part, but all of it is important. Bow your heads. Speak in turn what you are most thankful for, then what you most wish from this new chance to reach. Speak it loudly enough for all to hear. Shout it to the heavens. You are not begging them, you are promising them. You will make it true with your own hooves."

The first call came, shyly, but the next one was clearer. Ponies soon got into the rhythm, calling out their thanks and wishes. Some were quite solemn, others bordering on ridiculous, but they applauded each with equal fervor. It was a new year, and the tribal traditions had lived to see it.

1 - The Mail Must Move

"Yer messin' with me." Applejack cocked a dubious brow at the wastelander. "Ah know where they're all at."

"You'd think." The human male shrugged. "You'd think. But I know what I saw. I know who I traded with, and I know where I want something sent. Now, you gonna courier or not?"

Stan put an arm out in front of Applejack. "Go easy on her, she's just curious, and surprised. We're couriers first, before anythin' else. Still, a whole town?"

"A whole town," repeated the man. "And I want this to get to them." He hefted a box that was about as large as a basketball, square, and heavy from the effort involved. "They did me a solid, and they paid for this, but I'm not up for the return trip. You get it to them, I pay you. You know the deal."

Giddyup's side popped open with a light click of thin metal. "Ready to accept."

"I know the deal. You got a map?" Stan turned to Giddyup. "Map mode."

"Map mode," agreed Giddyup. "Ready."

Applejack chuckled softly. "Awful useful. You tell 'em where we gotta go an' he won't be forgettin' 'till it's done."

So, instead of telling either of the couriers, the man told their friendly bot about it instead. Little clicks and ticks sounded as internals worked to notate the instructions. "Once you get in sight, it'll be obvious. They don't have any big walls, and they aren't a vault. They don't shoot on sight, so, one less worry."

"Ah'd charge extra for that," noted Stan, patting his gun lightly. "But I'd still get it done."

"Huh." He got the box into Giddyup's side and backed from the robotic horse. "Well, ain't paying that today. Just get that over there."

Stan put up a thumb. "You got it. End map mode."

"Ending map mode." Giddyup closed his sides while he was at it. "Are we going now, or are we having lunch? A proper diet is essential for a grow--"

Stan put a hand over Giddyup's mouth. This did nothing. His speaker could play at the same volume, hand there or not. But it did communicate he didn't want Giddyup to continue, and that was enough. "Ain't hungry. AJ?"

Applejack inclined her head. "Ain't starvin', but may as well grab somethin' to eat afore we're in the middle of nowhere. Lot easier than the other way 'round." She nodded to their newest customer. "We'll get that over there, nothin' ta worry 'bout."

Having settled the issue, the two of them made their way to a local bar. We may be jumping the gun by calling it a bar. The sun was shining brightly and while there were a variety of spirits, beer, and other drinks available, many people were simply enjoying the food and talking with one another. There was no commotion or outcry caused by the group's arrival, however a few eyes curiously looked upon them.

Applejack jumped up onto a chair at a small table she claimed by merit of being there. "Just somethin' to get us goin'," she assured, looking to the chalk-drawn menu they had on a board. "Mmm, let's try somethin' local. Always a treat, small town places like these."

Stan pulled himself into a seat across from her. "What do you have your eye on?" He took a moment to consider the menu. Without a salad to easy guess, he went for the next best bet. "Roasted tubers?"

"Temptin'." She folded her arms on the table with a smirk. "Was thinkin' ah that and askin' fer some greens if they have any. Ya never--"

"What's this?" cut in a new male voice, slapping his hand down a bit close to Applejack. "We got a real variety show going on over here."

Giddyup swiveled his head towards the newcomer, a wastelander, likely of the town, wearing dirty leathers. He had a pistol at his hip, and a knife on the other. "You are intruding on Applejack's perimeter of comfort. Please relocate yourself."

Applejack snorted at Giddyup's polite request. "What he means is buzz off. Ah'm eatin', not answerin' stupid questions."

Stan pulled his hat down a few inches, other hand straying closer towards his rifle. "Jus' so ya know, yer dealin' with two couriers, and we're on a job. You sure ya wanna mess with that?"

"Don't mean anything! But, c'mon." His eyes went to Stan, one hand waving at him. "A ghoul, pint-sized." Onwards he went to Applejack. "Pony, don't need to say much there." And onwards to Giddyup. "And a full sized toy. Never saw one bigger than a few inches long, and they weren't moving."

Giddyup spoke without moving, emitting a neigh of a noise beforehand, "I am assembled within 99.999% of standard operating size for my model. If you wish to submit a complaint, the postal address can be provided." He took a step around the table. "Stan is standard. Making light of his medical conditions will not be accepted."

A sharp whistle cut into the rising tension. The female owner of the eatery scowled at the lot of them. "You all cut that right out! Eat or get a move on."

Applejack raised a hoof. "Ah'll take some of them spuds and if ya could get a salad together, would right 'ppreciate it."

"Spuds an' grass," called out the matron, her glare turning to the one that didn't belong to Applejack's group. "You ordering something, or getting the hell out, Paul?"

Paul raised his hands defensively. "Alright, alright. Not meaning anything..." He went off, grumbling, rather than being kicked out of what was likely the only place like it in their small town.

Stan relaxed in his chair. "Thanks for keepin' it peaceful."

The woman nodded. "Hey, you're not putting out rads. How much hair you do, or do not, have ain't my business if you aren't causing any trouble. Want some water? Rad free."

Stan sat up at that. "Actually, that's tempting. I'll take one."

"Ditto." Applejack clopped a hoof down on the table with a smile. "Toldja. Places like this? The best."

Giddyup turned to the table. He leaned in and touched his snout to a glass of water, the sound of a horse drinking issuing from him, but no water was touched. He didn't need water. Still, the illusion was made, and nobody was arguing, so he was pleased enough.

Applejack casually grabbed the same glass and actually drank it. It wasn't like the water had been touched. "Can't wait! On the road again, and what a target!"

"You've been out here." Stan sipped his water, taking his time with it. "You never heard of this?"

"Nope." Applejack slapped down the mostly emptied glass. "Which is why ah wanna see it. It's from further out west than ah usually roamed. When ah was wit' the vault, ah didn't have no reason to go wanderin' that far. Wit' you, as a courier, well, the sky's the limit!"

Stan mulled over the idea. "Best an' worst part of the job. We may run into other thin's that need doin' on the way, or thin's worth taking a peek at."

"Yer sayin' that like it's a bad thing." Applejack patted her gun lightly, hoof tapping the metal. "But that sounds like the best part of our career, if yer askin' me. Let's go see what there is to see. 'Sides! Ponies!" A few eyes turned towards her. "What? If you were the only human around, y'id find out 'bout others too! Shoot. Pretty sure that's kinda universal an' whatnot."

"Sure, sure..." Stan steepled his fingers. "I get that. I won't lie and say ah ain't curious about it. Figured we'd found all the ponies there were tah find, really." He extended a finger. "We got our tribals, and our vaulters. What's left?"

"Ain't sure. But only one way to find out." Applejack lit up as a plate arrived. "But first, gonna eat like it's mah last. It may be." With great chomping horse teeth, she made the food regret being placed on her plate, making short work of it with noises of approval.

Stan gave a few caps to the waiting proprietress. "She likes it."

"That ain't a mystery." She collected the cleaned plate from Applejack. "I just made a right mean pie, wanna slice?"

Applejack worked her hooves together. "Powerful temptin'! But ah already know ah'm holdin' things up 'nough already. Let's get a move on. Ya have a nice day now, ya hear?" She hopped to her hooves. "We got a lot of ground to cover!"

Giddyup moved aside Applejack. "Physical exertion after a meal can lead to complications. Would you like a ride?"

Applejack cocked an ear at the robotic horse. "Ain't never heard you offer that t' Stan before. Why ya givin' me a chance?"

"Because he knows better." Stan set off, knowing the others would be soon behind him. His boots dug into the soft ground of the ground, letting him begin the journey.

Giddyup was patiently waiting. "Would you like a ride?" they repeated.

"Ain't tryin' to... be strange or nothin'... but we're both horses, kinda... " She rubbed behind her head, trying really hard not to make eye-contact with the others that were watching them.

"It will not exceed my weight capacity," reasoned Giddyup with no fear in his voice, not that emoting was one of his strongest suits. "If you would like a ride, I will provide one. Giddyup Buttercup units are designed to provide authentic and enjoyable rides to all assigned children."

Applejack started forward to head in the same direction Stan had gone. "Right, sure... But ah ain't an assigned child, last ah knew?"

"You are a friend of my assigned child, and have authorization of my assigned Responsible Adult. My assigned child is not currently in need of a ride. I am available to provide a ride. Would you like a ride?" The words issued from his depths, not his mouth. His speaker was far closer to his torso than there, not that this seemed to cause him any real issues.

"If yer... sure." She glanced over her shoulder, some distance between herself and the eatery they had been in. "Ah'll give it a try. Yer a fine friend, Giddyup."

"Your positive review has been stored for later report." Giddyup lowered smoothly. "Please proceed with mounting."

"Phrasin'," laughed out Applejack as she hopped aboard. Ponies were not horses, really. She could slide her hindlegs down on either side of Giddyup and rest her forehooves just behind his neck, sitting upright. "Ready!"

"Begin ride." Giddyup rose with a hiss of released air and launched into a proper trot, in both gait and playing audio file to emit authentic horse noises. "If my pace is too slow or fast, please request an adjustment." He gave off a reasonably authentic whinny, playing the part of an eager horse under Applejack and also an obedient robot.

Applejack was unsure at first, but the further they went, the more her smile grew. "Ain't got no idea why Stan don't take up on this more often... This is kinda great." She kicked at him lightly, flexing in an almost bounce against Giddyup. "Ya can go a bit faster. Let's catch up wit' 'em afore he thinks we let 'em go."

"We did let him go," reasoned Giddyup as he sped up, carrying Applejack smoothly in that bouncing gait along the dirt road. "Child detected." There was Stan, ahead, along the same road. Giddyup adjusted his velocity smoothly to come alongside him at an even pace. "Interception complete."

Applejack waved down at Stan from atop Giddyup. "Howdy! Ya gotta tell me. This here's tons of fun! Why don't you ever do it any? Ah'd be doin' it all the time."

"Want me to count?" Out came a finger. "It's harder to protect him when I'm on top of him." Out went a second. "I'm a lot easier to see, and shoot, when I'm on top of him." Out went a third. "Third, most important, I'm too old for that."

Author's Note

What, a new story? Well, a new sequel to an existing story. Welcome to it! Fallout got three chapters, why not us?

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10 - On the Road Again

"Funny thing." Applejack holstered her gun and resumed her walk down the long road. "Ah kinda feel like we've got this basically under control."

"Don't get used to that." Stan shouldered his rifle, marching alongside her. "We're in familiar stomping grounds, but surprises love turning up. Don't take much more than a passing super to make your day funny. Things in the waste like to move, 'specially the sort of thing you'd rather hunker down."

A thought came. "She hasn't met a deathclaw."

"It would be better if she did not." Giddyup let out an equine snort. "Deathclaws are extremely dangerous. I do not want my child or their friend to approach one. If you detect one, please back away and allow the authorities to handle it."

Applejack raised a brow at that. "Yeah... sugarcube... pretty sure we're as close to 'authorities' as yer gonna get on this stretch ah nothin'."

Giddyup swiveled his head and neck to face Applejack on his back. "If you are authorized... Please use caution. Their combat capabality exceeds casual conflicts."

"He ain't wrong." Stan threw up his hands. "We see one of those things, we'd be better off goin' the other way. Gonna hope we see it before it sees us. Fast as they are deadly, runnin' just makes you die tired. Right in the name, like Radscorp. Rads, Scorps, one package, not a lie."

"Sounds real... pleasant." Applejack rubbed one arm with the opposing hoof. "Gonna hope we don't run into that then... But, if we do, ah'm fightin'. Runnin' away from somethin' faster than me sure don't sound like no winnin' move, if it comes tah that."

"If it comes to that." The conversation was enough to get Stan to hold his rifle tight, for what defense it would be if such a beast crossed their path.

As they came to a downward turn of the road they were on, another caravan of people, two marksman, a marchant, and a heavily loaded brahmin, came into view coming the other way, the other side of the T intersection headed for the same turnoff.

Stan raised his hand at them. "Hey."

"Hey," returned one of the gun-toting people. It was one word, but an exchange like that was enough to tell most wastelanders that it wasn't a robbery. To be extra polite, Stan stowed his gun away. "Whatcha sellin'?"

The merchant strode to the fore. "You know how it goes, whatever I could get my hands on. Heading for that tribe of horses." He hiked a thumb towards the road they were all headed towards. "So a lot of trade goods I'm pretty sure they'll like."

He spotted Applejack coming in for a peek. "You one of 'em?" He reached back and drew out a big fat apple. "Bright as the one on your back."

Applejack's ears perked, eyes shining. "Hey wow! Where'd ya get that?!"

"Trade secret." The merchant winked. "But it could be yours for just three caps." He held up three fingers. "Apple for the apple horse."

"Pony," she corrected, but she also dug out three caps to surrender. "Hope that's as fresh as it looks."

"Fresh as I could get it." He surrendered the fruit to her. "Pleasure doing business."

More time had been spent keeping it nice and shiny than super fresh. Not like they had a fridge to store it in or anything. Still, it was an apple, and it wasn't spoiled, and Applejack ate it up. "Thanks kindly."

"She ain't a tribal," volunteered Stan. "But she is a pony, and she likes apples good enough."

"Vaulter?" The merchant shrugged. "Came from there a few weeks ago. She doesn't look it."

Applejack raised a brow. "Ah got... What am I missin'?"

The merchant considered that, and Applejack. "Well, you do got clothes, and a gun. Maybe I was too damn fast. No offense."

"None taken." With that misunderstanding out of the way, Applejack looked pleased. "We're headed for the tribals. You too?"

"Us too." He waved for the caravan to continue, walking up towards the branch in the road. "Didn't expect to run into another pony on the way to the ponies."

"They are kinda rare." Stan walked at an easy pace, about 10 feet away from the merchant. "But this is pony country, relatively speakin'."

"No lie there." He shrugged. "Got three pony settlements I like trading with, all stops worth having."

Stan gave a soft 'huh' at that. "Shoulda just asked a merchant... Woulda saved time."

"Usually does." The man patted his sides. "Now, forgive me for asking this, but how did a child ghoul, a robot horse, and a pony end up a thing?"

Stan was quiet a moment. "Sounds like the start of a bad joke."

"That depends what the punchline is." The merchant tossed up a hand. "Just curious..."

"Things happened. We're still breathing."

"And you ain't in a settlement," agreed the merchant. "Which means you know which way is up. Sorry, won't pry further." At least, not with Stan. He went aside Applejack instead. "First time I saw a horse riding a horse."

"Pony," she corrected like someone getting a pronunciation off. "There's a difference." She wiggled her hindhooves, legs down on either side of Giddyup. "A regular horse couldn't do this an' be comfy." She pointed at the merchant. "Or do that. Or have a nice chat with their ride. Nope, any chat yer havin' with a 'horse' is gonna be a bit one-sided, ya know?"

"Huh... We got some other apples."

Applejack raised a brow. "One's 'nough fer now, but thanks. Reckon the town'll be more interested, and likely got a place to stash 'em more than ah do."

"Or plant them." Stan shrugged at that. "Wonder how much they're up for an orchard."

The merchant tensed at that, but such was the risk of selling fruit... "Different trees like different places to grow in."

"True." Stan wagged a finger. "But there ain't no way you came from that far away, so whatever kinda apple that is, probably work well enough."

The merchant clapped his hands. "But they don't know how. If they pay proper caps, I can lend a hand."

Stan nodded at the merchant. "Now yer thinking. They may be up for that. Or they'll be planting and hoping for the best, which may work, or not... If you got any actual skill with 'em, that's worth somethin'."

Things grew quiet, but it wasn't for long. The tribal town wasn't too far ahead, with its heavy stone barriers serving as a block from casual seeing of its interior, especially if one wasn't looking for it. But it had a gate, and two ponies stood at it with bored expressions that transformed into smiles as the traveling group came into view.

They spotted Applejack and waved at her wildly, clearly the star for the moment.

Applejack tilted her hat lightly. "Howdy there," she called from atop Giddyup, sliding down to her own hooves. "Right nice ta meetcha."

Though she was welcomed with warm expressions, the same turned to cautious scowls as they raised their spears up at the merchant, who wasn't as welcome to wander in. "Hold it! What's your business?"

"We've met before." The merchant waved back at his pack brahmin. "I have supplies and other goods, and something special. One our fellow friend recommends."

Applejack inclined her head at the merchant. "He ain't fibbin'. Got a nice fruit and knows how to plant it proper."

One of the guards, an earth pony, set his spear down. "Let's see it."

He pulled out a bag of apples and from that, a single apple. "You've seen these before." The two guards nodded at the hovering apple in the human's hand

The earth pony sat, peering at the apple. "What do you want us to do with it? Eat it? They are tasty..."

Applejack applied a hoof to her face. "Don'tcha grow nothin'? Ah heard ya did!"

The other guard, a female pegasus, flared her wings. "Hey! We grow a lot of things. Don't act like you know everything."

Applejack raised a hoof. "Sorry, didn't mean no insults or nothin', but that there." She pointed at the apple. "That there's a real tasty set of seeds. Plant it right and ya get a tree wit' more apples!"

Both blinked with dawning wonder. "That's the seed?!" blurted the stallion. "I... I didn't know..."

The pegasus shook her head slowly. "You a vaulter? They know a lot of tricks... None of the ones that came to stay here told us about that though!" She glared into the town as if to make them feel properly guilty. "You know how to make the trees grow?" She was looking at the merchant.

"I know how to get started." He patted the pack of things on his brahmin. "You pay me, and I'll come back with even more know how to get going."

"One thing." The merchant looked to Stan suspiciously. "Wherever you plant those trees, you'll have to let him in to. Or he isn't gonna be able to help much."

"Oh, true." The merchant clapped his hands. "I can't plant a tree by thinking nice thoughts at it, much as I'd like. Now, if you want a real shortcut... I could get a baby tree, skip getting it to grow from a seed. That'll cost you. A lot easier, but a lot harder, for me, which means cost, to you."

The earth pony huffed a sigh. "We'll have to ask the elders about this. I'll go inform them. You watch him." He left the pegasus to remain on guard. "You." He looked at Stan. "I heard about you... The elder will want to talk to you. Follow me."

Stan hiked a thumb at himself. "Me?" He took a step forward. "Alright if my friends come?" He waved to Applejack and Giddyup on the way.

He looked between the two. "Yeah... Should be alright. No more delay. This way."

They went to an elaborate, relatively, tent with two other guards before it. They nodded at the earth pony, eyes more on those that followed, but none challenged as they headed in. Stan took note of the town, doing well at a glance. Still tribals, living the tribal life, but doing well.

Inside, the air smelled of incense and pony. If one was a pony, not an offensive aroma, but it was a sort of milder horse scent that was easily picked up by the not-pony among them. The incense was doing its best to mask it, a reasonable job, but far from complete. Past the entryway, a larger room had four ponies in robes. Three of them looked with suspicion, one brightened immediately. "Stan!" Buttercup, wielder of Giddyup's first name, jumped to her hooves. "It's been forever!"

She came up short. "What happened to you?" She forgot Stan, looking instead to Giddyup. "Look at this!" She waves wildly at the robot with both forehooves. "How did you get this?"

"Repairs were completed. Repair log..." He trailed off, Stan's hand over his mouth.

"We met another nice pony, Fluttershy. She fixed him up and did a new paint job while she was at it, real talented, that mare." He released Giddyup from his grip. "Nice to see ya."

"You too." Buttercup reared up and grabbed Stan in a firm hug. "Who's this other pony?" She fell to all fours, looking at Applejack curiously. "From the vault? Is that where this 'Fluttershy' is from?"

One of the other elders coughed into a hoof, a stallion. "Buttercup, you know them?"

"I've told you this story a thousand times." She backed up to wave at Stan and Giddyup easier. "These are the ones that made first contact with our town. They showed humans could be trusted... in moderation... And he used to have my name."

"My name is Giddyup." Giddyup lowered his head down to her level, nudging her. "Your name is Buttercup."

"Sure is." Buttercup couldn't hide her smile. "I need to know everything you've been up to!"

Author's Note

Buttercup, let's be real, is most happy that she gets to be in the story again.

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