There was little standing in the way. As one, they pushed through the wastes, wandering off the road entirely before long. "They ain't got a road leadin' up to it," explained Applejack as they went. "Wouldn't make a good deal of sense fer a secret thin', now would it?"
Stan couldn't argue that. "Wouldn't make fer much a secret if ya ran a road to it."
"Though it would be faster," noted Skyline. Despite any complaints, they were making good time through the underbrush that stood in their path. "Do you keep dangerous wildlife away?"
Twilight scoffed at that idea. "There are no dangerous organisms within worrying range of the stable." She waved a hoof as they walked. "Which includes here. Which includes humans." She looked up at Stan. "You're with us, so you're authorized."
"That kinda claim is how ya get into trouble." Stan chuckled at the very idea. "The last vault was sure it had defenses enough, 'til it didn't all of a sudden."
Giddyup let out a click, like a tape falling into place. "Certainty of defensive fortification was 86% and slowly failing. At the time of operation cessation, odds had reached 82%."
Stan set a hand on the back of Giddyup. "Even when he was busy losin', still though it'd turn out alright, huh?"
"They did," agreed Giddyup, with a bit of wariness in his voice that didn't really belong there. "Approximate distance from destination?"
Applejack craned her head up, looking for some kind of clue perhaps? Daffodil thudded against her, pointing to something far closer to the ground. "We're basically there." Daffodil hurried forward with a growing smile. "It'll be nice to get back somewhere safe, and sane."
The entrance to the vault was not a cave, nor was it a shiny new building. It was a hut that looked like it was a few steps away from falling apart. It didn't even look good enough for looting, which was part of why it was kept exactly that way. Daffodil trotted right up to its door and nosed it open. "I'm back!" she called into the empty inside.
A soft bit of static, then a voice spoke, "Daffodil?"
"That's me." She danced in front of a rundown supply closet. "With company!"
Said company was behind her, catching up. "One human, two robots, the ponies you sent out, and a new pony."
"A new pony?" The voice sounded uncertain. The gender was hard to place. "Like Applejack?"
"Wilder," added Applejack. "But reasonable 'nough. Let us in."
"One moment." A brief bit of static, then nothing. Had they gone away?
Stan looked around with a discerning eye. "Really good job on hidin' the place. Don't see any hints... No obvious hatches or nothin'... What are ya even talkin--"
"A human?!" An unfamiliar voice had joined the conversation. "Daffodil, Twilight, why?! Are you being coerced? Just blink twice."
"I am in complete control of my faculties." Twilight nodded with certainty. "We have what we were sent to get." She pointed at the Giddyup close to her. "Without trouble or raised alarms."
Giddyup approached where the voice was coming from. "Hello! Are you also a child?"
"A child?" A pause and some faint talking. "This has the information?"
"I can't be absolutely certain until I've had a look." Twilight was watching Giddyup examining where the voice seemed to be coming from. "Which I will begin as soon as you let me back to my office."
"And you brought the human... why?"
"Because he's my friend." Stan placed a hand on Giddyup's metal withers, drawing him back from the well-hidden speaker. "'Sides, was paid to deliver 'em, and a courier ain't one for messin' up a job."
Applejack drew down her hat. "A courier's usually good fer their word, 'specially when their job's what's bein' talked 'bout."
"You can leave. Pay him, and we just pretend we never saw him," commanded the voice. "You come in here, you may never leave."
"That a threat?" Stan kept a hand firm on Giddyup's back. "He ain't goin' in there without me. An' he's comin' out, with me, when we're done. Don't waste the good rep yer tech head built up."
"Aw!" Twilight looked pleased to have earned good will. "Really, stop being such a sour puss about this. We can trust him."
Daffodil let out a suffering sigh. "They're not wrong. For a human, he's pretty alright."
A long pause. With a soft click, then another, and a third, the bottom dropped out of the supply closet, revealing a chute with a pole. Twilight grabbed the pole and slid right out of sight, lost with the sound of fur rubbing against the metal.
Applejack waved at it. "That's the way in." She turned to Miss Aunt. "Can you fit in there?" She turned back to Giddyup. "An' you, fer that matter..."
Miss Aunt floated over and began descending down the hole at a sedate pace, proving she could as she vanished from sight.
Giddyup was far less certain, considering the hole and the pole wasn't designed to grab like Twilight had done. "Is there another way down?"
Stan grunted at the sight of it. "How much do you weigh again?"
"I am above your recommended carrying capacity." Giddyup inclined his head, neck with it. "I do not recommend proceeding."
Applejack looked between Giddyup and the hole. "Well, we came this far. Ain't givin' up jus' at the end! They got some rope down there. Be right back." She hopped onto the pole, sliding out of sight, but not out of sound. "Oops!" She had landed rump first on the slowly descending Miss Aunt. "Real sorry!"
"My fault for taking my time," assured Aunt, still descending slowly, with a new fancy pony hat. "A lady doesn't hurry these things. Now, you didn't get hurt landing on me, I hope?"
"No, jus' fine!" assured Applejack, her voice quieter in the distance, but still quite audible. "Jus' wanna get some rope to help get Giddyup down here an' all." She had to wait for Miss Aunt to reach the bottom, or at least get close enough that she could hop free. "Now where is it."
The door pony was there, next to another, more severe, mare. The door pony was already holding out a thick bit of rope for Applejack. "Here you are, ma'am!"
"Thanks kindly." She turned to point at Miss Aunt. "That there's Miss Aunt. She's a sweet thin', so ya'll best treat her jus' as nice in kind. Won't hear nothin' otherwise."
"Hello!" She was as happy as a robot without a proper face could be, though her voice was a good strong hint of it. "Two cute little things." Already they had been accepted as ponies, who were children by default. "I know you're scared, but Stan is a nice person."
Applejack stood patiently, the platform beneath her lifting her right up along the pole. Reaching the top, she hopped free and set down the rope. "Let's get this around 'em so we can lower 'em down nice an' easy."
Stan considered the rope. "Gettin' him back up is going to be even more 'fun', ain't it?"
Applejack set a hoof on the worried Stan. "Ah ain't gonna leave either of ya stranded, promise. Besides, gettin' up is easier! Didn't ya see how ah came up?" She pointed to the platform, but it was already gone, receding back where it came from. "Giddyup just has ta stand and let it take care of it, nice an' easy. Rode it plenty of times mahself."
Giddyup nodded with a faint squeak of metal. "I saw it. I can ride that device without issue."
"Well." Stan picked up the rope and got to tying it firmly around Giddyup. "Why can't we get that thin' up here so he can ride it down? That'd save a few steps."
"If we could, we would." Applejack was helping get the ropes attached properly. "Darn thin' goes back down way too fast fer Giddyup ta get on it secure-like. Wouldn't trust it fer the trip down."
"You are a wonderful child." Giddyip gave a gentle nuzzle to the clearly good pony that was Applejack.
"Aw, shucks, ain't nothin'." Soon they had Giddyup all tied up. "Now all ya gotta do is let us do all the work!"
"So easy," laughed Stan. "Alright, one thin'" He nudged Giddyup, encouraging him to move to the edge. "We're gonna get a real firm grip, and yer gonna step off the ledge. Then you can relax all ya want."
Stan had the rope in hand. Applejack had her mouth sealed on it a little further back. Both were braced against the weight. "I am proceeding." With faith in his biological friends, Giddyup stepped off into the void, but only fell a few inches before the rope went taught around him. They held him up with only the rope separating him from a long fall to the bottom.
"One... One... One," counted Stan, each count allowing them to lower giddyup just a little further, down into the vault they couldn't see, and one of them had never been.
"This is an acceptable rate." Easy to say as he lowered a precious inch at a time by the effort of his friends. "Destination detected." He could see the bottom coming closer, slowly. "No hostile entities detected."
"That's... good," got out Stan, going hand over hand in purposeful movements. "You jus'... stay still."
"Ayup." It was a bit of a journey of hooves and teeth to get to her next bit, but Applejack was helping get that robot down that chute without shattering to bits.
Stan could feel tugging. "Ah said to keep still!"
"It is safe." Giddyup was at the bottom and trying to look around curiously, though the rope didn't let him wander far.
"Why didn't ya say so?" Stan released his rope, and Applejack a moment later, allowing the rope to fall down in a loose pile around Giddyup. "After you, ma'am."
"What a gentlepony." She dipped her head at Stan and walked up to the pole. "See you at the bottom." She hopped on the pole and slid right out of view quickly. A moment later, a "Sorry!" drifted back up.
Stan rubbed the top of his head with a chuckle. "Ya ponies really need to make sure ya ain't slidin' onto a robot so often."
"It ain't a habit!" came Applejack's hollar, even if she had managed it both times going down. "Why are ya still here, Giddyup?" She got to pushing him into action, getting him and herself out into the main area of the entryway into the vault. "Oh, 'lo there." She saw the severe new pony. "Didn't 'xpect ya out here."
Sure that the way was clear, Stan grabbed the pole and slid down, the panel closing shut behind him a bit too close. "Ya tryin' to chop me in half?" But he could get to the bottom aside that, hitting the ground with a soft grunt. "Giddyup alright?"
"All systems report no problems."
"That's good." Stan stepped out of the chute, soon in the entry--oh. "Well, shoot." There were five ponies with guns aimed at him. "That's not a real polite way ta say hi to someone."
Applejack was not one of them. "What're ya doin'? Ah told ya he's a good one."
The severely dressed mare waved Applejack aside. "You are clearly rattled by too long spent in the wastes. We'll get you straightened out, later." Her eyes never left Stan for a moment. "We have a guest to deal with first."
Giddyup marched between Stan and the aggressive ponies. "Do not harm my child!" Sure, one could shoot over Giddyup fairly easily, but it was still a stand he was ready to take. "He is well behaved."
"That's--" Applejack didn't get to finish her thought, being tackled by one of the guards and dragged back, squirming and kicking. It seemed the vault wasn't quite ready to welcome the outsiders as warmly as might be wanted.