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."