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!"