Closing the Barn Door

by David Silver

12 - Hello

"Right clever." He wagged a finger at the armed equines. "Lockin' Daffodil on the surface like that."

The apparent leader scowled at Stan. "She doesn't need to see this. We'll let her in shortly. Don't you care about your other companion?"

"Why would ah?" He gestured to where the silent Skyline had one guard with a blade to his throat. "Seems ta be handlin' himself jus' fine."

Guns wheeled from human to pony target, but Skyline drew the guard he had up as a shield. "Let's talk with words, or with this sword. We'll have a pleasant conversation either way."

The overmare scowled at their unknown attacker. "You were supposed to be locked out!"

"I don't play by your rules." He brought the sword in tighter on the trembling guard's throat. "So let's chat. I like that human. Human, sure, but he's good for his word, and his word isn't usually trash."

"He's just one pony?!" The overmare stomped with obvious distress. "Stop him!"

To their credit, they tried. They lunged for him with melee weapons, replacing firearms they weren't willing to drill through their friend to use. He filled the room with a terrible screech as Skyline let loose a tidal wave of sonic fury on the approaching guards. The one he had held slumped to the ground, knocked out by the screeching. The others looked dizzy and confused.

Stan put his rifle to the distracted overmare's head. "About that chat. Ah didn't show up here to make a mess."

She went rigid. "Let's not do anything rash." Her superior position had degraded suddenly. "Everypony calm down..."

"That's what ah was sayin'!" Stan had a smile on his face despite the still tense situation. "Now let Applejack up. She don't deserve to be held down like that."

A brief nod from the overmare was enough to get the guards still holding Applejack to release her with a step either way. Applejack scrambled to her hooves, glaring at the guards that had held her down. "That ain't polite! We're on the same side."

As if no threat had ever happened, Giddyup trotted up to the overmare. "Introductions would be appropriate. I am Giddyup. That is my child, Stan." He pointed to each person as he named them. "That is his physician and caretaker, Miss Aunt."

Miss Aunt, who had not joined the battle, laughed at the introduction. "You're more of his physician than I am. All I can do is wish him well and feed him if he gets hurt. You do more than that."

"I..." The overmare peered at Stan, but Stan hadn't shot her yet. "I am Overmare Mare." She scowled at Stan anew. "That's my name, and my title."

Applejack nodded. "Yep, that's her. Overmare, could you open the door?" She pointed up at the closed hatch. "Bet Daffodil is going stir crazy jus' waitin' for us an' all."

Overmare Mare took a slow step away and no harm seemed to come at her. "You." She was looking at Skyline. "You are very violent."

"And you weren't?" He sheathed his blades with two quiet noises. "We can leave, if you prefer. I'd just want to be paid for services."

"What services?!" Overmare Mare turned instead on Applejack. "What is he talking about?!"

"Well, done hired the two of 'em." She waved at Stan and Skyline in two sweeps. "With 'em, got the robots we wanted a look at."

"Which I want to look at," noted Twilight in a stern voice. "Can we get on with that project, please?"

Overmare Mare squinted at the two mercenaries. "I... see... Applejack, this is entirely your fault if it goes poorly."

"Ah'll accept that. Twilight." She nodded towards Twilight. "Get your glasses straight and let's get on lookin' at Giddyup. Safely now."

"Of course." Twilight clopped her hooves once. "I wouldn't imagine harming a friend." She led the way further into the vault without any guards standing in her way. "This way." She was going past quite a few other ponies that peered at them with amazement.

Stan and Skyline drew the most pointed curiosity. The robots got barely a glance and weren't alone. There were other Giddyups there, and Misses Nanny units all doing their job. The new ones showed a little more wear from the wastes, but were not that surprising at a glance, unlike the human and the bat pony.

"Woah, check you out." An aquamarine unicorn came in alongside Skyline. "They didn't mention the other stable had whole other types of pony in them!"

Skyline marched forward despite his new company. "They don't, really. I'm the only one of me around that I know of."

"Aw, that's so sad." She threw a hoof over his withers in an obvious display of her lack of fear. "Well, there's only one way to fix that."

"Lyra!" Another basic model pony grabbed her by the mouth, clamping onto the closer ear. "Leave him alone and stop making a foal of yourself!" They left behind the two, with one chastising the other thoroughly.

Giddyup was looking from pony to pony with great sweeps of his head and neck, as if overwhelmed by the sheer number of them. "If they had remained functional for a little longer, they would have made better use of their functions than I could."

Stan reached for Giddyup's back, rubbing and scratching the metal hide that didn't feel it the same way. "Ah hear ya. Bet they woulda flipped their lids with so many ponies to oversee."

Giddyup swung his head at Stan. "Perhaps it would have displeased them ultimately. These ponies have giddyup units in good repair." He inclined his head at one they were passing. "It would restrict the use of them as a direct consequence. You only have me, and it maximized my need as an invariable result."

Stan chuckled in his gravelly way. "I see how it is. Only ah got the one Giddyup, so ah must need 'em the most."

"Correct." Giddyup sped up to catch up with Twilight as if there were just no argument to be had in his logic.

As they entered Twilight's beeping and glowing science room, Overmare Mare came rushing in. "Are you really going to act as if nothing happened?"

Twilight took hold of a clipboard in her mouth just to transfer it to her glowing horn. "As if what happened? There are several things that have lined up precisely to allow this, and I intend to complete my assigned task."

Overmare Mare waved frantically at the living outsiders. "And you don't mind them? Are they--"

"-- They are not intimidating me. In fact, I am certain I have greater threatening power over them than the other way around." She slotted a wire into Giddyup with a heavy click of something making contact. "I will do my utmost to ensure the safety of this Giddyup unit, but worry that it could go wrong is likely having a powerful effect on our guests."

Skyline hiked a brow at the discussion. "Not me. Giddyup's a good robot and all, but still a robot."

"I am a robot." This was a fact. Giddyup did not argue about it.

Miss Aunt hovered closer. "You're not just a robot, Giddyup. If you were to be hurt, Stan and myself would be beside ourselves with grief."

"That ain't even the start of it." Stan leveled a finger with Twilight mid-turn, catching her as she spun around. "So you better treat him right and safe."

"I will do my utmost." She inserted a second wire with a soft click. "Now most of the work I do should involve typing. It won't be very glamorous to watch." She headed over to a terminal and sat. With a glowing horn, she got to typing busily in the process of hacking and diving into the electronic innards of their equine robot friend.

Overmare Mare set a hoof on her chest with the realization that her words were being largely ignored in favor of the ongoing project. "Well... She will be busy for a while... You two keep out of trouble." She stomped off with an angry flick of her tail.

Skyline flickered an ear to the departing boss of the vault. "Is that one way I could have been?" He looked himself over. "Pretty happy being a stallion."

Stan crossed his arms. "This is close to the opposite situation. Plenty of ponies in this vault, and ah got no say in it."

Miss Nanny patted Stan's shoulder. "I will... I shouldn't. Someone should remain with Giddyup."

"You think ah'm leavin'?" Stan propped himself up against a nearby pillar with no intention of leaving. "Ain't movin' an inch until Giddyup takes that hike wit' me."

"You are too kind." Nanny was quiet for a moment. "You will leave to get food and take care of yourself, I hope?"

Applejack snorted at the question. "He will or ah'll drag him to do it. He knows Giddyup'd want me to do it, so ah will." She gazed at him with a flat expression, as if daring him to counter her.

"There you are!" Daffodil had just caught up with them. "Just going to leave me up there? It takes way too long to open the stable up." She sighed, looking at Twilight and her magic typing. "Oh, is she? Guess she is."

Applejack nudged Daffodil. "Technically, that means we're out of work, but ah plan to keep an eye on Stan here until all three of us head out."

Skyline paused in his retreat. "Three?"

"Him." Applejack waved a hoof at Stan. "You." She pointed at Skyline. "And me, 'course." She dipped her head at Miss Nanny. "Pardon, weren't counting the robots in that. Figured ya two were attached right fast t'Stan an' all."

"You aren't wrong." Nanny reached over to snatch a snack from inside the comatose Giddyup. "Hungry?" She offered the gained snack towards Applejack with as much a smile as she could give, which was largely centered on her voice.

Skyline crossed his hooves. "I intend to visit the local ponies and share a chat, but who said I would keep following you around? Speaking of that--" He thrust out a hoof towards Applejack. "Payment please."

Stan inclined his head at Skyline. "He ain't wrong. Time ta pay me too." He joined the hoof with an outstretched hand. Both were ready to be paid.

Applejack pulled down the front of her hat. "Shoot. Well, ya did what ah asked. Look, pretty sure our stars ain't uncrossed just yet, so cool yerselves a little. Ah'll get yer payment right now, promise." She turned to head out. "But ah don't want either of ya running off without me."

Daffodil watched Applejack depart before looking at the others. "Why am I here?"

Stan rolled a hand. "Loyalty to Twilight?"

"Curiosity?" Skyline shrugged with little more to offer than that.

Daffodil tapped her chin softly. "A little of either of those. Look, it's been real swell, but I just want to see what she finds." She threw her head in Twilight's direction. "Once we have that, I'm out. Applejack's free to follow you. She's a waste lander anyway, so nothing new there." She tapped the ground with both forehooves. "This is my stable, where I'm safe, and I know how things work."

Stan gestured at the unresponsive Giddyup. "Stuck here for now. Ah'll take that treat." With a ready hand, Nanny was quick to deliver it for Stan to chew on quietly for a moment. "Any idea how long this'll take?"

"Leave her." Overmare Mare had rejoined them, several guards standing behind her. "We have things to discuss while she's busy. Both of you, though they are two completely divorced matters." She started out into the hallway, making sure they followed her. "I have your payment, by the way."

That got the two of them moving. Whatever else the Overmare Mare had to say, at least she would pay for their time.

Author's Note:

Were you expecting a great big brawl? Sorry.

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Comments

[BestinDworld]

overmare mare......oh thats mayor mare aint it

[Booster Spice]

Overmare Mayor Mare?

Such capitulation.
Much joy.

[OKTHENWEIRDDOE]

Good to see other folks reading this story.

[geomease]

I’d be mighty worried walking around after Overmare Mare tried a double cross right at the beginning but maybe skyline is enough of a deterrent. My other fear is that they’re going to do something which disables/destroys Giddiyup while they are away.

[Reese]

Ah. :D
Well, there's that question answered! :D

"She slot a wire into Giddyup with a heavy"
"She slotted a wire into Giddyup with a heavy"?

[David Silver]

11171559
Fix!

[David Silver]

11167229
Maybe! _yes

[tsaukpaetra]

Overmare can be reasonable!