Twilight trod silently alongside her friend, neither in a hurry to break the quiet that had fallen over them. The deathclaw was deep in thought, while Janey puffed on a cigarette between taking swigs of some prewar beer that somehow managed to not go bad. Normally Twilight would remark about drinking this early in the day, but given recent events, the deathclaw was actually tempted to join in.
Stowing that thought for another time, Twilight ruminated on what lay ahead, pointedly steering her brain away from the past. She would come to grips with what she had done later, for now, she was just happy that things had ended somewhat peacefully. Sure it wasn't a perfect solution, but it could have certainly gone worse. If nothing else, the rule of law had been upheld, though it was far from the laws she was used to.
Giving her head a shake, she stopped herself from thinking too long on it and thought instead of the future.
If what the strange man had said was true, then they’d find a translation machine inside this vault place. Janey didn't think this was even a possibility, but for some reason, Twilight trusted the words of No Bark. She knew she probably shouldn't but there was something about him that made Twilight think that he both knew more than he let on, and what he did say was true, or at least mostly true.
“And now it's time for the news,” announced the voice of Mister New Vegas, causing Twilight to perk up slightly. “A local pair of daring do-gooders have raided the raiders and freed a young girl no older than six from their insidious clutches. The girl was unharmed and is now staying with the duo at the Atomic Wrangler though apparently, not for long. But, I’ll stop beating around the bush and let the plucky wastelanders speak for themselves.”
“Oh, I guess those two didn't die after all,” Janey murmured. “And they beat us to Vegas too.”
Twilight brushed off her friend's comment and focused on the radio.
“None of this would have happened if it weren't for Princess saving us from ourselves,” declared a familiar masculine voice. “To think I nearly shot you.”
“And I nearly stabbed you,” remarked another familiar voice, this one feminine.
“What will you do now?” Asked a flat, monotone voice Twilight assumed was coming from the proverbial mouth of a robot.
“We’re going to get to the bottom of the legend of the star together. Isn't that right honey?” Asked Tomas.
“It sure is, hot stuff,” Jackyln replied.
There was the muffled sound of something wet before abruptly shifting back to Mister New Vegas.
“Apologies for the abrupt cut but it seems as though our two love birds couldn't wait to be alone,” Mister Vegas remarked with a chuckle. “That's about all the news I have for you at the moment. The Mojave sure is a happening place these days eh folks? Now for a bit of music.”
“That’s… I almost don't believe it,” Janey muttered. “I had those two pegged as complete idiots.”
“They are surprisingly adaptable, and more to the point, we did spend a lot of time in Novac,” Twilight pointed out, tapping out her response on a peice of metal that hung from a chord around her neck.
“I know that, but still. They reached Vegas first, and even had enough time to go on a rescue mission of all things,” Janey exclaimed. “Honestly, I’d be a bit jealous if I didn't find their public displays of affection utterly revolting.”
Twilight couldn't help but chuckle at her friend’s discomfort.
“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up,” Janey muttered.
Twilight smiled faintly.
Following the winding road, Twilight sensed that there were threats nearby but after she scanned the area she saw only a few geckos. These seemed to have more sense than the last they crossed, and gave Twilight a wide, fearful berth. There were no further sightings of potential enemies until after nearly thirty minutes, Janey stopped abruptly.
“Look, over there,” whispered the courier, gesturing westward.
Following Janey’s finger, Twilight saw a tall deathclaw standing atop a rise several hundred feet away from them. His back, straight and his head raised, the deathclaw could see everything for miles though he stared only at a single thing, Twilight. The strange deathclaw peered intently down at them, its eyes narrow and its body as still as the dead.
“What do you think it wants?” asked Janey.
Twilight shrugged, genuinely at a loss for words.
It looked like it was simply scouting or perhaps guarding its territory, but the intensity of its gaze made Twilight feel something strange. It was like she was being inspected, judged even, and that left the former pony unnerved for some reason.
“Oop, there it goes,” Janey whispered.
Sure enough, the distant deathclaw had lowered itself down into a more neutral walking hunch before setting off back down the other side of the hill. In only a few short seconds it vanished from sight, leaving Janey amused, and Twilight confused.
“That was odd. There must be a pack up there,” Janey thought aloud. “I heard there were deathclaws in those hills but had never seen any until now.”
“Well… better get a move on,” Janey encouraged.
Twilight nodded mutely, walking alongside her companion while still staring at the spot where the deathclaw had stood only a moment ago. It was only after they began to turn a corner that Twilight looked away, her thoughts leaving the other deathclaw behind. It was, after all, most likely a simple animal, and wasn't doing anything other than watching over its territory.
With nothing else to do but watch the landscape pass them by, Twilight let her mind wander. She thought back on Boone’s final talk, and how he was going to talk to someone with a strange name. She and her friends certainly stuck out in that regard, so there existed the possibility it may have been one of them. Only the timeline didn't match up, as she had apparently stopped by almost two months ago.
“Has it been that long?” Twilight thought aloud, only to shake her head. “No, it doesn't fit and I’ll see him soon anyway so it doesn't matter.”
“Ya say something?” Janey asked.
Twilight shook her head.
“Just thinkin' out loud eh?” Janey remarked.
Twilight would have blushed were she capable of such a thing.
“How's the horns feeling? Think you could muster any magic?” Janey inquired.
Twilight focused on her magic, and though her hopes were low, she could sense that the well of power that resided deep within her reacted to her call. It was sluggish and required a bit more focus than normal, but it wasn't anywhere near the levels she had anticipated. Burnout on that scale would have knocked her old self out for three, or perhaps even four days yet she could already sense that should she need it, she could likely muster a spell or two.
Clicking her claws together, Twilight summoned a small spray of sparks. The ensuing smattering of purple and green lights were small and left her with a mild headache, Twilight had been expecting to get hit with an immediate migraine. A quick mental calculation told the deathclaw that she could likely call upon more provided she gave it a bit of time and absorbed more radiation.
“Huh, neat trick,” Janey exclaimed, pulling her lighter from her pocket. “But I can do that one too.”
Twilight rolled her eyes as Janey flicked the flint and steel of her lighter, sending a small spray of sparks to the ground. Janey just chuckled and stuffed it back into the pocket, a smirk resting firmly on her face. The display was far from amusing but it did spark a thought in Twilight's head, one she couldn't help but explore.
Casting another fan of sparks, Twilight confirmed that yes, her pool of magic was nearly empty but it was also wide. She could cast a considerable amount of magic without strain, even more so from when she was an alicorn but there had come a cost. The deeper reservoir which allowed a pony to cast more potent, and powerful spells was absent from her soul. The realization hit Twilight like a ton of bricks, and she stood there, too dazed to move or do anything.
She knew, logically, that she had made this connection before, that she had been able to tell this much already but she had shut that off. Now that she was away from danger, at least for the moment, she was all but forced to reckon with the fact that she would likely never be able to use the level of magic that she had before. It was like she had been thrust back into magic kindergarten, her talent limited to barely a fraction of what it had once been.
“Hey, you alright?” Janey called.
The courier walked up to the deathclaw and eyed Twilight carefully.
“You look like you're crying, but nothing’s coming out,” Janey added.
Twilight grabbed the small metal tick board as she had started to call it and tapped out her response with a shaky finger.
“My magic. It's limited for some reason,” Twilight began. “It's like a lake but it’s only two feet deep.”
“Isn't that good? There's a lot to it then, right?” Janey pressed.
“I’ll never be able to cast something more complicated than magic missile ever again,” Twilight exclaimed.
“Look this is gonna sound callus as all hell but, is that it?” Janey retorted dismissively. “You thought it was gone forever, and now that you got it back all you can say is that it's not as good as it used to be?”
“I…” Twilight began, only for her anger to falter.
She wanted to be furious, but there was a certain truth to what the human had said that stopped such a bitter retort from coming. Before her magic returned Twilight had started to lose hope of ever casting another spell again, but now she knew that at least the lower levels of magic were within her grasp. Yes, she had lost something dear to her, but she could at least indulge her talent in some small way.
“Plus can't you like, figure out a different way of doing things that requires less strength or is that not how it works?” Janey half asked, half stated.
“It's possible,” Twilight began, scratching her chin with a claw. “But I’d have to fundamentally rewrite the spell, and work backward from the matrix phase if I was going to have any hope of actually…”
Twilight let her finger fall away, her mind outpacing her ability to tap out a response.
“I’ll take that as a sign that you're ready to keep moving,” Janey muttered.
Twilight nodded absently.
The pair continued on, with Janey taking the lead and Twilight following in behind, the deathclaw barely even noticing the world around her change. In her mind she conjured new spells, only to discard them when she realized that it would be impossible to cast given her situation. Though initially she met failure, she could sense that she was onto something, had grasped some thread of truth and now she need only keep tugging until she made a discovery.
In front of her, Janey just chuckled, the courier making her way down the road at an unhurried but not slow pace.
A woman sprinted across the road and dashed out of sight, her headband flapping in the wind behind her. A raider, most likely, but one that had fled the moment she had seen Twilight coming, the towering deathclaw oblivious to what had just happened. Janey could tell that whatever ambush had been planned was called off, as several sets of feet could be heard running off into the wasteland.
It may have simply been the natural aura of intimidation that all deathclaws put out, but that alone didn't feel right. There was more to it. Animals fled from sight, and raiders cowered in dark places, awed by the presence of a thinking deathclaw and her ruthless companion.
Initially, Janey felt proud, but then she realized something. Though the small fries would likely leave them alone now, that meant that the bigger threats would seek them out. They had notoriety, and most likely, a bounty or two, if not from raiders then definitely from the legion.
Janey had never managed to end up hated by any faction of the Mojave, but neither had she been beloved. Yet here she was, having made enemies of one of the most powerful entities around, while also having a small but growing roster of friends. Sure most of them were friends of Twilight and not Janey, but so long as she kept the deathclaw around, the difference didn't matter.
Keeping to herself, Janey guided them further down the road for several more minutes. Then after nearly an hour of walking, they left the highway behind and ventured off the beaten path. That seemed to spark a realization for Twilight, who looked around as if only now realizing where they were.
“Almost there,” Janey remarked. “It's just around that rocky outcropping.”
Twilight nodded, and pushed her thoughts aside, focusing on what lay ahead. Following Janey, she soon found herself standing only a few yards from a rickety wooden door lying at the bottom of what was basically a pit. To call it unassuming would be an understatement, and Twilight could hardly believe that this was one of the fabled vaults Janey had spoken of.
“I can tell from the look on your face that you don't think much of it,” Janey exclaimed. “And that's okay. Most vault entrances were meant to be at least semi-secret.”
Twilight hummed to herself.
“Before we head inside, why don't you sit in that crater, and test out your magic? I wanna know what we’re working with here,” Janey instructed, gesturing to a small circular indent a few meters from the entrance.
Twilight wanted to argue, but she couldn't help the fact that she too was curious.
“Just let me know if you're doing something crazy like casting fireball or something,” Janey added.
Twilight nodded and made her way over to the indentation. The moment she stepped over the lip of the crater, Twilight felt her mana reserves slowly begin to refill. The realization that this meant she was being irradiated bothered her slightly but she reminded herself that she was highly resistant to its effects so it was fine.
Probably.
After refilling her reserves to nearly the halfway point, Twilight cast a quick shower of sparks and found that there was no discomfort. She had recovered quickly, and though curious about that little detail, Twilight brushed past it for the moment. Summoning her magic, Twilight ignited her twin horns and started casting what was likely the upper echelon of what she was now capable of.
Fireball, a devastating but relatively simple spell that required very little finesse was a good start but despite Twilight's confidence, her horns fizzled. Emerging into the world as little more than a fist sized flame that died almost immediately, Twilight's heart fell briefly but she recovered quickly. Running through more and more spells, the deathclaw found that her power was capped slightly lower than anticipated.
“I’m assuming you meant to do that?” Janey exclaimed.
Twilight ignored her friend’s comment and focused herself, choosing instead to go from the ground up. Starting with the most simple of spells, Twilight lit her horns and reached out, grabbing a small rock with her telekinetic field. Lifting it into the air, Twilight found that it was light, and she could easily move it around with little effort.
“Normally I’d be impressed, but I saw you move a goddamn rocket while it was in flight already,” Janey remarked.
Twilight snorted and ignored her friend.
Casting another spell, Twilight wreathed one hand in a cold, chilly aura which was released the moment she prodded the floating rock. The stone immediately became covered in ice, but was broken a moment later when a lightning-coated finger poked it. Casting the stone aside, Twilight felt a bit of pride worm its way into her heart.
“Could you make it so I could do that?” Janey asked.
Twilight shook her head. She initially wanted to explain why that was but quickly realized that doing so was pointless, given Janey’s non-existent understanding of magic.
Refocusing on her spellwork, Twilight sent a small flurry of streaking magical bolts from her horns. The projectiles were surprisingly numerous and spread out before all convening on the same hunk of rock. With each impact, the small stone was sent flying, bits splintering off until there was nothing left but shattered slivers.
“That looks like it would hurt,” Janey muttered.
Twilight ignored her friend and the small voice in her head that hated the fact that she had thought the same thing before Janey even opened her mouth. Casting another spell, Twilight conjured a small mote of glowing light on the tip of her finger. As usual, she could adjust the color, and brightness, as well as split it into several smaller fragments.
“That's useful,” Janey murmured. “I’m assuming you could make it last for a while without focusing on it?”
Twilight nodded. A light spell could last a few hours, or even a day without much effort but she didn't bother mentioning that to her friend.
“What else do you got?” Janey pressed.
Twilight thought about it for a moment before unslinging her bag, pulling out a tin can, and slicing it open with a claw. Dumping the contents of it into her mouth, Twilight chewed briefly before swallowing, barely even taking note of the vaguely meaty flavor.
“Pfft, I could do that,” Janey remarked.
Twilight smirked, and held out a clawed hand, displaying the slash mark present in the can. She then cast her spell and watched as Janey’s incredulous look turned into one of wonder as the tin knitted itself back together. In a few short seconds, the can was whole once more, with even the paper packaging having somehow been restored.
“Wow that is… incredible,” Janey muttered. “I’m assuming that only works on small, fairly uncomplicated items.”
Twilight nodded slowly, a little surprised at how quickly Janey had grasped the concept.
“Have a little faith in me,” Janey shot back.
Twilight snorted.
Summoning her magic, Twilight cast another spell. This one caused a small cube of dirt to lift itself from the ground and cast itself aside. Maintaining the spell, Twilight moved the earth back, and then willed it to take on different shapes, and even change color before finally becoming a smooth surface.
“Neat,” Janey remarked.
Twilight couldn't help but be a bit irritated by Janey’s continued nonplussed attitude, but let it slide for now. Using her magic, Twilight whispered into her hand and then gently wafted it towards the human.
“What is…” Janey’s face contorted in confusion. “You can whisper to me?”
Twilight nodded.
“Huh, that is useful. Or at least it would be if you could speak,” Janey declared.
Twilight snorted, and narrowed her eyes, casting another spell. This time, when it was complete, nothing seemed to happen.
“What, that's it?” Janey muttered.
Twilight pointed behind the woman.
Janey raised an eyebrow but turned around to find that there was a perfect replica of herself standing behind her. The duplicate stuck her tongue out at Janey and flipped her the bird. It was about to make another rude gesture when Janey unexpectedly put a bullet through its chest. The copy looked down at its midsection before turning to smoke and vanishing a second later.
“Jesus jumping christ. You nearly scared the piss out of me,” Janey exclaimed, loading another round into her gun. “Point fucking taken.”
Twilight wanted to reprimand the woman for being so quick to violence, but the deathclaw had seen that reaction coming a mile away and had walked into it anyway.
“Got anything else?” Janey asked, the courier dropping her revolver into its holster.
Twilight cast one final spell, causing Janey’s right hand to glow faintly.
“What the heck is this?” Janey muttered in confusion.
“Try to shoot something really far away. Something you don't think you could hit,” Twilight replied.
Janey frowned but reluctantly did as was asked, raising the pistol and aiming at a small rocky outcropping lying at the very edge of her gun’s effective range. Squeezing off a shot, Janey gasped in shock as the bullet flew straight and true, though her hand had stopped glowing. A second attempt went wide, prompting Janey to reload and put her gun away once more.
“That's crazy,” Janey declared. “And that could last… a while right? Or do I have to use it right away?”
“The effects can't stack, but you can hold onto it for as long as you need to before you make another attack,” Twilight explained.
“Huh, that sure is something,” Janey murmured. “Is that all?”
Twilight focused and attempted to cast another spell, only to feel it fizzle before completion. Another failed attempt followed, with a third coming shortly after. Once Twilight was certain that was the extent of her abilities, she sighed and gave Janey a small, shallow nod.
“I mean that's nothing too crazy but wow. That is…” Janey murmured, glancing down at her hand. “Useful.”
Twilight gestured towards the rickety wooden door made out of half-rotten wood only a few meters away.
“Right, yeah. The vault,” Janey stated absently. “I almost forgot about it after all this excitement.”
“Do you think it will be difficult?” Twilight asked.
“With your magic and my skills?” Janey scoffed. “Not in the slightest.”