//------------------------------// // One if By Land: Part 2 // Story: Spike of All Trades // by Ariamaki //------------------------------// They didn't spend the entire day glued to each other, although it was a dang close thing: Other than using the oven to make themselves lunch and some time spent dancing (and very carefully stowing away both his hat and her dress) they were mostly couch-bound. Conversations were sparse but had their own presence: Meandering between topics while avoiding bigger relationship questions: Those could wait. That didn't stop them from reflecting on the past in some smaller ways, of course... "We really should take the balloon out for a joyride sometime soon." "Aww Spike, a little private wicker room just for the two of us, far away from anypony on the ground?" "Yeah see the problem is really that last part: What are the odds Rainbow would crash the, ahem, party?" "...Hrmph. Preemptive private-party pooper." "Shame on me for wanting the 'private' part of that to be a little more secure than a basket... Given that I still sleep in one sometimes, actually, that'd be kinda weird for entirely different reasons." Pinkie broke down giggling, while Spike just watched her with a smile on his face. As the giggles trailed off into snickers and chortles, she wiped the corner of one eye and kissed him again. "I'm just... really proud of you Spike. I've always thought you were super-neat and fun to be around ever since you first came into town, but now that you've grown up... You're a lot more than that." He wanted to make a reply with equal emotional weight, something endearing and uplifting... but he was cut off by a pop-up in his vision. Pinkie's perspective on the world allowed her to see some of his user interface, sometimes. A blurry impression of unreadable text, usually. This time? He could tell through the transparent box that she was reading it just as clearly as he was. "No dragon shall share in the 'special talents' of ponykind." A veil has fallen and the scales have been lifted from one eye. A previously-concealed portion of the quest chain: STORY ARC: A Benediction Befitting a Gamer‽ has been revealed to both parties. Pinkamena Diane Pie, An Exception To The Rules > Meet with this person of great potential and share their perspective of your power. > Exchange and share at least five skills and/or Titles between each other. > As a party, gain at least 2 levels apiece and lead another group in doing the same. Pinkie's nervous giggle broke the tension, picking up where they left off in some sense. "Well gosh, I had been looking forward to how you were gonna top that but I guess your lil' system beat you to the punch!" "Hah! I mean... No yeah, honestly. Look at the first line: It's not the same as the rest." Without the flashy flair of popping out a horn (a subset of the skill he had yet to test), Spike put the Dragon's Horn to its first proper test: A simple light projection spell to copy his menus into the air. True to the skill's description, there was no sign of the spell until it was already happening, and then a copy of his current Story Arc floated in the space between them. The list had been updated since he last looked at it, although not by much. STORY ARC: A Benediction Befitting a Gamer‽ By boldly choosing to set foot on the path trodden by deities, you have set a tough row to hoe. One time and once only? Your grand quest may fail yet still continue: This is an Arc that can be cut short without doing the same to you. Should you succeed, should you learn enough to create your own unique and irreproducible blessing? This world will never be the same again. Stride forth! See what there is to see in the land of Equestria, before necessity takes you and yours beyond. Objective: Complete all Quests*, then consolidate your knowledge with the Late Bloomer's Ticket. Failure Condition: Using the Late Bloomer's Ticket for another purpose, or if one year passes. Remaining Time: 11 months. Reward: All Sub-Quest and Quest Rewards, variable EXP, Bits, and Items*, Your 'Benediction' *NOTES: Not all Subquests are mandatory, only a portion must be completed within each Quest. Your rewards and the quality of the power you create will depend on your completion rate. Mandatory quests are not marked: Only you can know the moment that you are ready. Some Subquests have a variable rate of progress, and will not be considered finished unless a maximum threshold of reward is reached or when the overall Story Arc is completed. Celestia Sol Invictus, She of The Rising Sun > Meet with this person of great power and learn their perspective on your potential. > Learn the nature of Celestia's Benediction from her. > Learn the nature of Celestia's Benediction from a bearer. > Selflessly serve the ponies of Equestria for many days. Luna, She of The Diamonds In The Sky > Meet with this person of great power and learn their perspective on your potential. > Learn the nature of Luna's Benediction from her. > Learn the nature of Luna's Benediction from a bearer. > Survive untold instances of life-or-death combat. Mi Amore Cadenza, She of All Loving Things > Meet with this person of great power and learn their perspective on your potential. > Learn the nature of Cadance's Benediction. > Help Cadance create her Benediction. > Successfully guide the creation or repair of numerous healthy relationships. Twilight Sparkle, She of Thine Wordless Name > Meet with this person of great power and learn their perspective on your potential. > Achieve a base of 75+ in every personal statistic, and 2,000+ points of both HP and MP. > Learn at least 40 Skills and at least 10 Subskills (Consumed / Merged Skills do not count). > Reach at least Level 50 with the skill 'Observe'. > Acquire the skill 'Internal Alchemy' and raise it to at least Level 10. > Create at least one Original Skill using more than two components. ERROR > A portion of your Story Arc has been veiled from your eyes by a great power. > Upon the moment of revelation, these tasks will be exposed to you. Below the ERROR it reproduced the new information about Pinkie Pie, but notably the reveal of that sub-quest hadn't removed the error itself. He and Pinkie came to the same conclusion at around the same time, claw and hoof both pointing to the line in tandem. "More hidden stuff, huh?" "So you're not the only one..." Pinkie read over the list slowly, comparing bits here and there, while Spike looked at one particular finished subquest with an aura of confusion. Observe 50 was complete, but last he'd checked (just before solving his problem with the Unihorn) the skill was only at 48. There were no quests and no new notifications... until he actually opened the menu to check. Once he did, a new message appeared as he was looking at the list. Through your connection to a particularly perceptive pony you more easily pick up on little details. [Observe] has gained a large amount of experience. Checking the actual skill window proved that it had indeed gained a 'large' amount of experience. How large, one might ask? Well since he recently picked up a whopping 50% discount to Observe's XP requirements... [Observe] (Special) LV 58 That was a pleasant surprise, and Spike was really looking forward to figuring out if passing the 50 mark had any special effects on the skill: Even if it didn't, Observe was such an oddball out of his entire list that it wouldn't preclude the possibility in the future. As for the other completed quest line, he was less confused about that one. Acquire 40 distinct skills, without counting any subskills or consumed skills. It helped that for once his system had gone out of its way to assist... [Gamer's Mind], [Gamer's Body], [Observe], [Cooking], [Earthshaper], [Dragon's Claws], [Omphaloskepsis], [Dragon's Heart], [Dragon's Mind], [Dragon's Breath], [Cantus], [Stagnet], [Dragon's Hoard], [Balanced Soul], [Exposure], [Craft], [Intimidate], [Dragon's Scales], [Dragon's Bones], [Dragon's Kitchen], [Susurration], [Layer], [Disaffiliation], [Dragon's Den], [Photographic Speedreading], [Gathering], [Detect Bloodthirst], [Sense Danger], [Respire], [External Mana Control], [Dragon's Eye], [Slice], [Grasp], [Pierce], [Draw], [Syzygy], [Spike's Studies], [Twilight's Teachings], [Dragon's Horn], [Pinkie's Potential] The four attack skills he'd learned during his first trip to the Warrens (and not a single one since, notably) had all counted as full-fledged skills for the quest! It was unexpected since they had such stringent notifications about being held in abeyance and everything... But he wasn't one to overlook a gift right at his doorstep. The 40th skill, now that had been a gift of a different kind entirely. An original skill has been created to commemorate a budding relationship. A benefit of equal measure has been granted to your partner in return. [Pinkie's Potential] (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00% Chaos and Harmony only exist in opposition due to their true opposites being far too terrible to contemplate: Chaos truly opposes entropy and decay, while harmony stands against the loss of all connections and bonds. Through this shared opposition of one ending or the other, the two forces have more in common than most can know. Balanced through the two extremes, there is Laughter. You have touched on the true heart of Laughter in this world, and understand it more than most. Your connection to the Element of Laughter and its Bearer grants you a modicum of its nature. This skill knows the importance of timing: You always know when to strike and when to fall back. This skill finds the best Laughter is shared: You can learn skills and teach others more readily. This skill makes it clear when to explain the joke: Your use of the Inventory is not seen as odd. Your Affinity for the Element of Laughter fluctuates in accordance to your bond with its Bearer. Spike didn't ask Pinkie what she had received, nor did he tell her about what he'd gained: He had a feeling it would come up when it mattered. Maybe that was the skill talking? 'When to strike' likely meant much more than just its use in combat, especially knowing Pinkie's sense and sensibilities. Between her general sense of the world around her and her literal Pinkie Sense- ...Almost as if him thinking about it brought it to bear, Pinkie had a series of twitches overcome her right before she said something. Her mouth remained hanging open, while he saw her ear flop and her tongue waggle. Finally she kicked out with one hoof and then smiled at him, nervously. "Message coming!" Spike quickly banished the menu magic from the air, and the two of them moved a little further apart. Moments later a knock sounded on the door outside, and then Cup Cake let herself in. In classic motherly fashion, she did so the instant that there was no objection. "Pinkie dear, that nice Diamond Dog fellow from the other day is back! I figured you'd want to get his order personally and all." No comments were made about Spike's continued presence hours after his arrival, or any of the general atmosphere... He knew the jig was up, but discussing it was probably better for later. In lieu of going out to the rock farm this was as close as he'd be getting to meeting Pinkie Pie's parents anytime soon... Then again, the Cakes already knew him pretty well. And from her smile it was clear that she didn't have any objections. "Thanks a ton Mrs. Cake! We'll be right out in two shakes, just gotta clean up back here." They both busied themselves with getting things set back into order: Candles cleanly put away, literal wax stripped off tables, the metaphorical wax on the record player carefully returned to its sleeve. Was that actually a metaphor? He'd have to check with Twilight if there was a better word for 'outdated but once-correct term still used as a reference', because if so he didn't know it. By the time they made it back out to the front of Sugarcube Corner it was a little closer to sunset, and Snarly was seated comfortably near the counter. For all he'd previously complained about ponies being strange after his last visit, the Cakes' cooking had clearly won him over on some level. "Ah! Small dragon friend here already: No need to go-between, Pink One!" "Heeh, yup, I definitely know: You two going to head out right away then?" That was when Spike realized that maybe his new skill was more complicated than it first let on, because he got a little twitch of his own. Not a physical twitch but a tiny twinge in the back of his mind. It was less than an instinct, smaller than a reflex, but he still gave it a listen... And it kinda made sense in a ridiculous way. "How about all three of us head out?" Snarly blinked at him, while Pinkie practically vibrated in place. A second later she was pivoting on her hooves in a perfect one-eighty, turning to step back into the kitchen with Mrs. Cake. He couldn't hear the conversation they had, but after a few minutes Pinkie came back out with a wagon full of baking supplies and a miniature wood-fired oven. Spike started moving things into his Inventory one at a time, relishing how nopony and nodog present questioned it: Just like with Pinkie's random caches of supplies, his use of the Inventory was now just glossed over as being 'normal for him'. "I've got vacation days like woah built up, and it's looking to be a pretty dull week anyways. Figure if I'm ever going to take a break for my own sake it'd be for this, you know?" Their unsuspecting Diamond Dog companion probably thought she was being very selfless and talking about helping them, but Spike realized that she was taking the chance to spend even more time with him now that they were together together. It warmed his heart and put an extra pep into his step, pep which easily carried him out and on the path back to the Warrens.