It's been an hour or so since that incident involving Silver Streak. After leaving via Illusion Barrier, I travelled back to The Golden Oak Library to inform Twilight and Spike about the incident at the schoolhouse. Using I.D Escape, the fake world shatters around me and reveals reality.
Apparently, reality means "library being cleaned by various birds(and even a squirrel?!) and a butter-coloured Pegasus who has a really good singing voice.
She doesn't seem to notice my sudden appearance, so I decide to make my presence known. "Not that I mind some help around the Library, but why exactly are you here?"
As soon as she hears my voice, she practically jumps out of her skin, as her startled shriek causes a veritable chain reaction of various dropped cleaning supplies. The Pegasus, who is named Fluttershy, quickly recovers from her momentary freight and timidly addresses me.
"O-Oh, I'm just doing this for Twilight, how'd you-" As if being summoned, the library door suddenly bursts open, courtesy of a flustered Twilight. Once she enters, she takes immediate notice of the pink-haired pegasus and sighs in annoyance.
"Fluttershy, not you too!" It seems like I'm missing a great deal of context here. Fluttershy takes this in stride, however.
"Oh, well, hello, Twilight. I hope you don't mind, but we're all doing a little spring cleaning for you."
"It's summer." Twilight deadpans.
"Oh, well, better late than never, right?" -She offers and deflects, a soft blush appearing on her cheeks- "It was Angel's idea." She points.
Angel? I look in the direction Fluttershy pointed, and there the aforementioned Angel was. He was a pure white bunny... Who seems to be preparing some kind of salad? It seems like animals are more intelligent here than back on Earth, it seems.
Just before I was going to inform Twilight about the schoolhouse, I double-take and glance back at Angel.
I couldn't see his level.
As to not draw attention to myself, I mentally execute Observe only to be met with a great heap of nothing. Nothing more than a set of question marks.
I'm going to try not to think about that one too hard.
"You're not doing this for the ticket, are you?" She counters, eying the pegasus with scepticism.
"Ticket? Also, Cheerilee says Tuesday is good." I ask, not wanting to be left in the dark any longer. Twilight seems to finally acknowledge my existence and levitates over two golden tickets from her saddlebags.
"Oh, it's for the Grand Galloping Gala!" She exclaims, with an excited little clop of hooves. "It's one of the most extravagant parties in all of Equestria and Princess Celestia invited both of us, including a plus one." My blood runs cold, and I freeze up for a moment before I grasp the two tickets with a shaky hand. Twilight takes notice of my sudden shift in behaviour and approaches me, worried. She nuzzles my side and then looks up at me with a worried expression.
I'll always love and accept you, my... Daughter. No matter what.
"Is something wrong?" That simple question... It takes all of my strength to answer. "I... I'm fine, just some bad memories..." I managed to croak out, my coming out a little deeper than usual as I lost my composure.
Both Twilight and Fluttershy seem conflicted about what to do to help me, but Twilight speaks up first. "I don't know what could have happened for you to react like this, but know that as your friend,"- She wraps her forelegs around my chest- "I'm here for you."
A wave of calming energy washes over me, and my body finally stops shaking.
Gamer's Mind has neutralised the negative emotional state.
"Thank you, Twi, I needed that," She lets go and blushes at my nickname for her. "Anyway, I'm sorry to disappoint but I'm probably not going to this party so, " -I extend my hand, offering the tickets back, which she then grabs telekinetically-"You can have these back. Do you have anything else you need help with while I'm still here?" Twilight seems to be agitated by 'help' for a moment before exasperatingly sighing.
"I can't decide on who I should take to the Gala, and I just feel awful having to decide..." She admits, a solemn expression on her face. Fluttershy, well, flutters over, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder reassuringly.
"I'm sorry that I made you feel like that Twilight, I should have known better..." She trails off, hiding in her mane out of shame.
"Well, I'm glad you apologized at least" The both of us say simultaneously The three of us break into a fit of laughter over it. It was kinda funny, after all. A few more moments pass before the library door is once again forced open, this time entering five ponies of various races, along with Spike. The orange earth pony wearing a straw stetson was the first to speak up.
"Twi, we all came to apologise. Thanks to Spike 'ere, we realise how this Gala business 'been stressing you out. And if it helps, I don't want that ticket anymore, promise." An Earth Pony apologised, tipping her stetson. Applejack was her name.
"I'll have to admit," a tinge of red bleeding through The white Unicorn's face-fur,"I've acted less than lady-like in pursuit of that ticket. And for that, I am sorry." She concluded sincerely. Rarity Belle was her name.
"That was a meany-pants thing to do to try and force you to give me the ticket! I'm sorry, Twilight." The very pink Earth Pony by the name of Pinkamena "Pinkie" Diane Pie adds.
Another pony I can't see the level of... Wonderful. Even trying to use Observe didn't net me much more than just her name, unfortunately. I really need to work on levelling up.
"Yes! That means the ticket is mine! Haha! I got the ticket, I got the ticket~" The blue-rainbow pegasus sung in a sing-song voice.
The celebration of the final mare breaks me out of my reverie, her aerial chanting catching the unamused eye of everyone in the room... Even the bunny.
"Learn to read the room, Rainbow Dash." I reprimand, almost earning myself some backtalk before a stern look from Applejack causes her to settle down, finally returning to the floor.
"...Y'know, I haven't perfected my signature moves for the Wonderbolts anyway, I don't need that ticket either." She sheepishly makes an excuse for herself.
"Either way, i think this serves as a good learning moment, don't you think Twi?" I hint. She takes a moment to understand what I meant, but once she does, she knows exactly what to do next.
"Spike, take a note, please." She asks her draconian assistant, who is quick to obliged by pulling out qill and parchment.
"Dear Princess Celestia, I've learnt that one of the joys of friendship is sharing your blessings, but when there's not enough blessings to go around, having more than your friend can feel pretty awful. So, while I appreciate your generous gift, I will be returning all the tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala,"- A wave of "what?!" overtaking her momentarily before she continued-"If my friends can't all go, I don't want to either."
"Aww, Twi, you don't have to go do that." Applejack urged, but Twilight refused.
"Nope, I've made up my mind. Spike, you can send the letter now." Spike opens the nearest window and... Burns both the letter and tickets with his green Dragonfire. I stopped myself from enquiring into why as I saw the ashes of the once fully-formed letter and tickets transform into a cloud of green magic and fly into the sky.
How odd. Was that how they sent mail to each other in this world? No, at least not most people, as it doesn't seem like dragons are particularly common, given that I haven't seen another one other than Spike in Ponyville.
"But this means that you can't go to the Gala either, Twilight," the butter coloured mare points out.
"It's okay, girls,"- She reassures -"I'd rather not go if I'm not there with my best friends!" She affirms, prompting the rest of the mares to form a sort of group hug. Ponies were certainly cute.
Just as they were going to seemingly break into casual talk now that things were patched over, Spike makes an odd retching sound before a gout of green flames escape his mouth, which quickly materialised into parchment!
So it was mail!
For exercising your deductive reasoning skills and being proven correct, you have gained +1 WIS!
WIS: 28 -> WIS: 29
Now that was some good news! I can earn stat points in other ways than levelling up!
Implications aside, i observe as Spike promptly unfurls and, with a hearty clearing of the throat, begins to read out the contents of the scroll.
"My Faithful Student Twilight,
Why didn't you just say so?"
A sudden flash of bright yellow light emanated from the scroll, and then, several more tickets had appeared from nothing and were suspended in some kind of magic.
"I suppose that solves the issue, doesn't it?" I spoke, stifling a giggle.
The multitude of now triumphant mares celebrate uproariously at the development. And though i wouldn't particularly look for too such and event, it was hard to blame them for acting as they were, it did seem like a pretty big deal.
The magical golden tickets began to levitate over to their respective owners, including mine.
With great reluctance, my hand waivers on, and i grasp the ticket and stuff it into my Inventory on the off chance that I change my mind. I can't let the past control me forever.
Now, with that all sorted, what am I going to do with the rest of today? I could alw- my musing is cut off by the hungry growl of a certain someone's stomach. Turning to face source of the noise, Twilight only looks back, her face flushed red.
"Someone's a hungry pony~," i jokingly admonished in a sing-song voice. "I bet you're so hungry you could eat a hor- uh... Nevermind." I try my best not to look embarrassed as she looks back at me questioningly, and, clearly amused at my verbal fuck up.
"Aw, sugarcube, How about we getcha somethin' to eat? Should be about lunch time by now anyhow." Applejack cuts in. A simple nod from the purple unicorn, and a chorus of agreement from the others was good enough for the mare. The seven (Spike included) begin to make their way out of the Golden Oak Library, not before Applejack offers to allow me to join the others in their crusade for a filling meal for their friend, which i decline.
Left alone in the library by myself, i can finally get a bit of peace to think out what I'd do for the rest of the day. Though i didn't necessarily dislike their presence, sometimes i simply prefer being on my own.
Now, where was i? I should probably habe a look at my stats right now, don't i have attribute points to spend? Status.
Name:Aria Lee
Class: The Gamer
Title:None
Race:Human
Level: 5(2.38%)
HP:165 ((VIT x 10) + Level) (16HP/Min)
MP:325 ((INT x 10) + Level)(29MP/Min)
STR:16
VIT:16
DEX:21
INT: 32
WIS: 29
LUK: 11
Attribute Points: 10
This is where i really need to start thinking about what kind of build i want to go for... Right now, I'm best geared towards a caster role with my INT and WIS. While that wouldn't really pair well with my skill set as a fighter... Magic Aura would end up making up for my lower STR and DEX if i were to spec into magic. A lot of choices... But i think magic is the way to go here, especially if i can start learning some real spells! Playing some kind of hybrid between a melee DPS class and a magic DPS class... Actually sounds pretty good. If i can excel in both, I'm still dangerous regardless of any range my enemies might have on me.
That settles it. I'm gonna put 6 points on INT, 1 on WIS, and the rest on VIT. I can't be too squishy, after all.
I reach out to my Status panel and input the correct amount of Atribute Points into my stats, then confirming. The moment my finger hits "confirm", i feel my body grow slightly tougher, likely the result of increased VIT, though strangly, i felt no such change whatsoever for the INT and WIS.
Name:Aria Lee
Class: The Gamer
Title:None
Race:Human
Level: 5(2.38%)
HP:195 ((VIT x 10) + Level) (19HP/Min)
MP:385 ((INT x 10) + Level)(30MP/Min)
STR:16
VIT:19
DEX:21
INT: 38
WIS: 30
LUK: 11
Attribute Points: 0
That's one agenda solved for today, next... How about that dungeon? I'm just high level enough that i at least am on equal level to the weakest stuff in the dungeon. The real issue is my lack of weapons... Unless...
Mana Manipulation!
It says i can now create spells through it somehow... And I'm in need of a weapon. So, why not try and make something out of my own Mana?
I take a seat down on the hard wood floor, eyes closed, focused on nothing else but my own Core. Just like before, i draw out my Mana, though instead of covering my body, i will it coalesce a few centimetres above my now outstretched and open hand.
Condense!
The red Mana begins to thicken, then stretch to fit my visualisation. Cracking one eye open, i now see a pure red dagger suspended just a bit above my hand. I reach out for the dagger, and hold it comfortably in my hand. It felt as though i had used it my entire life.
Two new Skills have been created!
Mage's Construct (Active) (Varies) (Level 1) (2.5%)
Creates a physical projection made from raw Mana. The maximum size of this construct, as well as the distance from the caster the constuct can maintain its' form, scale with the level of this Skill. Every cm³ of the construct requires at least 1 MP to be invested towards it. Aditional MP increases the durability of the construct.
Maximum Size: 50 cm³
Maximum Distance: 1 M
Mage's Knife (Active) (Varies) (Level 1) (25%)
A specialised form of Mage's Construct geared towards small blades. Mage's Knife costs a minimum of 50 MP to cast, and additional multiples of 50 MP will increase Level of the construct, increasing construct's cutting power.
Damage Formula: (INT + STR) * Level
Yes! Now that's what I'm talking about! I'm glad that it doesn't require additional MP to maintain, that'd be a pain to deal with, with my fairly low Mana reserves right now. With this, I'm way better off than if i was unarmed.
With my newly formed weapon firmly gripped, i swing it in the open air in an attempt to get feel for the dagger's weight distribution, only for my arm to swing with no difficulty whatsoever. It was as if the dagger had not weight of it's own, or at least, it was too negligible for me to pick up on.
Interesting. That may come in handy, especially once i can project something bigger than just a dagger. A sword would be nice and all, but if i could wield a polearm that had no weight, and still was even more deadly than a regular weapon? I'd be set! But, that's for future me, present me is gonna go clear a dungeon!
With my free hand raised up high, and my mind set in stone, I.D Create activates, and the space around me beings to crack, then suddenly shatters like glass, revealing a white void all around me. Then, moments later, a completely new set of scenery surounds me.
In front of me, I'm standing at the bank of a vast lake, frozen over. Hazy mist blocks out any attempt to view what lies beyond the lake, to my annoyance. Despite this, the air didn't feel that cold. Chilly, sure, but not so cold to be uncomfortable.
Turning around, about twenty or so meters behind me lies the tree line to a forest, otherwise unremarkable if i did not recognise the kind of trees there were. They certainly weren't native to England, that was for sure.
Deciding to take my chances with the forest, rather than a frozen lake that could give out at the most inopportune time, i begin to walk towards the tree line, only to slam into something a couple meters away from where i started. Ouch.
The fuck?
I slowly reach my hand out, and to my surprise, my hand makes contact with an invisible wall. It ripples to the touch, like the water's surface.
Well, shit. I guess I'm supposed to cross the lake?
Promptly turning around, i head off towards the lake instead. Just as I'm about to take my first step onto the frozen lake, a piercing cold wind suddenly washes over me. Though, the wind goes just as fast as it came, thankfully.
Well, that was wasn't ominous or anything.
Taking my first few steps, I'm surprised by the ice not being slippery in the slightest. An oddity, but a welcome one. I wasn't going to be happy with trying to not fall on my ass while trying to fight.
Speaking of fighting, where are the enemies?
As if the dungeon had read my mind, three tears in space itself suddenly form not too far off of the ground in front of me. Through them, three humanoid figures emerge, floating. The moment they did, i nearly kicked myself for not recognising where i was sooner.
The three figures were Fairies, where else would this be than Misty Lake? That stupid Ice Fairy must have really done a number on this place.
The three Fairies, who had now bunched up into a group roughly two meters off of the ground, begain firing orbs of raw magic at me. Deftly ducking under the ranged assault, countering with a sudden leap bolstered by Magic Aura. Dagger raised high, i channel Mana through my arm and slash straight through the three Fairies, more than enough to make them all pop like balloons, going Pichu~n.
As i land, i quickly realise i that forgot to use Observe on the Faires, like an idiot.
It would pay to not forget things like that, you know.
Yes, yes, i know. You don't gotta flame me for an honest mistake. I'll just use it on the next ones.
I'll hold you to that.
Internal banter aside, I keep moving forward. Despite their ranged advantage, most fairies are still pretty weak due to having generally low HP, assuming they still had the same properties as the ones I knew from the games.
Now that i think about it, Cirno is going to be a bigger threat than I initially thought. For a Fairy, she's abnormally strong, and i don't have a direct conter to her ice magic... Meh, I'll just have to think of something on the fly.
As i continue, the frosty mist permeating the air gets noticeably colder. Again, another tear in space itself manifests infront of me, just a few meters ahead of me, though, on the same elevation as me rather than midair. This time, a singular Fairy walks through.
The Fairy wears a short blue dress with white sleeves that fall short of her elbows about halfway, a short, admittedly cute, yellow ribbon both around her dress collar and in her forest green hair. A short, stick-like structure protruded from her back, not too dissimilar from stubby wings.
I immediately recognise the enemy in question to be Daiyousei, a Fairy that wouldn't be too much of an issue.
Taking the initiative, i use Observe.
Name: Daiyousei
Class: N/A
Title: None
Race: Great Fairy
Level: 9
HP: 149 ((VIT x 10) + Level) (14HP/Min)
MP: 229 ((INT x 10) + Level) (26MP/Min)
STR:2
VIT:14
DEX:10
INT: 22
WIS:26
LUK:25
I barely have time to process all of the information before a volley of green kunai shaped magical projectiles come flying at me. I try to avoid them to the best of my ability, but a few stab into my arm, taking out 65 of my HP. The pain shooting its way through my arm doesn't hurt nearly as bad as i thought it would, but now wasn't the time to be thinking about such things.
Despite the amount of damage i had taken, i was still at a distinct advantage. With the help of magic, I could close the short distance of a few meters and kill Daiyousei in a single blow.
Flairing up Magic Aura, mentally commanding the skill to push itself to it's limit momentarily, I dash straight forward at blinding speeds. This was it, an easy victory. It felt as though the world had slowed down as the distance between myself and my target closed. My weapon raised high, I slash down and-
Nothing.
My dagger cuts through nothing but air as my momentum nearly sends skidding across the ice if I didn't stop myself by stabbing the ground. Whipping my head around in confusion, i see a white cloud of mana quickly reform into Daiyousei. The Fairy wore an expression of relief as she narrowly avoided death.
Ah, right. She can teleport.
I power down as though to not waste any of my limited supply of MP, and Observe her again.
Name: Daiyousei
Class: N/A
Title: None
Race: Great Fairy
Level: 9
HP: 149 ((VIT x 10) + Level) (14HP/Min)
MP: 155/229 ((INT x 10) + Level) (26MP/Min)
STR:2
VIT:14
DEX:10
INT: 22
WIS:26
LUK:25
She ate through quite a bit of MP teleporting, but I'll probably end up running out first if i try that again... And she knows i can accelerate that quickly now, so it's even less viable. I don't have any other choice but to beat her at her own game, it seems.
Yet another volley of projectiles comes hailing in my direct. This time, thankfully, the increased distance gives me more than enough time weave past each and every shot.
Now, it's time for the experimenting!
Planning to return fire, I concentrate my Mana, 100MP's worth, into a single Magic Ball, which had grown to the size of beach ball. Aiming directly at the Fairy, i give the mental command to fire off the large red projectile.
As it flies through the air, I focus all my attention onto it. I watch as Daiyousei easily sidesteps the bullet with ease. That was planned, though.
Here goes!
With all my mental strength, along with a swing of my arm, I will the shot projectiles to come careening backwards unbeknownst to the Fairy. It seems to warp slightly as it is pulled, and it slams straight into her back with a loud bang dealing massive damage!
In one single hit, the Fairy known as Daiyousei goes Pichu~n.
Level 5 -> 7
HP:151/195 -> 237 ((VIT x 10) + Level) (23HP/Min)
MP: 207/385 -> 427 ((INT x 10) + Level)(34MP/Min)
STR:16 -> 20
VIT:19 -> 23
DEX:21 -> 25
INT: 38 -> 42
WIS: 30 ->34
LUK: 11
+ 10 Attribute Points, 10 Total.
Damn, two levels at once? Now that's what I'm talking-
I'm interrupted by the sound of a wooden object hitting the ground in front of me. The object appeared to be just be an ordinary modestly thick stick, about a meter and a half in length.
As i lean down to pick it up however, i immediately recognise that the stick is anything but ordinary. It's hard to describe, it just felt as though the stick was exuding a power of it's own. I immediately use Observe on it, wanting more information.
Faewood Staff (Uncommon)
A Staff made out of Faewood, a type of wood that can amplify magic, and drains mana from it's user to repair itself.
Melee Strikes with this weapon use STR + DEX or INT + DEX, whichever results in more damage.
Melee Strikes with this weapon are considered magical in terms of overcoming resistances.
Boosts Magic Damage by 10%
And it just keeps getting better!
The faewood staff feels just about as light as regular wood in my hands, swinging through the air with ease.
And now we've got a weapon! You better go show that Ice Fairy who's boss!
Hold your horses, we're not taking any more risks. We might not have won if i didn't pull that manoeuvre out of my ass, and I'd rather not rely on a gimmick to win. I suggest that we leave for now, get a bit stronger, and come back. Sound good?
...I suppose you make a good point. Authorising Withdrawal~
And since when did i need your permission? Silly ass.
Let me have my fun, hmpf.
With a roll of my eyes, I raise my one free hand into the air and watch the whole world around me shatter like glass curtesy of I.D Escape.
That's enough activity for one day.