Spike of All Trades

by Ariamaki

Chapter 65: Droning, Delivery

Eventually they ran out of reasonable excuses to keep hanging out unscheduled this late in the day, doubly so when two or three of them had actual jobs to attend in the morning. Dash said her goodbyes and Spike removed her from the Party: She had a written copy of her character sheet clutched under one wing, and he had a feeling they were going to see some incredible things from her in the weeks to come. Of course, that wasn't the only reason he thought that: The other one was hanging over her head as she flew away.

[Winged Wonder]
Rainbow Dash
LV 29

She'd still had yesterday's title and level upon arrival, and he hadn't noticed the moment of change... So the best assumption Spike could make? Like his pickup of Balanced Soul, moments of catharsis and personal growth could lead to the system's concept of 'Experience' as well. Maybe some ponies had low levels because of unfulfilled ability, issues that restrained them or held them back? It might even be possible to regress in level... He'd have to keep his eyes open.

Pinkie wasn't having much trouble with that as she bounded away from the Library, and Spike didn't break her connection to the Party. They were keeping it active as an experiment, whose results they would check during a trip to the Arcade tomorrow. On the topic of results and experiments, Twilight was staying up until her buffs ran dry, refusing any further extensions from Spike: She would be up all night if they didn't keep it held back somehow.

And Spike... was going to be up all night. Dash had piqued his curiosity, so this would be his first test of "does The Gamer need sleep?" as a concept. If it worked out, and he went almost overnight from ‘sleeping over a dozen hours a day’ to none... He could see the huge vista of potential opening up on the horizon, his entire life changing for the better even if nothing else was different.

But so much more was different, so he had a lot of things to experiment with, test, and understand. After all, it would be a big waste of time to stay up overnight just idling around! So he started by reviewing his current abilities and setting up a game plan for the week to come. They'd already discussed a lot during their montage, but even his Eidetic Memory couldn't store that information perfectly: Twilight said it had to do with inherently lossy storage formats and time compression.

Spike had 20 in his stats across the board (technically 20.4 thanks to Balanced Soul, but again his game seemed to either abhor rounding or not do it in his favor) and a high reservoir of both HP and MP. He had four Subskills supporting twenty-five fully-fledged Skills, which ranged from 30 flat for Observe all the way down to the nearly-unlevelled Photographic Speedreading. He had Affinity for Earth, Fire, and Metal... and he felt it was just as likely that he could get any Affinity, or that he'd be hard-pressed to ever see another one.

He had six masteries in progress: Internal Alchemy at 55%, three mysteries at 3% each, and then Sense Danger and Detect Bloodthirst at 80% each. He had really hoped to make more progress on those two today, but neither Twilight nor Pinkie had been willing to do anything risky enough to raise them further than the Crusaders did yesterday. Some of his abilities like Cantus, Stagnet, and the Dragon's Kitchen (shared with Layer) had their own subsets of powers, but those weren't being directly tested by his Story Arc.

So he had a lot of progress to make, but also a fair bit of time to make it: Fifteen new skills, seven new subskills, an enormous gigantic leap in the quality of his attributes... So tonight would be about figuring out what areas he could cross-train for the best possible return on investment. At least, as much as he could figure out without making too much noise.

While there were a lot of different plans swimming around in his head, only one of them fit the bill perfectly: Figuring out how to make further progress on Internal Alchemy. He had theories, and so far a lot of those had been proven right with time... That was something else he probably owed to growing up with Twilight: It's amazing how much of that stuff you can osmose given enough exposure!

Right now the leading concept was simple and proven: Internal Alchemy had something to do with extremely refined and taxing use of his internal energy system. He'd made progress by surviving (and boy was that still a worrying way to phrase it) the Mana Confusion status, so that likely meant the debuff was putting his mana... veins? Capillaries? Capacitors? Whatever they were, it put those to the test and helped strengthen them through endurance and recovery.

But he hadn't gotten even a fraction of a percent of gain from suffering Mana Confusion again today. And since the simplest solution was often correct when in doubt? Spike had gotten past the point where brute force could make progress. Now he'd need to figure out how to improve on purpose.

At least he had a good lead: Their experiment with forcibly inducing a montage Heartsong was successful, and the process had generated Mastery for Internal Alchemy. That left him with something resembling a plan: Push more limits, do more absurd things, and focus on trying to use or change his mana in weird ways.

The first step to facilitating that plan was simply to use the Innervision. It felt like a kind of luck or destiny that he'd trained in a style of meditation specifically designed to look inward on the self... Omphaloskepsis echoed through Spike's mind as he sank down within himself. He had there were other forms and styles before, and during the training earlier he made sure to read up on the subject. Some forms were more directed than others, taking place in a constructed mental space. Others were purely metaphorical, driving the mind away from the body. And still more involved looking out at the world, to place oneself as part of the greatest whole.

Spike figured he'd look into learning other types eventually, since some of his skills implied they would each have distinct benefits. Right now though? He felt perfectly suited to the style at hand, and it seemed like the optimal route to the current destination. Within a minute he fully spread his consciousness out: Settling it into his mind and his heart, his claws and his throat, his scales and his bones. Dispassionately observing the pieces that made up the whole and the microcosmic way that they reflected both the whole and each other.

Slowly and steadily Spike used Dragon's Hoard to extend his body up and out, growing larger with each passing second. Eventually he arrived at the largest size available so far: Tall enough that he had to lie down on his belly to avoid damaging the ceiling. His spinal ridges and fins had hardened and sharpened, his scales growing inflexible even as his muscles swelled with power. After taking his time to grasp all the changes and the newfound enormity of his body, he reversed the process and began drawing down.

Spike's body shrank and compacted until he was even smaller than his 'original' height, his form narrow and lithe. The joking center of his mind pointed out the similarities to crabs and lobsters: At full scale he was a tough monster full of dense muscle, but now he could charitably be described as 'softshell' at best. He continued to fluctuate between the two points slowly, trying to make one continuous stretch from smallest to largest and back.

Of course, his mana system was far more than just the physical avenues power took through his body: But it wasn't not those either. This slow and constant pain, the flares of creaking bone and the shrieks of multiplying muscle... It revealed things to him. He started to understand himself on a different level, finding the nature and the reason behind how he was built. This muscle tethered here, these tendons carried that load. He was a fluid system, resources being carried from place to place without end: Blood, lymph, interstitial fluids, nerve impulses... and magic.

By preparing for the rigors of [Internal Alchemy] processing, your Mastery increases by 1%


If he had been more conscious, Spike would have done a little fist-pump at that. As it was, he had slipped deep into the meditative trance. The benefits to his body, mind, and Dragon's skills were all very appreciated, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to slip through entire hours or days like this. He'd need to figure out a more time-efficient method, at this rate...

Or maybe he already had one.

Drawing on his earlier experience with the Montage Song, he tried to find a new beat. It was harder without Pinkie's musical accompaniment, but eventually he settled on the one beat he was never apart from: His own! Heartbeat, breathing, the rhythm of his involuntary muscle movements; all of them could contribute to the music he needed. As for the other half... He would go without. Cantus was the root for words like chant and incantation, but the skill worked off of songs, not just lyrics. Not all songs had vocals, and this one was meant for a stranger purpose.

Before he could find the nature of the song, Spike's concentration was upset by a soft DING that rang through his mind. It didn't break him out of meditation, even as he started feeling a light itch in the back of his throat. It was almost like when he was receiving a letter. But he hadn't spat it out yet, so maybe that noise meant...

Mail.

The menu opened in front of his closed eyes (or possibly directly in his mind?) and revealed a waiting message. There were options to read it directly, receive it to his Inventory, or eject it in a gout of fire like usual. A moment later, a second pop-up overlaid the first window.

A new sender and receiver has been added to your MAIL subsystem! Registered: Princess Luna.

Oh! It must have been a reply about his warning from this morning. He'd sent it care of Celestia, since he figured the moon-ruler would still be asleep at the time. Seems like Luna went ahead and sent the reply direct, which his system obliged by adding her to the mechanics. He wasn't one to turn down that kind of convenience, so he opened the letter- Or he tried, before a second letter arrived and interrupted that train of thought.

...Well alright then.

He gave it a minute in case a third missive arrived, and then popped the first one open in his system: Might as well test the new mechanics while he was at it.

Dearest And Most Singular* Nephew,

Salutations! I confess that your letter both heartened and troubled me in equal parts, but having spent time taking measures? It is my inexpert opinion that there is no trace of the Dreaming upon Discord's statuesque form. Inexpert, of course, for his magics and my own are as incompatible as any two things could be: Figuring him out was always big sister's duty and not my own.

However, I was reliably informed that the subject of games came up in your correspondence with my sister yesterday, and on that subject I can claim far greater grasp. This past year I have been following the development of modern electromagical technology with wide eyes and an open heart, as well as some of the recommended past-times of your elder Shining Armor. Please do consider confiding with me, in turn, about this issue.

It is my hope to receive a return letter from you in the following days, that I may formulate an excuse to stretch my wings and spend some time in Ponyville. I still owe untold thanks to her citizens, your friends especially, for helping me with the taming of the Tantabus.

Your Indebted Aunt,
Luna

*P.S.- I will believe that hay-maned churl's claims to our relation the moment he sprouts wings and not an instant sooner. In my heart you are of our blood, and that matters more than you may know.

He held back a laugh at her 'touching' postscript. Well, it was good to know about Discord, and as for the gaming? He'd have to get back to her in a minute. Which left the question of why she sent a second letter so closely after the first... Turns out that the second was much shorter, and far less formal.

Drat! My sincerest apologies, I sent the missive without thinking and did not consider your schedule of sleep. I will have to make due for this error upon my visit, which may be quite soon if I can find the time. Or, more likely, make the time despite my aides' complaints.

...There was probably something he could say about her sending a letter that might have woken him up in order to apologize for sending him a letter that may have woken him up... But thankfully she didn't have the whole story yet and he was far from asleep. Although that did give him an idea.

Looking through his Mail system revealed that he was now also able to just send letters directly without writing. That was a weird concept: Would the receiver get it as a letter? If so, where did the ink and paper come from? And if they didn't get a physical letter, would they temporarily gain a menu to accommodate the message?

No way to find out except to test!

Dear Princess Luna,

No problem at all! Funny story about sleeping patterns, actually... And a quick question. Does sufficiently engaged meditation get close enough to a dream-state for you to visit somepony? Don't bother replying with a letter if so, just drop in and say hello anytime in the next few hours.

Faithfully and consistently your awesomest nephew,
Spike T. Dragon

With that sent off through the Mail system, he did a quick check... Ahha! There was a half-sheet's worth of scroll paper missing from his inventory, and highlights around his inkwell to show it had recently been used. Well, that was going to be convenient compared to always having to flame his messages. On the off chance he ever needed to send something covertly... More options were more options, as Shining said at the game table.

That reasoning, that options-were-options no matter the type, was what directed Spike back down into Omphaloskepsis. This time however? He made more preparations as he began to sink. Using Exposure to move and meditate at the same time, he retrieved items from his Inventory: Rocks, gems, a lump of clay, bits, and pieces of metal. He made sure to exclude the steel unicorn horn as well as that impervious piece from the Hopeless Case, since he still wasn't sure what to make of them. Finally, he breathed out a few gouts of fire and stabilized them with Stagnet.

This time as his meditation drew deeper, he focused on those objects. He had an Affinity for them, whatever that meant: Fire and Earth and Metal. The process of Alchemy, as far as he knew, was all about the refinement and combination of elements. Therefore? If he wanted to understand Internal Alchemy, he needed to figure out how the energy inside of him and these objects were alike.

It was slow going, and treacherous to boot. Slow because the style of meditation he knew was all about looking inwards. That made it fantastic for figuring out the interior half of this problem, but far fuzzier for getting the baseline he needed by studying the material samples. Treacherous because every time he made direct adjustments to the flowing or the nature of his magic? In the best case scenario he ended up nearly shaking himself awake with the disruptive sensations, and in the worst case it was time for another trip down the old Mana Confusion road.

Keeping the results of those tests in mind, Spike began to dial it back. What had started as crude movements became smaller and more subtle. Attempting to violently shift the metaphysical (and metaphorical) 'color' of his mana from 'red' straight to 'blue' gave way to steady progression through shades and tones. Instead of rerouting entire veins, he teased off a single tiny thread at a time. There were still plenty of injuries and untold close calls, but after thousands of lost HP he could tell that he was getting closer.

Once he was making solid forward progress with that method, he returned to his original plan from before Luna (accidentally) interrupted him. Drawing on the nature of the Montage Song from earlier in the day, but working in the opposite direction.

Using his biological cadence instead of an external source of music. Replacing sung lyrics and conscious thought with stable, drifting mindlessness. If this worked, then the amount of time he would save by forsaking sleep would be far larger than Rainbow Dash's most generous estimate.

After an unknown and unknowable amount of time, Spike felt it slide into place: The tune he was humming synchronized and became part of his breathing while his MP dwindled down to a single point and then stayed there. He clearly didn't have enough power to do this properly yet... But it was a start.

Current Song: "The Subconscious Drone" (Sacrifice of Perception, Minor Time Expansion)

By using a technique that normally requires [Internal Alchemy], your Mastery increases by 1%.

Comments

[Navarone]

When spike gets 100% mastery over his internal alchemism I wonder what's gonna happen

[Herald of Opera]

Gamer Luna. Of course. (And this is where I would put a Princess Luna emoji... IF THE SITE HAD ONE!)

[Booster Spice]

Spike is getting some very nice set up there, with the internal mental messaging system interacting with the poutside reality through local stored or accessible materials, with a lot more training and grind he can Observe a vein of minerals, then Message them to Inventory, then use himself as a anchor for alteration manipulation and message the resulting product into a location in reality afterwards?

He hasnt quite extended his range to Torch and Breezie, given the confines of the library, but what accidental observable effect of mention by somebeing could point him to going in both directions at the same time, to start with? Exapnding outwards while compacting in, turning to almost cloud or even air density, of the opposite, compacting to Breezie as far as reality is concerned, while being the volume and or mass of Torch within? Spike, become Antman?

Dash is good for brutalisation training, but Luna is unmatched. Day, night, reality, dreamrealms, she can throw pretty much everything at him and vice versa. Especially when she gets hold of The Game Engine and starts rolling OP stats in Adaptus MetaMechanicus?

[Cauchemar]

10451198
I see her as the equestrian Technoblade. Deadpan snarler amazingly overskilled and swings from overconfident the no confidence and back again in seconds.

[Mister Morden]

Spike taking things carefully. I am curious what Luna will make of all this when she gets the details...

[Brainstorm]

Unsubscribed. Sorry, I just can't take much more of your narration style... It grates and disorients me, which is a personal issue obviously.
Good luck completing your story, hope it's everything you and your readers want.

[xbox432]

10451173
He'll become the Avatar, Master of All Elements!

I enjoyed the more relaxed pace of this chapter. Spike just getting to lay down and experiment with his abilities and all that. Also, yeah, being able to send covert messages is certainly something impressive. Spies the multiverse over would kill for that ability.

[Star Sage]

Always fun to see a chapter of this pop into the feature box. Also, good to see one of the more indepth mechanics chapters to the Gamer setting. Some of the others that use this setup, my own included, could do with some of these. Also the fact that even though Equestria is one of the few settings with monsters to practice on, you haven't gone the easy route and just given Spike a bat and sent him off into the Everfree remains heartening. I mean, I do want an adventure plot eventually, but I'd like it to grow into it, rather than stumble into it like 'Games We Play'.

That said, keep the info on skills coming. I hate it when we never get the info on the skills for the Gamer in fics that use it, as that's half the fun of the setup, to think on how we, as players, would abuse the crap out of that setup. Heck, the fact that you included both Shipping and the Benediction system(While you're is unique, I've seen more than one do something similar to explain the peace in Equestria, despite living in a world of adventure, each Guard is a Little God) is intriguing enough on its own. Mix it with Spike's Quests, and the mystery skills, and I'm really interested in seeing where this goes.

[Moonlight_Mist]

10451173
Since it's mastery, I can only assume either he'll understand exactly how far he can push himself without suffering the Mana Confusion debuff, or he'll have surgical control over how much mana he's putting into any process that invokes the idea of internal alchemy. Honestly I'm guessing the former is something he'll figure out on his own before he even reaches mastery, considering how much progress he's making on that front while being just over 50% mastery.

Speaking of internal alchemy, but about the application he was trying in this chapter rather than speculations of mastery, I get the feeling that to grasp the idea of what he was trying to do he's going to need either an additional form of Omphaloskepsis that looks outward and to be able to use them simultaneously, or the traditional alchemy skill dealing with the editing of the base elements of reality. Perhaps mastering both will grant him a perk or trait or whatever they're called in this game system (I forget if such things were ever even mentioned, and no I'm not talking about titles) that bridges the concepts of external and internal alchemy on a complete level that goes beyond any limitations of what he could figure out about it on his own.

[Ariamaki]

10451469
Yeah, I think that might be one of my only major complaints with TGWP (lack of editing aside). Jaune kinda goes right head-first into the danger zone and never really turns back. I feel like a more gradual ramp-up would have helped us get a better feel for how he was going to develop.

[Star Sage]

10451510
I think that's a problem with a lot of them. That and Power Creep is awful sometimes...my own was guilty of that too. Button Mash goes from being proud of Dishwashing to beating up a dragon man inside of 2 chapters...my own bum attempts aside, I really love this Spike. He is powerful, but almost every ability he's gained so far is utility rather than combat focused.

He's learning how to do things better, but not going god mode. Even at this point, any of the Mane 6 could still likely take him in a fight, and most of the Everfree monsters we've seen as well. Would love to see how the Gamer systems adapt to a Crafter/Storekeeper setup...heh, he should open a shop, and get a fairy assistant. Capitalism, Ho!

[Black--Soul]

Whats the current state of Internal alchemy? Ones he get the skill it will already be leveld highly it seems.
8-12 hours to sleep added to training? Damn! His Benediction might be archived with time to spare!!!

Great chapter

[Bones_]

Yo, could someone spot me what Dash's level and title were?

[Ariamaki]

10451884
Chapter 42 was her last appearance, and she was Level 28 at the time. Meanwhile her title was just brought up again last chapter.

He saw it coming, but it would probably be rude to point out that her title spoiled her plan: It still hadn't changed from last time he saw her, when she was marked [Penitent Pegasus] after the whole Scootaloo argument.

TL;DR she didn't just change titles, she gained a level while doing so.

[Kichi]

Now that is mentioned, I can guess this is in a future timeline, what happened to Discord to be a statue again? Not sure if you explained and maybe I forgot

[Ariamaki]

10454722
Discord is still apparently re-sealed from his first appearance: SOAT takes place a few years after the end of Season 2 (assuming each show season covers roughly a year) but doesn't include most events of Seasons 3 and 4. Better details are in the FAQ blog post from a while back, which is linked in a previous chapter or can be found on my author page.

[Black--Soul]

No more sleeping? Perfect assistance for the Royal sisters... But ruling is a waste of time until he become the very best

[JOEBLACK]

10451198
And this is where I would put the "Greatest Reference To Old Cartoons" trophy. If I had one.

[Black--Soul]

If hes Stamina recover later on epic speed than he will be a legendary Lover. Taking 24 Lovers in 24 Hours in a row