Meta Gamer in Equestria Bonus Chapters: Archimedes's promise

by reflective vagrant

CH 1: Seven Years Gone So Fast (Exposition of)

Author's Note:

This is not exactly the same as MGiE. It will draw from it, but it will be different. It will have that "This sequel is not like the original" taste, and I can't help that. The original is finished. Reread it if you want. This is a separate, though canonically connected, story.

This story is decently inspired by notes I had originally considered cannon as I developed backstory for the main story. While I was taxed as I finished it, I also realized there was enough to weave another small tale, with a bit more effort. This story has served it's purpose to help me have a more productive stress relief outlet for my overactive mind than video games as I worked on other things in real life. I hope you enjoy.

The night still echoed through my mind. The night I performed that forbidden spell. It changed the course of history. I couldn't deny that it had a silver lining of good results, but it was still wrong. I could feel in my heart of hearts it was something I would have to answer for on the day of my judgement. Until then, I did what I could and bore my shame with as much dignity I could muster. Never forgetting, but moving forward as the world moved forward.

Moving forward. That's what each gear of the music box did as I carefully tweaked the magical item in front of me. It held the many songs I had managed to piece together from my home world. I could carry a small number in my upgraded amulet for a party or get together, but the bulk of them had to be in the box, as it had a much larger and higher quality version of the crystal that made the core of my amulet.

I put only so much effort into most songs, as the instruments were often secondary to the words, which I always had to sing aloud live at the time. Ultimately the device was nothing more than a fancy karaoke machine with a bit of translation magic put in via it's compatibility with my amulet. But it was a music box that stored my therapy projects. It was more of a treasure chest than a trinket, to me.

When I sang, it was the only time ponies could hear me and not look down on me for my lack of speech. If I could prepare a song right, I could convey a story that moved them. Many had to be altered, but I hoped to share what wisdom I could through the hobby. It had become a bit of a pattern that each song I finished caused Pinkie to review it with me and set it as part of one of her parties where it would resonate with the guests. She even called it her "invite Moss fuss free and make sure he actually came to the party pass." Literally her words, not mine. She even recently set me up to sing at the birthday party of a child who was practically my adopted niece in all but formality later in the week.

As I set my tools down back in place and started putting the music box back from modification mode to normal play to store it, I couldn't help but smile. She practically adored me, and her father had gone from hating my guts to having a begrudged near indifference when I risked my life to save his, and in turn hers, when she wasn't even a year old.

Turning the screwdriver to re-lock the mechanism's secret compartment, I heard a voice behind me, my amulet translating automatically.

"Is that a good stopping point then, Moss?"

I quickly put the box away and made a carefully measured turn to see my business partner.

Pressing my amulet to make sure I didn't miss anything when I spoke, I gave a subtle glare and stood up straight. Carefully, I moved my lips and shifted the flex of my lungs to speak the tones of raw Equestrian despite my amulet being active.

"I have asked you never to disturb me when I am working on my songs, Keen Wit."

"Unless it's an emergency," He coyly smiled. "And we both know it only applies to that song you keep to yourself. I can hardly believe you've spent years fine tuning it. In the five years I've known you, it usually takes you maybe two months at most to get one in working order. When will we hear the words? Even the notes sound beautiful when I overhear them."

"In all likelihood? Never. That song is a private one. But as for the quality, I owe it all to my music tutor. It is nice to know some of it has even carried over to my speech."

He gave a begrudged nod and agreed, "Some, yes. You still sound like a child when you're not singing, just an average one now."

While he gave me the imperfect compliment, I shook off the possible insult, knowing the young stallion didn't mean any harm. We had learned to be open with each other on a level that would otherwise be obscenely rude. He was the co owner of the artificer shop. We had opened together two years ago when he officially turned from colt to stallion at the age of seventeen and was old enough to do so. With both of us being very logically minded, we clicked right away, and quickly grew to trust each other with our unguarded thoughts, eventually leading to the shop. Anybody else hearing even part of that song would have had me in quite the mood, but he understood how far to push and never stepped over the line. We respected those few things we still wanted to be private.

In the end, he was just showing concern about me being so closed off most the time. With the way he handled it with such finesse and understanding, it was like the spry, outgoing, sharp minded and level headed stallion had been the one closed off from others at some point.

I looked over at the clock in the front of the shop. I grabbed my material pouch and my mobile tool kit from their safe spot near the back area door and fastened them to my hip, then waved my hand over the dirty parts of my outfit, calling, "_Ni^kt_o." a few times to clean up the grit of the workshop.

"Is it time already? lets go. We do not want to be late."

As we went out and were about to lock up, Keen Wit levitated his dad's old hat off the spot where it normally sat and put it on his head, just behind his horn. All I knew about it was that it was special to him, and he only wore it for special occasions anymore.

---

I heard the filly I was working on call out, "I'm telling you, Kerfuffle doesn't know what she is missing. These guys' shop is on another level."

With a few adjustments done, I tightened down the settings on her artificial foreleg and injected replacement oil into the innards to accommodate for the new level needed on the new setting.

"Give it a shot and see how it works. I have enough oil on me to adjust it one more time for you if we need, but after that you will need to get it into the shop for Keen Wit to fine tune it properly. You need to stop putting off your appointments. I can not tune it to your growth as well as Keen Wit can. _Ni^kt_o."

With that last magic word, the excess oil was cleaned off the prosthetic leg and the area around the sock on what remained of her real leg looked like it had been freshly washed.

The filly who had previously been leaning to the side of her amputated leg put her prosthetic limb under her and found herself far better balanced. She then ran off, content with her restored ability to prance and play.

Her father came up from working on the replacement bird houses he was working on with others in the animal care department and a few volunteers. He gave a knowing smile and a nod in thanks, having been near enough to listen in.

"She doesn't understand that quality prosthetics are expensive. We got lucky with you guys agreeing to use her as a field tester on just the price the insurance would pay for a prosthetic after the accident. But you and my boss's boy really are something else with your builds."

I shook my head and pressed my amulet, my lungs getting tired of the strain to speak Equestrian with the correct flex, though my lungs were getting stronger on shifting the flex with exercise.

"Keen Wit's the better artificer, just less mobile with his upkeep equipment. I'm more of a second in command of the shop due to the time he has to take out for his military training and helping his dad. Skill wise, I'm practically his apprentice rather than his partner. On top of that, I've just about reached my limit on how much more skill I can gain on the subject. Keen Wit still has lots more potential. It was Keen Wit that taught me his 'flash of genus' æther technique that let me get your daughter's prosthetic adjusted right and I barely pull it off. Scraps can use it twice as well and twice as often as I can, and Keen Wit wouldn't have even needed to use it as prosthetics are what he specializes in."

I could see in his face he only half believed me, thinking I just wanted to be humble, but he just shook his head with a small laugh and gave me a smile in response.

Seeing my relative exhaustion after a morning's work at the shop and giving the tune up at the get together, he moved to let me be alone and bid me a last bit of gratitude.

"I also need to make sure she knows to keep it clean at the sock. My tomboy daughter won't always have you around to prevent infections from her prosthetic. Thanks again."

I could only shake my head. "'Flash of genius.' What a silly name. He just didn't want to admit he reverse engineered my portent trick to make it. At least he shared it with me, though."

Finally able to be by myself again, I sat down, leaning back against the trunk of a tree. I needed to meditate soon, but I also needed to check my surroundings first.

I looked over to the pick nick area with the ponies preparing for their pick nick with the school of Friendship students. A lot of them were unrelated, mostly coming together due to their ties with Keen Wit's dad being their boss. It wasn't out of obligation, however. Wayside's departments were like family to him and Keen Wit. He worked them like dogs at times, sure, but he and Keen Wit also did what they could to take care of them.

I would normally politely decline Keen Wit's invitation if I felt I could get away with it, but one of the guests of honor today was a soul I had known for a long time and still worked with.

I started screening the area for him but was quickly interrupted when I saw a ball coming at me fast.

I reflexively activated the glove Keen Wit helped me make, raising it to meet the ball. The mobile micro energy barrier, fixated to my glove's orientation, successfully blocked the ball and deflected it up into the tree, distributing the force along my arm instead of at a point of impact.

As the filly from before and a few colts came up apologetically, I spent a few seconds to deactivate the shield glove again.

"We're so sorry Mr Moss. We didn't mean to lose control of the ball."

I gave a gesture of gently shaking my head after getting back up then gave them a smile and a courteous nod. With the apology accepted, we all looked up into the tree, seeing the ball lodged in the branches.

The unicorn colt shook his head. "There's no way my horn can reach that far. I can barely float stuff right next to me. Even adults would have a hard time grabbing it that far up. Lev-ee-tat-on has its limits."

The young pegasus opened his wings, still learning to fly. "Maybe my mom can get it?"

"She's on the other side of the park," I heard the filly call out, "That will take forever. Unless..."

She looked at me in hope, with the colts following her lead only a moment later.

"Is Mr Archimedes with you today, Mr Moss?"

I shook my head and tested my voice.

"He won't be..."

I sighed at the tilt their heads made, indicating my amulet's effect had expired. I flexed my lungs and spoke raw Equestrian, hoping the conversation would not take long.

"He sent word he will not be here for about another hour at least."

They looked sad at my answer, but I called out to them as they turned away. "But if you will wait, I will see what I can do. It might be in range for me."

I looked down at my glove again. Over the years I had expanded my knowledge of æther from when they unlocked my ability as a wizard style spell caster. I then used that to study the witch doctors I met in my travels after the events that left me as the sole humanoid left on Equis, with an emphasis on their use of items to cast magic through.

After a year or two, I reverse engineered this into my own technique of artificery. Learning to infuse some of my own energy into items or substances to coax out properties that were already there just under the surface, but with a little push in the right directions from æther to get them going. This was what the patterns woven into the innards of the glove were for, though it had a secondary benefit. Having the underlying matrix built in, it wasn't just my shield, but it doubled as my primary spellcasting focus for my artificer spells when in the field.

The tools I used in the shop were a bit too clunky to carry around and my tinkerer's kit I used for general maintenance at my side were too flimsy and wouldn't last if I used them for this. The only weakness of these new spells were that they had to be cast through a tool or an imbued item the caster was familiar with the use of. There were a few simpler tricks that didn't count as spells, but all artificer magic that reached the level of a proper spell had to have this, even if a more expensive component was also needed.

With a quick grasping and release of my hand and the slightest push of a cantrip's level of magic power out of my palm, the patterns in the glove responded and focused the energies as needed alongside the command word "_Teⁿe_re."

What resulted was a glow of aura similar to their unicorn levitation fields, but manifested into a shape similar to my hand rather than a glob that outlined what they held. Their eyes practically glowed alongside it, though with anticipation, not actual light.

I felt a small tinge of pride as I willed the mage hand up with the power that was entirely of my own study, not something isekai-ed into me from the start of my adventure in this world. Keen Wit not only quickly picked up on it but also outclassed me, and our one non-owner employee at the store knew how to mimic how I adapted the witch doctor techniques, but I was the one that put it together.

Unlike my wizardry that I learned in the time of a week from a cheat sheet of a spellbook given to me, the others learned this magic from me. It wasn't something I had to call upon another entity for like with my faux-cleric magic through Archimedes or the druid magic through the Animus Mundi. It was more like a solder learning a weapon maneuver. It wasn't unique and I had a little help from Keen Wit to refine it, but once I learned it it was mine. My knowledge. Not some spirit of the world holding my hand, not me asking permission from Archimedes, not just the following of a recipe from a spellbook I didn't write. Me.

The ball was a few inches out of range, but the branch it was stuck on wasn't. I jiggled a little further down and got the ball to slip onto another branch. My mage hand then picked it up and floated it down to me.

I held onto it tight with my actual hands as the unicorn colt tried to grab it from me.

"I will only do this once today. If you get it stuck again, then you have to figure it out. Also, my levitation can not hold one of you up if you fall, so don't try climbing to get it, either. Keep that in mind as you play."

It was only partly true. If I changed the settings, I could hold them by putting a bit more energy into it, but I'd have to sacrifice something else. I also always kept feather fall ready, but it wasn't technically levitation and I didn't need to encourage recklessness.

With this I let my grip loose to let him take it. As they went back to playing, I slumped back down, hopefully unbothered.

With a little humming, I entered a meditative state. When attuned like this, those blessed by the Animus Mundi, the spirit of nature of this world, could speak to each other almost as if we were on a HAM radio, though none of them knew what that was, of course. I wasn't among those that got their powers through proper study and servitude, but being able to tap into their magic was one of the things I had been empowered with when I got isekai-ed into this world. So I would often do so to check in on the servants of the Animus Mundi I had come to work with over the years, and even coordinate on behalf of Hope's father on occasion.

It was usually over details involving Hope when the situation was dire enough to risk letting the prying ears of his village listen in. He may not have liked me, to put it mildly, but he did at least trust me not to lie to him. Though, to be fair, he kind of had to as his village could use his true name against him if he tried to tap into it himself again. A weakness that, thankfully, his daughter wouldn't share with her parents when she would be old enough to learn to do it herself.

"Tree Hugger, I can sense your meditation. Thank you for keeping your meditation focused long enough for me to contact you. How are your efforts with the..."

* * *

After a few minutes of checking in with my contacts among those that could tap into the Animus Mundi, I came out of my trance and noticed a familiar owl looking at me.

I brought my fingers to my temple out of habit and mentally called to him through my wizard familiar link. "I was told you weren't going to be back this soon."

"And I thought I told you to stop working on those music box songs. They feed your depression. I may have been a few hundred miles away, but even if I were on the moon I could feel your despair. I don't like it. It reminds me of my feelings for her."

I nodded apologetically, understanding.

"I do try to keep it down, but I can't keep it in forever. It helps me address my depression, not feed it. It lets me let it out and remember why I decided to keep on going when I was in that cave, not to give up. Now, again, why are you here earlier than I was told?"

He shook his head gently side to side almost like a pivot, with his owl neck. "My best guess is the watch the conductor was using wasn't adjusted for the local time zone here. It was probably off by an hour when Spike sent the message."

With this I stood up and offered my arm out to him. "Well regardless, it is good to see you again, old friend. Productive trip?"

Flying down to my arm, he gave his own standard energy of melancholy away in the mental link. "As productive as could be expected. Translation was an issue as always, but we got the trade route established with a fair local tax."

With that, I put him to my shoulder and moved back into the festivities before he would inevitably push me to do so.

After a small hunt for the non alcoholic cider, I had a mug in hand and a bit of cooked sweetcorn in the other, letting Archimedes pick at it with me. We were gathered at the small spot set up like a graduation ceremony, though not as formal. It basically just had some chairs all pointed in one direction with a table that held a few things.

The seats were soon filled and I stood in the back, since I would block the view of most anypony that sat in the seats anyway. Apple Bloom came to the stage and gave a small announcement of those who had gotten their cutie marks, and a round of applause naturally followed. Some of the School of Friendship students were granted graduation and many of their alumni friends of the last four years cheered them on.

It was simple, but that's how they wanted it. They didn't want to stand on ceremony, as if the ceremony itself was what was important. I understood it was more simply for the celebration of the ties they had formed along the way. One special note, however, was for a special soul. A part time student at the School of Friendship who had finished his studies to complete his first year was in attendance. He had made many friends as he worked on another item, which they had agreed to celebrate and it was his time to take the stage.

Fluttershy, who had been teaching at the School of Friendship as one of its founding staff since it was built, brought out the last scroll from the stand where they had been laid out. It was different from the others.

Tempest checked the artificial horn we had made her and then used it to take the scroll then levitate it out in front of her.

"Thaddeus 'Scraps' Rex, Step forward," she called out. I could practically see the tears in her eyes forming.

With this, a below average sized diamond dog came forward from the area that all his other friends came from.

"To the Diamond Dog known as Thaddeus 'Scraps' Rex. The board of the Office of Rehabilitation and Reintegration has evaluated your cultural, interpersonal and ethical studies of Equestria as a nation, as well as sufficient growth in skills applicable in employment. We also have made additional note to your progress in your personalized program of combating your former kleptomania and your new ability to refrain from any urge to take items inappropriately. In light of this, the office of Rehabilitation and Reintegration do here by recognize your ability to provide for yourself and perform as a productive member of Equestrian society, and do here by declare you a properly graduated parolee. Therefor you are now granted the status of a legal, independent citizen of Equestria with all the rights, freedoms and responsibilities there of."

With this, Tempest rolled up the scroll and put it in a case, then leaned down to him. I could barely hear her say "We'll frame it later. Let's celebrate."

With cake abound from sugar cube corner being catered by Pinkie Pie and her boss's twin apprentice children, I made a beeline to the one thing I wanted to do without being prompted to do it.

Approaching Tempest and Fluttershy, I pressed my amulet then asked Tempest. "Now that Scraps is graduated, do you intend to take on another charge?"

She stopped in mid bite and looked at me. Making fast work of the bite in her mouth, she swallowed and replied.

"I love Scraps. I'm glad I could be his RRE officer. But taking on another? Not in the pits of Tartarus, Moss. My sentence time is up as of today. I'm getting out of that office and staying out. Still, did you hear about that singing troupe that is touring Equestria? A band of all male singers led by a lady that they all call Nana Coral. They are set to be in the area next week. Do you think Pinkie Pie will be able to employ them for Hope's party? Give your music box a run for its bits?"

I just shrugged. "Who knows, I gave up guessing with that mare on anything a long time ago."

Fluttershy came up and gave me a fanged smile, having finally gotten used to the thestral form I wound up forcing her into in order to have her stay among the living.

"It is good to see you being social."

I swallowed the awkwardness I knew I would always find cropping up when I was near her, and did my best to be polite and not let it show. She was too empathetic a soul and could be brought down by being reminded of my difficulty with our past. She wasn't at fault, I was. It was my burden and mine alone.

I brought up the nearly emptied corn cob in a quiet toast, then gave a smile and nod.

"And it's good to see you comfortable in your own wings. Family taking it well?"

She had stopped using the disguise crystal in her second year as a teacher in the school in order to teach by example, letting the changelings not being afraid to show their true forms. Although she did have to explain how her brush with death caused the change in her race from pegasus to thestral was what made her uncomfortable, rather than being a thestral at all.

Fluttershy shook her head with a suppressed laugh. "Mom and Dad were accepting right from the start, seeing it more like a medical scar than anything. My brother, however, didn't really know what to think. He stumbled with not knowing how to treat me for a while." She let out a gentle but still exasperated sigh. "It took him the longest time to finally understand I wasn't suddenly a dream walker just because I became a thestral. The odds even for those with a strong family history of it among thestrals are still only one in a few dozen at best."

Happy the diamond dog chased her half grown but still hyperactive pup nearby, who was freshly enrolled in the school as the second diamond dog enrolled in the school after Scraps. Given that he was granted a full diplomatic scholarship like the first year's foreign participants, he was likely going to surpass Scraps soon enough, but oddly Scraps was fine with it.

"So I hear you've hired enough staff to where the Element Bearers are no longer the majority of the teaching staff. I mean I can't say I'm surprised. Rarity always has had her business. Rainbow is becoming more active in the Wonderbolts. Applejack has to spend more time on the farm after Bigmac was asked by the Tree of Harmony to get that one town's farms working again. Pinkie Pie has refused to stop helping at Sugar Cube Corner and Princess Twilight now has two schools to look after, after taking over for Celestia on the gifted unicorn school, on top of running the entire country."

Fluttershy just gave me a warm, but weary smile. "And I find it surprising your home world's schools run five days out of every seven and barely teach the youth the basics. I was shocked when you mentioned that in your guest lecture on economy of efforts in my class."

"I'm still surprised you asked me to share my thoughts on grudges and the practical application of forgiveness and caution on blind forgiveness."

She nodded in kind. "And your third and most recent lecture, The Short Term and Long Term Rewards and Risks of Parasitic vs Symbiotic Relationships."

"That one had to be approved by Twilight..."

And the conversation held for a good while. I even managed to genuinely relax by the end, though only for a little while.

* * *

As the festivities moved forward and eventually died down, I ran into a few different familiar and not so familiar faces.

My not quite adoptive niece, Hope Bittersweet, came sprinting up to me with her father stomping his satyr hooves in close behind. "Uncle Moss, Uncle Moss!" the energetic almost eight year old satyr called to me, "Time Turner says you've got a special song for my birthday! One you've been planning for since I was little!"

"Get back here, Hope!"

From what her father told me, their aging slows considerably compared to ponies as they get older and a good chunk of the effect was just a part of their biology, not in their magics. So while she may have been almost eight with an intelligence to match when compared to ponies, her physical age and maturity was closer to their five year olds on most levels. It wasn't an exact one for one with a few exceptions, but that was the nearest her father could explain it.

I looked at the child that was maybe one and a half feet tall if she stood straight up on her tippy hooves. She leaped into my arms just as I looked at the stallion Time Turner.

I caught her as she dove in for a hug to my belly, gave her a brief, gentle hug back of course, and quickly returned her to her irritated, barely over three foot himself, father. With her still giggling, her father turned to Time Turner as well.

The stallion took a few quick darting of his eyes back and forth and answered.

"Oh well..." He put his forehoof behind his head and scratched it some. "I may have mentioned a piece or two of some details I picked up and she may have connected the wrong dots."

The fawn still in her father's grasp looked back to me somewhat sad. "So you don't have a song ready for my birthday party?"

I closed my eyes and shook my head gently. Pressing my amulet, I showed a little cold anger to Time Turner.

"While I have been fiddling with a song for a few years, it was one I never intended to release and would like to know how you came across such information."

Time Turner gave a quick shrug of his shoulders and just dodged the question. From what I was told, he was quirky like that, but I'd drill him on it later if I had to.

Turning to Hope, I smiled. "But I do have a song of sorts planned, just not that one."

Instead of smiling back, she got confused. "Why not?"

I sighed and looked at her father, then back to her. "Because your father and I have a difference of opinion that made a divide between us back before you were born. The words of that song is steeped in my side of that opinion. If I sang that song near you, your father would kill me. Fiddling with it is just a therapy that has helped me cope with that bad thing inside me I once told you about."

With this, her father shook his head. "I put my differences aside out of necessity, but yes I likely would if the song is about what I suspect it is about. If Hope's mother could have been with us these last eight years instead of imprisoned, I wouldn't need nearly as much help and Hope wouldn't have made so many attachments to those that are not Fey. At times, I feel the messages about Hope I sent to her mother through the servants is the only thing that has given her mother the strength to keep going."

The father gave an expression of mixed annoyance and gratitude. I could tell he missed her sorely and appreciated my efforts to stay in contact with her through the servants. The village would shut me down with sheer noise if I ever tried to talk loud enough through it for those in the Fey village to hear, and we couldn't risk him doing it directly. He would always not like me on some level, mostly out of protective instinct from a potential threat I was in his mind as a quintessence user. But as a desperate father, he had swallowed so much of his pride for the sake of his daughter. I couldn't help but respect that.

The filly sighed with disappointment as she fiddled with the cloth wrapped like a sash around her upper barrel. "I don't remember Mommy, but I wish I could meet her some day. Daddy's told me a lot about her. Zecora even managed to bring me this from her for my birthday last year. I wish I could talk to her like aunt Zecora can, but she says it's dangerous for daddy to use that way of talking and that it's best I don't until I'm older because the village still wants to lure me back with whispers."

She hugged the cloth tightly, looking like she was just hugging herself to someone not realizing the cloth's worth to her. Ponies saw it as nothing more than an odd accessory, but I knew what it actually was, as did her father. Neither ponies nor even Hope herself understood why doe satyr needed it—something I feared her father would have a hard time explaining if his situation didn't change before she reached that age—but she still cherished it dearly. It was the only thing directly from her mother she had.

Archimedes, having seen this sadness coming, brought a flower bud from the tree that hadn't quite opened yet. Knowing what he had in mind, I knelt down as I touched the bud to make a small imbuing of my non spell artificer magic into it. The magic put a mild glow to the bud that wasn't nearly as bright as my light spell, but could last indefinitely if I didn't call it back. I then called out, "L^ux_o," to cast an aspect of the druidcraft spell.

I spread my fingers out in a near spiral pattern as she watched the slightly glowing bud blossom to a beautiful glowing pink flower. Her eyes were absolutely captured by the sight as her sadness dissipated significantly, but didn't quite vanish.

"It won't last forever, but I hope to see it in your hair when I present the song that I am working on for you."

With her over expectations and subsequent sour mood corrected, her father set her down and let her put the flower in her hair before walking her home.

Keen Wit walked up, having seen me comfort her. "What was that you said about her before?"

I couldn't help but grin a wide, doting parent like grin as I was reminded of something that should be embarrassing, but never would be for me. While my amulet was still active, I put on a tone befitting an adult speaking enthusiastic gibberish to a baby. "Most precious thing ever, and must be protected at all costs!"

Time Turner just raised both his eyebrows as he watched them walk off. "Indeed. Protected at all costs..."

He then shook his head and looked over. "So, are we going to stand here all day, or are we going to the shop for tea?"

I looked at him weird. "Tea?"

Keen Wit's expression matched mine for just a second, but then he seemed to remember something.

"Ah that's right, I invited him to the shop for tea a while back."

Time Turner gave a smile that was just a little on the silly side, as if it were all settled like that.

Comments

[Golden_Reflection]

It's interesting to see more of this. I remember the message you sent me when the original series had its end, so I hope everything's going well for you while you write this new addition to the story.

I'll get to reading this chapter and put a comment if I think of anything.

[reflective vagrant]

11882601
Oh, I actually just finished it last night. It's all done. I'm just not releasing it all at once. I wanted to make sure I could finish it before I released it is all. I hope you like daily updates.

[reflective vagrant]

11882601
Corrected my grammar in the author's notes from future/present tense to past tense from when I originally made it. thank you for the comment.

[Golden_Reflection]

Nice to see Moss doing alright.

So, Flash of Genius is a 7th-level Artificer feature, and Moss has stated that he is at the "limit on how much more skill [he] can gain" which suggests he's around 20th-level.

It's been some years, but this suggests that Moss was at around 13th-level at the lastest by the end of the previous book (and I forget what the multiclassing spread was between Wizard/Cleric/Druid, although iirc cleric was the lowest level of the 3).

And also since it has been some time since I last read the stories it took me a small while to remember many of the original characters in this chapter, but I've gotten some memory back on them.

[Golden_Reflection]

11882605
In which case, I hope everything was going well while you wrote this, and that it is still going well.

[reflective vagrant]

11882626
(Faux) Life cleric 1
Moon druid 9 (can't elemental shape shift, that's a lvl 10)
Divination Wizard 2
total at end of prior book 12.
and then Alchemist artificer, 8.
wisdom, 18/+4. Intelligence, still 14/+2. Scraps 18 int.
Took a feat to improve his performance to expertise... for a human, allowing him to sing decent enough to have a small fan base, provided the amulet is translating, and 'almost' talk normal otherwise by Equestrian standards. Hope you enjoy the chapters to come.