> My Little Pony: The Game > by DoomedPonie > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1: Start New Game? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "S-Spike...? Ugh, could you get me something for this pounding headache...?" The purple mare muttered to herself, she was met with no answer. "Spike?" She spoke up again, rubbing her eye, Twilight peaked opened. She jumped up with a start looking around vigorously in confusion. All around her, no floor, ceiling, or walls, all there was a black void. Despite not seeing any surface, she still felt the ground under her hooves. "What in the name of Celestia!?!" She cried. "W-what's going on here!" She started to gallop, however, she felt like she was running in place. Stopping, Twilight started to hyperventilate. "Hello!?!" She called out, her voice not evening echoing. "Anypony!?! ...Pinkie?" She waited for a response, but went unheard. She fell back on her hind legs, with her hooves she grabbed her mane while shaking like a filly. BOOM! Twilight flinched as the deep, echoing sound that erupted before her. Looking up, she gasped dramatically. Far above her was a gigantic, black square darker then the actual void with text written in a bold, deep red font. GAME OVER! Twilight nearly fell over in surprise and shock. POP! She tilted her head down to see a far smaller and not as nearly dramatic text box appear. Congratulations! You have survived (61) years, (7) months, and (5) Days! You have completed the following achievements: -Hatch a dragon egg and become Celestia's' student -Befriend all Mane Six members -Defeat NightMare Moon -Defeat Discord and restore harmony to Equestria -Attend (And Save) your Brothers' wedding - Uphold abstadance and never sleep with another stallion (Or Mare) -Send (999,999,999) Friendship reports to Princess Celestia -Ascend to Alicorn status & become a princess -Track Sunset Shimmer to The Human World and reclaim your crown - Reform Sunset Shimmer - Reform Starlight Glitter - Defeat Trek The mare nearly fainted. After a moment to recompose herself, she looked over her 'achievements'. "Wow, I know I did a lot of stuff, but to have all on one list..." She caught sight of her fifth accomplishment. "Wait, why is my virginity on there! Ugh, whatever... At least my reports are accurate" POP! She saw another window appear. Start New Game? [Yes][No] Twilight raised a brow seeing the question. "'Game'?" She pondered the meaning. Was it asking her if she wanted to leave? Or something else along that nature? What would happened if she chose 'No'? After a moment's thought, she decided. "Yes." The screen remained. "Um... Yes, I would like to start a new game." Still nothing. "Hm..." She tapped her chin with her hoof. She stopped and looked down at it. "Maybe...?" She brought up her hoof and pressed [Yes]. Another screen came. You started a New Game! Would you like to see the Basic Tutorial? Again, she pressed [Yes]. First things first, your inventory. This is where you can carry all of your items with none of the weight! But just this doesn't mean you can carry your whole bedroom and the kitchen sink, some objects can be too large and must be moved by hoof. Most items like potions and throwing knives are stackable, meaning they only take one slot in your inventory, the highest stack of any item can be 9999. You can also equip cloths, armour, and jewelry in your inventory. Twilight felt a slight smile on her lips, this was very well explained and informative. Whoever made this 'Game' seemed to know what they were doing. Second, is your quest log. This is where you can view possible missions and quest that you've accepted and are currently pursuing. There are four types of quests: Story, Side, Character, and Repeatable. Story Missions are what allow you to advance the main plot and campaign. They are also the most flexible ones. Your choices and actions and heavily influence your journey to the point you never have the exact same playthrough twice. Side Quests are just that, smaller but just as entertaining quests that can be taken on the side when the player doesn't feel like blowing through the main story. This is highly suggested so the player can see more of the world and gain special rewards not seen elsewhere. character quest are special tasks the player can take up for the NPCs'. These quests commonly allow the player to increase their reputation with that character and can only accessed when they reach a certain status with them. They player can also receive special bonuses and may even pave the road to that one special night~ Repeatable Quests aren't really much in terms of substance and more akid to chores. They are mostly their for the player to farm basic resources like EXP and crafting materials. But they can still be useful, you never know when you need that one last bit of Experience or piece of herbs. She reread the passage again to memorize them. Twilight made her own little opinions of each description. "Hm, that's really informative. So 'Story missions' advance a plot of some kind. Side quest seem pretty interesting, I wonder how many there are. Character quests seem somewhat off... What was that last bit suppose to mean? And now that I think about, Spikes' only been doing repeatables' his whole life, I... Kinda feel bad for that." She looked to the next text. And Lastly, is the Status screen. Here, you can view your all your information from Name, to STATS, and even Buffs and Debuffs. Twilight raised a brow. "That's it? Nothing more? Kinda disappointing." She saw [Okay] at the button and pressed it. Before you start, please select at least one beginning perk. These perks will become a permanent part of your character. Most provide advantages along with some drawback, Please note contradicting perks cannot be taken together. (Normal Mode) (Purple Smart) (Alicorn Twi) (Earth Pony) (Pegasus) (Anthro) (Genderbend) (Canterlot High) (Casanova) (The Gamer) Twilight felt intrigued by the number of options, she pressed her hoof on (Normal), a text box with a poriet of her appeared. (Normal Mode)- Nothing too hard, nothing too easy. Good for beginners. "Hm... As much as I'd like to get some practice at this 'Game', I doubt this would provide a sufficient challenge." She pressed [Back] and selected (Purple Smart). Another picture of her, but done in a way so it was far more stereotypical. She wore thick, coke-bottle glasses held together by scotch tape and wore a silly little bow tie and collar around her neck. She even sported a small case of acne. She cringed at memories of her High School years. (Purple Smart)- A lot more brilliant than your average Twilight, this one has dedicated herself to studying and spell casting, but has neglected her body and social skills as a result. +5 to INT and WIS, but -5 to STR, END, and CHA. Also 25% less reputation gained from social interaction. Faster Leveling for skills involving Spells and Knowledge. She felt a twinge of embarrassment. "That's... not really different from right now..." She checked (Alicorn Twi). She saw a significantly older version of herself, she looked like Celestia or Luna except colored purple. This picture of Twilight had a peaceful, almost benevolent look to her. She also took notice of her angelic wings. (Alicorn Twi)- From the moment you pass the Dragon Egg test, you gain Alicorn status then and there. You gain god-like abilities just like Celestia and Luna, if not more powerful. This mode is for players seeking a more 'God Mode' playthrough, pun intended. Twilight blinked at the discretion. "I must admit, that is very tempting... But that would be too much stress for the time. No thank you." She looked at (Earth Pony). It was a simple portrait of her missing her horn. (Earth Pony)- Your parents, despite both being Unicorns, have long lost earth pony blood in their veins. You are born as an Earth Pony and have higher physical traits as a result. +5 to STR & END, but -1 to INT & WIS. Faster leveling for skills involving farming and physical tasks. "Hm, This seems like something Applejack would choose." Twilight checked (Pegasis). Just like she guessed, it was merely her with wings. (Pegasus)- Your Parents have long dormant Pegasi linkage and it reveals itself in you. You gain better reflexes and a more extroverted personality from it. +5 to DEX & CHA, but -1 to STR and END. Faster leveling for skills involving weather and social interaction. "Hm... Seems like a bland pallet swap compared to the Earth Pony perk." Twilight said with clear disappointment. "And with a bonus like that to only what I can assume is charisma, shouldn't somepony like Fluttershy be better at talking to ponies?" She looked at (Anthro). It was portrait of her with a weirdly shaped body like a more slender (and oddly flattering) ape clothed in a simple black shirt and skirt. (Anthro)- Lyra was right! Well kinda. All ponies, Griffons, Diamond Dogs, and any other intelligent creatures are now anthropomorphic. This perk is purely cosmetic and does not change base game. Twilight gained the most genuine look of confusion on her face. "What's Lyra have to do with this? And what does 'Anthro' means? Hm, I'll have to look it up." She exited and looked at (Genderbend). It was just her with more masculine features and a dreadlock-like mane. (Genderbend)- Everypony's the opposite gender, with the player being optional. +5% more reputation gained with the opposing sex. She felt blush cross her checks. She quickly looked at (Canterlot High), it was a picture of her human form from her adventure where she had to retrieve her crown from Sunset. She then began wonder what was going on in the human world now. (Canterlot High)- You are born in the Human version of Equestria, Earth. Very little magic and sorcery is known here, so the natives resort to cold, hard science to improve. So you have no access to magic, but gain natural proficiency with anything of that world. Access the exclusive Canterlot and Crystal Prep Questlines and Equestria will still be available through the portal, but only through certain time frames. Twilight shrugged. "Eh, I've already seen it enough, I doubt I'd find anything of interest I couldn't just ask Sunset." She looked to (Casanova). She blushed furiously at the picture. It showed her lying on a massive bed surrounded by faceless stallions and mares, and even Celesta and Luna were all lying around her giving her bedroom eyes. The picture of her merely smugly stared back at her through its black sunglasses. (Casanova)- Oh Baby, is that saxophone I hear? You were born with the natural ability to be irresistible to both genders. Stallions and mares will stop in their tracks and do a double take as you trot down the street. No one is completely immune to your charm, even the Sun Goddess herself will quiver at your touch. 50% more reputation gained from everyone. Anyone you meet will start automatically with the 'Liked' reputation level. Antagonist and other normally hostile NPCs will become neutral. Buffs gained from romances will be doubled in effect. Twilight buried her face into her hooves in emressment. "W-Who would make such a perverted option!?!" She cried. She frantically backed out and looked at (The Gamer). It was simpler her staring at a screen with a smile, quite like now. (The Gamer)- Fourth wall? What fourth wall? You gain the ability to see the world in a way even Lauren Faust can't. You're able to see the information of nearly everything in sight, from an enemy's' stats to an unknown ponys' name, you can see it all as if life were one big video game. Immunity to mind-based effects like confusion and insanity. She felt a surge of excitement. As a seeker of knowledge and insight, this would surely aid in her gathering. And the extra defense to her mind was just icing on the cake. "Oh! This on goes looks too good to pass up!" Twilight clapped her hooves in glee. She quickly tapped [Take Perk]. It brought her back to the previous screen with (The Gamer) greyed out. She rubbed her chin in thought. "Hm... It did say I could take more than one..." She muttered. "The 'Purple Smart' makes it seem it gives a good boost to intelligence and wisdom, and I doubt I'll encounter many problems where brute strength will be needed... But that big reduction to reputation gain. I'm not entirely sure what that is, but it sounds important." Twilight puddered for a little longer. "Until I can understand the full extent of these numbers, I better just go with the balanced route." She selected (Normal Mode) and [Take Perk]. She then tapped [Done] at the bottom of the screen. You have selected the (Normal Mode) & (The Gamer) perks! You're new game will start shortly. Twilight sat patiently, waiting for this 'New Game' to start. What would happen? Will she wake up back in her old bed like nothing happened? Or will she become a filly? Or, worse, this was all just some huax played by some god-like deity of the afterlife who just wanted to mess with her? Oh dear Princess Celestia, that last one actually scared her a little. Twilight brushed that thought away as she yawned. A sudden rush of fatigue came onto her. Lying down, she rested her head on her hooves and started to snore. -Loading New Game- "GRRRRRRRRRR-!" The muffled sound growled. Twilight shivered at the wet, hot, convolsing around her. It felt so... disturbing! "...On...ore...Pus...!" She heard another speak, she started to hear heavy breathing as she felt herself slid. She tried to opened her eyes, but to no avail. She tried to move, but found that her body felt wrong. It barely responded to her commands and her limbs felt heavy and sluggish. She opened her mouth, but it was shut by the tight, slimy walls. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH-!" Twilight perked up at the sudden scream as she felt herself shoot out of the gooey prison and into a rush of cold air. A small, hoarse cry escaped her lips. "Wah... Wah...!" She sounded nothing like herself. "...Wait..." She thought. "....Am I...?" "There we go! You did very well Miss Velvet. Here, hold your child." A voice said. Twilight opened her eyes to be met with a painfully bright light. After her vision adjusted, she saw her mothers loving face. She had terrible bags under her eyes, her fur and face drenched in sweat, and her mane was a complete mess. She saw her father, who looked less awful, come into sight. "There she is... Our sweet little filly..." He said. "Hm, yeah." Her mother lightly moaned. "I'll name her... Twilight, Twilight Sparkle." birth...!" Twlight thought. If only she could cringe. > Chapter 2: Tutorial Level > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside an unassuming home in the countryside of Canterlot, lived an unassuming family. This family was that of Twilight Sparkle, child prodigy and future student of Celestia. Well, in a few years she will be. Once she grows a little. The young filly sat in her room, playing with some blocks. Her fur and mane were shiny and soft as cotton, her little horn no more than a knub. But behind those innocent little eyes laid something else. Something far older and wiser than a baby should be. Luckily no one noticed. The filly looked towards the doorway to see neither of her parents peeking in. She sighed mentally. "...Looks like I'm all alone..." she thought. Twilight stood up and crawled with skill that a three-year-old wouldn't normally have. She crawled behind a large beanbag chair and did one final check. "Status," she thought. Some time ago, she had found a way to access her menus. Before her appeared a light purple, almost pink screen with a much darker shade for the border and text. Twilight Sparkle, The Gamer Lv. 2 HP: 50/50 MP: 375/375 (0/500 EXP) STR: 4 DEX: 2 END: 2 INT: 15 WIS: 15 CHA: 1 (+5) LUK: 1 Buffs: Everyone Likes Babies! Twilight looked over her stats and sighed again. Nothing had changed. But she did perk up at the buff, as she didn't notice it before. She brought a small hoof up and clumsily tapped it. (Buff) Everyone Likes Babies! +5 to Charisma. Buff wears off once the character reaches age 5. Ah, that made sense. Twilight also took notice of her intelligence and wisdom. They were abnormally high for her age. Last time she checked, toddlers weren't normally smart as the average adult. But she simply chalked that up to her retaining her past memories. "Cancel," she thought, and sighed as the textbox disappeared. Why couldn't she have been placed at an older age? An age where she can actually do something. Out of the three years she spent, she's only 'leveled up' once. And that was when she was born. Once she was, she had received a textbox saying that she received five 'points' that she could spend on her stats. She decided to place one point each into dexterity for walking and endurance so as to not tire easily. The rest she tossed into strength, as she'd figured she might find some quests on the sports teams once she gets into school, so why not bulk up now? "Quest Log." A new screen appeared, which had four tabs, each one labeled. She pressed (Story) first. All there was a single quest that was faded grey, signifying it had been completed. Still, she pressed it. (Story Mission) Birth was Completed! Your mother spent almost 37 hours in labor, you better have the decency to call her once in a while when you move out. Objectives: - Be Born. Success: Being born, 250 EXP. Failure: Miscarriage, Player must start a new game. She tapped (Side Quest), (Character), and even (Repeatable). Nothing appeared. "Cancel." Twilight thought, annoyed. She laid back on the beanbag chair in defeat. She might as well resign for now. No doubt she was just going to be a normal filly for a few years. "Oh Twilight sweetie~!" Her mother's voice spoke up. The filly turned onto her belly to see her mother trot into the room, then bend down to Twilight’s eye level. "Sweetie, a friend of mine says she has a little filly just your age! Would you like to have a playdate with her?" She asked. POP! Twilight snapped her eyes to the side to see a textbox. (Side Quest) Playdate (1) Your mother wants to schedule a playdate! You know, they say social interaction is key to a child's mental growth. Objectives: - Play with Moon Dancer for half an Hour. Success: Increased reputation with Moon Dancer, 250 EXP Failure: Reduced Reputation with Moon Dancer, 50 EXP [Accept][Decline] Twilight looked back at her mother with beaming eyes. "Yes!" She answered in a squeal. "Good! I'll have her here tomorrow!" Her mother turned and left. Twilight quickly pressed [Accept]. "I can't believe it! I'm getting half of the EXP needed for my next level just from one quest! And I even get to see Moondancer again..." Twilight thought as she returned to her blocks, and started to build a crude replica of her library back in ponyville. "Hm..." She stopped building, sighing as she started to think to herself. "Everything from before is gone... but that means our relationship is also basically nonexistent...!" Twilight remembered the time she declined attending Moon’s birthday party before departing to Ponyville, leading to Moon’s life as a social recluse. Something stirred in her, and she once again felt all the guilt she had when she found out about it the first time. "It won't be like that this time, I swear." She thought. "I'm not going to neglect ANY of my friends...!" Twilight felt a surge of determination in her as raised a a shaking hoof. After a moment, she returned to play with her blocks. She had forgotten how relaxing it can be just to do pointless, fun things. ****** "Okay sweetie, here she is!" Twilight watched as her mother guided the young Moondancer into her room. She looked just like her present self had. Her short mane was held up in a bundle above her head with a tiny scrunchie and she wore a black fillies sweater. She looked adorable, even by Twilight’s standards. "Hello..." The pale filly shyly said, picking at the floor with her hoof. Twilight eagerly approached her with a wide smile. "Hi! I'm Twilight!” She introduced herself. "Wanna be friends? I have some neat dolls we can play with!" She said in her nearly flawless child-like act. The young Moondancer looked at Twilight, surprised, then her shyness seemed to completely melt away. "Sure!" She eagerly answered. The two fillies ran to the toy chest as their mothers watched from the doorway. The two ponies giggled as they played house, and after a moment the parents went to chat in the living room. Twilight felt her heart swell with happiness. She couldn't help but smile at Moon. POP! She looked to see a textbox appear above her head. Moon Dancer, Lv. 1 Twilight blinked. POP! Another window appeared. You have just learned (Observe Lv. 1)! (Observe Lv. 1) - Got a magnifying glass? -See a character’s Name & Level that is less than or equal to 5 levels higher than yours. "Do I have something on my face...?" Twilight snapped back to reality and looked at Moon Dancer, who seemed equally confused. "Huh?" She asked. "You were looking at me weird, is something wrong?" Moon said. "N-no, I was just... thinking is all. Don't worry about it." She quickly said. "Okay!" Moon brushed it off rather quickly and went back to playing. Twilight did so as well. ******* "Okay Velvet, We'll see you later!" Moon’s mother called. "You too!" Twilight’s mother answered, closing the door. She looked at her daughter, who was sitting on the couch. "Well, Twily? How was it?" She asked. The filly jumped on the couch. "It was great! Can she come back again?" "Sure! We can have them come a few times a month in fact!" Her mother answered. "Yay!" Twilight watched as her mother went into the kitchen, likely to start making dinner. As she walked away, a thought crept into her mind. She squinted. Twilight Velvet, Lv. ? The filly raised a brow. "...Hm, she must be a far higher level. Makes sense, I am just a level two infant.” Twilight sat back down on the couch. "Status." She whispered. Twilight Sparkle, The Gamer Lv. 2 HP: 30/30 MP: 0/0 (250/500 EXP) STR: 4 DEX: 2 END: 2 INT: 15 WIS: 15 CHA: 1 (+5) LUK: 1 "Yep, I’m halfway there. Cancel." She said to herself. Twilight hopped off the couch and crept to her parents’ room. She saw her father reading a book in their bad. Going unnoticed, she squinted again. Night Light, Lv. ? "Of course, he's a higher level too. I wonder what Shining's at." Twilight turned and went back to her room. She went over to her little book case and pulled out one of her advanced reading books. They actually weren't challenging for her, her parents simply thought they were. After rereading the book, she tossed it aside and went back to being bored. With a few moments, she thought for a moment. Looking at the tossed aside book, Twilight squinted. Quantum Physics for Toddlers- An easy to understand book for young oness to learn the inner workings of the universe that can't be explained by magic. Twilight smiled. She started to dart her head all around, observing all the things in her room. POP! She stopped to look at the window. (Observe Lv. 1) is now Lv. 2! 10 EXP earned. (Observe Lv.2)- Got a magnifying glass? - See a characters' name, level, & Description that is less than or equal to 6 levels higher than yours. Twilight held back a giddy laugh as she  nearly jumped with joy. She had learned some new power and it gained a level! All in one day! Even some EXP too! "Twily! Dinners ready!" Her mother called. The filly hopped off her beanbag and trotted off to the kitchen. > Chapter 3: Grinding > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The now five-year-old filly was eagerly studying her 'first' magic scroll: A simple copy of instructions on how to use telekinesis. This was a gift from her parents who assumed she was ready, which she very much was. While she was a bit disappointed when she learned she could not perform any spells she had learned prior, Twilight had assumed that it was just that her young body couldn't handle her previous level of magical power. Either that, or starting a new game completely erased all of her progress magic wise. POP! Would you like to learn [Basic Telekinesis]? You require: 5 INT [Yes][No] Twilight obviously knew the answer, as she had triple the requirement. She pressed [Yes]. You have learned (Basic Telekinesis Lv. 1)! (Basic Telekinesis Lv. 1)- Everypony's an Esper these days. - Move and hold a single 1 pound object within 10 feet. - 10 MP per minute. "Status," she said. Twilight Sparkle, The Gamer Lv. 9 HP: 250/250 MP: 375/375 (20/2250 EXP) STR: 11 DEX: 11 END: 10 INT: 15 WIS: 15 CHA: 10 (+5) LUK: 3 Buffs: Everyone Likes Babies! Twilight was more than ecstatic about her progress in the recent two years. She gone through thirty five separate Playdate quests, all giving her exactly 250 EXP each, which added up to 8,750. Which had shot her up to level nine! The cap grew by 250 each time. In total she had received thirty five more points and distributed them relatively evenly, except for Luck, as she wasn't sure what that was supposed to do. She had placed two points into in, yet she has not seen anything worth noticing. She hadn't placed any in intelligence or wisdom considering she already had such a head start on them, and she was smarter than most fillies, so it didn't matter either way. Her observe power didn't grow by much either, only growing by one more level in the past two years and giving only a measly 10 EXP. When she leveled up next time, Twilight was considering placing it all in charisma. With the bonus it was fifteen, but that buff was going to end sooner or later, so best not to get too attached to it. She also notice Moondancer hadn't leveled up much as her. She was still level six, which was weird considering she should have gotten just as much EXP as her. Did other people level slower than her? Or does her intelligence and wisdom have something to do with that? Twilight looked at her pencil and focused. It glowed with a purple aura and lifted into the air. If the description was right, she could do this for thirty seven and a half minutes straight. That was quite a lengthy time, for a foal. After the time limit ran out, the aura sizzled and faded away, her pencil dropping back down to the desk. She looked back to her status screen and watched her MP regenerate by ten each second, she took note of that, meaning it would take about thirty eight seconds to fully recharge. That information could prove to be very useful. "Twilight!" her mother called out. "Cancel," she muttered, closing her windows. She wasn't sure if she was the only one able to see the text boxes, but she didn't want to test it to find out. She turned to see her mother holding a letter in her magical aura. "That must be..." the filly thought. "Twilight, I have some big news for you! You remember that old unicorn that came by last week and examined you?" Velvet asked. "The doctor?" Twilight asked, full-well knowing that that stallion was actually a professor who was requested to gauge the magic power that was dormant in her body. "Yes sweetie, he said your magic so powerful for someone your age. He said you may have more energy than Starswirl the Bearded when he was your age!" her mother said. "Really?" Twilight didn't remember that part from her childhood. Did her early higher stats really make that much of a difference? "Yes, Twily, so me and your father talked it over with the doctor and he said that he may be able to get you a scholarship as Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns!" she nearly jumped, floating the paper over to Twilight. With her own power, she took the paper and read it. Dear Twilight Sparkle, We would like to inform you we have heard of your promising magical power, and are very impressed to say the least. As Doctor Feel Good had said, with training you will surely pass Starswirl within your lifetime. Next month we will be holding a test to see who is truly worthy of our academy. Princess Celestia will also be present as the fillies and colts attempt great feats of magic. And she has told us that any truly outstanding student will be offered to become her personal pupil. We would very much like it if you attended. -Sighed, Principal Nirvana Twilight raised a brow. Those weren't their names last time. Did the New Game effect that too? She looked up to her mother, handing her back the letter. "I'd love to go." "Good, I'll tell your father and we'll try to get an exact time," Velvet answered. "Oh! I also got these to help you develop your magic!" She reached into her saddle bag and hovered over two black cubes, which were just a smidge bigger than her old blocks. She rested them on the floor before Twilight and left the room, closing the door behind her. Twilight squinted at the blocks. Novice Magic Training Cubes- Small blocks made from a metal-like substance that is resistant to magic to help a unicorn develop their telekinesis, although they're highly impure so a foal can use them. 10% resistant to magic. "I don't remember these being a thing," Twilight said. Waiting a few more second to make sure her MP was charged, she enveloped a Training Cube in her aura, it hesitated to rise. Twilight felt the weight, but nothing too unmanageable. She did the next best thing and lifted it up and down repeatedly like a dumbbell for the thirty seven and a half minute limit. Just as her magic started to sizzle out, she quickly dropped the block on the cube on the floor with a soft thud. Twilight whipped the sweat off her brow, she certainly felt tuckered out. Waiting thirty eight seconds, she felt entirely refreshed and repeated the exercise. And again, and again, and again until she heard a POP! (Basic Telekinesis Lv. 1) is now Lv. 2! 10 EXP earned (Basic Telekinesis Lv. 2) - Everypony's an Esper these days. -Move and hold up to 2 pounds in fifteen feet. - Costs 10 MP per minute. Each additional pound over the limit increases cost by 5. "That's certainly an improvement," Twilight grinned. She saw a small box in the corner of her eye. It had tiny with an exclamation mark in it, which she curiously tapped. (Story Mission) First Day of School You have received a letter from the School of Gifted Unicorns and been accepted! And it seems that Princess Celestia herself will be present to scout out any possible students. We wouldn't want to disappoint now do we? Time to hit the books! Time Left: (30) Days Objectives: - Learn three separate Magic skills - Level up at least one magic based skill up to LV. 10 Success: Enrollment at School for Gifted Unicorns, chance to impress Celestia, 2,000 EXP. Failure: Settle for public school, 250 EXP Twilight pressed [Accept] with a smile. She kept practicing her magic for the whole day. ****** Twilight woke with a yawn, rubbing her eyes as she vaguely recalled her progress last night. She had literally spent the whole afternoon just training. And it worked. She had leveled the skill up to Lv. 8, earning her 80 EXP. She only had two levels of it left and the only other thing she had to do was learn two more spells. All in thirty or less days! "Hm, this isn't really all that difficult," Twilight said aloud. She exited her room and trotted into the kitchen to see her whole family. Her mother and father were sipping their morning coffee while Shining was eating his cereal. It was only later the same day that Twilight had earned her Observe skill that she learn Shining was around level twelve, but that was two years ago, so he was likely a few higher now. "Morning!" she chirped. "Hi Twily! Have any plans?" Velvet asked. "Actually yes, I wanted to ask you something mom," Twilight pulled back a chair with her magic and sat down. Her mother hovered over a bowl to her filly. "What's that sweetie?" she asked. "Do you have any other spells I can learn? Since I've got about a month to practice, shouldn't I also work on other ones too?" Twilight said. "Oh! Of course Twilight! I'm sure your dad and I have some old scrolls lying around," her mother answered. "What‘re you practicing for?" Shining Armour spoke through a mouthful of cereal. "A professor mom brought home says I have a shot for the Gifted School for Unicorns, and that even Celestia will be there!" Both Shining and Night Light spot out their food. "W-what!?" her father shouted. "Oh, I must have forgotten to tell your father, silly me!" "Twilight! That's amazing news. I'm so proud of you!" Night said. "Yeah Twi, do you know how many high class unicorns dream about just being able to perform for Celestia? Like, hundreds! I'm rootin' for ya!" Shining added, pumping a hoof into the air. Her father got up from his chair, trotting around the table. "I think I know the perfect ones." With that, the stallion left the room. Later, only minutes after returning to her room, Twilight's father returned with two scrolls in his aura. "Twilight?" "Yes?" she looked up from her training block. "I've been looking through my old high school spells that I was forced to study, and I think I found something perfect for a smart lil' filly just like you!" Night Light answered. Twilight dropped the block and jumped up with excitement. "Really!? What is it?" "Basic Transmutation and Storage Seals," her father smiled. Twilight tilted her head adorably. She didn't recall Seals being a form of magic... Or even hearing about them in her last life. "Seals?" she asked. Her father hovered the scrolls over to the filly’s desk. "You see, Twilight, seals are a fairly old school of magic, just like enchantments, but on paper. With containment seals you can write down symbols and runes on a sheet of special parchment and it can store things. The complexity can vary widely depending on what you want to store. They can actually be very helpful, like when you’re moving a couch and you can’t get anyone to help or when your telekinesis isn't working right." He then rubbed his chin curiously. "Ya'know, I was never sure why these things fell out of use... Maybe because buying the special paper and ink in bulk was a pain? Then again these seals were fairly reusable... Eh, nonetheless, never doubt the power of a proper and well made seal, Twilight." The young unicorn was already at her desk opening her scrolls. "Oh, you also need these," her father hovered over some additional items. "I'll leave you be." After hearing her dad close the door behind him, Twilight observed the extra things she received. Enchanted Parchment (20)- Special Paper made with magic and other mythical ingredients, these slits of paper are perfect for a seal or two. Magic Inkwell (20)- Purplish black ink made from the liquified essence of magic, this substance can be used to craft seals. Small Stones (5)- A simple pebble that could have been picked off the road, nothing too exciting about them. Twilight cocked her head. Why did her dad give her rocks? She shook her head and checked the scrolls. Would you like to learn [Basic Transmutation]? You require: 10 INT Twilight hastily pressed [Yes]. You have learned (Basic Transmutation Lv. 1)! (Basic Transmutation Lv. 1)- Equivalent Exchange. - You can change one small item into another item of equal or lesser value and weight. - Costs 30 MP. - 20% chance of failure Twilight checked the Storage Seal scroll and pressed [Yes] again. You have learned (Basic Storage Seal Lv. 1)! (Basic Storage Seal Lv. 1)- Pocket Dimension, but Smaller - Can store one small item. - Costs 1 Enchanted Parchment, 1 Magic Inkwell, and 120 minutes to craft. "These could be quite useful for my organization, not to mention how much space I could save if I level it up!" She then noticed the tag line. "What’s a pocket dimension? Ah well, that’s not important!" She read over the transmutation scroll’s instruction. "Fairly simple, just like I remember it!" She glanced over to small rocks on her desk. "Of course, that's what they are for." Twilight lifted one in her magical grasp, bringing it close to her face and concentrating on the pebble. She watched as it glowed white and- Poof! In a puff of smoke she saw the pebble was no longer that, and instead she held a small smooth piece of wood. "Hm, interesting... I wonder if this could eventually turn lead into gold," she muttered to herself. She placed down the wood pebble and looked over to seal making scroll. With a confident look on her face, Twilight brought over an enchanted parchment and inkwell. ...Two Hours later... The young gamer wiped her brow with a satisfied look. Bringing up the finished seal, Twilight brought it up to her face to admire it. The design she was told to write down was certainly outlandish. In the center of the thick rectangular paper was a spiral design with a tribal fire ring. Three small rows of runes, symbols and other designs she had never seen before ran down each side of the paper. Lying it back down, she looked over to the transmuted wood-rock she made earlier. Hovering over the material onto the center of the seal. Twilight scratched her head in thought, trying to remember the rest without checking the scroll. "...Alright, so I have the markings correctly drawn and the item in question is in the center. So all I should need to do next is..." Twilight placed her hooves on the ends of the seal, pressing hard on them. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard, picturing her energy going through her limbs instead of her horn. POOF! She opened her eyes again to see the pebble was no longer, merely a single a trail of smoke. Twilight frowned. "Hm... The skill didn't say anything about a chance of failure, only the transmutation..." she thought, before perking up and slapping her forehead. "Pht-! Of course! Why did I even think that?" she said, lightly shaming herself. She placed her hooves back down and repeated the process, but with her eyes open this time. POOF! She watched a small burst of smoke came and the pebble reappeared, in all it's wooden glory. Twilight smiled as she hovered the wood-rock again. With a simple cast, it was stone again. POP! Completely unsurprised, the unicorn saw the windows indicating her skills had leveled up. (Basic Transmutation Lv. 1) is now Lv. 2! 10 EXP earned! (Basic Transmutation Level. 2) - Equivalent Exchange - Can change one small item into another item of equal or lesser value. - Cost 25 MP - 20% of Failure. "Wait... All that went down was the magic cost." Twilight raised a brow. "Hm... I guess it's because it’s just basic transmutation." (Basic Storage Seal Lv. 1) is now Lv. 2! 10 EXP earned! (Basic Storage Seal Lv. 2) - Pocket Dimension, but Smaller - Can store one small item. - Costs 1 Enchanted parchment, 1 magic Inkwell, and 110 Minutes to craft. "Again, the time needed only went down by ten minutes," she paused, tapping her chin. "Which isn't all that bad once I think about it, considering how tedious it is take over an hour to just craft one seal... Imagine if I needed to make this this in bulk!" Twilight snorted at the absurdity. After this thought, Twilight resumed her tiring training. She would transmute the stones for half an hour, then do another seal before returning to the rocks.