The Gamer's Game

by Chrome Masquerade

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Button Mash, Alternate Universe, Comedy, Other, Random, Adventure, Violence, Crossover, Main 6
Length: 11072

Button Mash awakens in a strange space and receives a strange power. Not only that, but other ponies are gaining special powers of their own!

There's more to the world than meets the eye. So Button Mash finds out when he gains a strange ability and starts seeing information above other ponies' heads!

To add to that, more and more ponies start gaining abilities of their own! Some for good, some for ill.

Will Button be able to balance his life out or will he go mad trying? Let's find out!

Obviously an adaptation of The Gamer. As always, tags will be added as necessary.

Published 2019-03-18 19:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-06-22 19:57:59 UTC

Chapter 1: Continue? (re-edited)

I awoke in a strange place that I'm sure I shouldn't be. Naturally, I ask the obligatory qestion.

"Where am I?"

Trite, maybe, but still pertinent. I had no idea where i was. I looked up, and right above me was a sign that says

GAME OVER

Cotinue? Y N

(Continues: 99)

"Huh? Weird."

Naturally I pressed the button labelled Y. What the hay do you think I am? Some kind of casual?

Customize character?

Character customization?! How the Tartarus could I refuse?!

Only then did I realize that I was currently made of translucent pixels. After choosing among several options, I was back to my brown fuzzed, two-tone maned, propeller capped self. Another menu appeared.

New game
Options
Cheats

CHEATS?! Fo shizzle?!! Hay yizzle!

I'm sorry about that. Please don't hurt me. Anyway...

Choosing the Cheats menu, I found myself faced with several more options

1: Nigh-on Invulnerability [ ]
2: Infinite Mana [ ]
3: Swift Regen [ ]
4: Silver Spoon (your family is independantly wealthy, so your money problems are pretty much nonexistant) [ ]
5: Swift Level Gain [ ]
6: 8 Bit [ ]
7: Big Heads [ ]
8: Optional Anthro (everyone can switch between anthro and full pony forms) [ ]
9: Sex Appeal: Self (0-10)
9.5: Sex Appeal: Others (0-10)

The latter two of these had sliders beside them, along with a picture of me and one of an unfamiliar mare. Deciding to adjust those first, I first addjusted the Self slider to 10. And WHOA did I look GOOD! But I decided that having myself as that... charming... would remove most of the challenge. (As would some of the others, so I ignored those.)

I set the slider to 6 and was rewarded with a much more tolerable picture of myself

Next, I tried the same for the other slider and-

"SWEET CELESTIA!"

The mare in the picture was lying on a bed in the "draw me like your french mares" position. I could swear that virtual steam was coming out of my ears.

Turn it down! Tuuurn it down, I say!

One adjustment later, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. So now most of the ladies in this new session would be extra attractive, but not overpoweringly so.

Ticking off options 3 and 8, I moved back to the main menu, selecting New Game. I was automatically plugged with the title of "The Gamer", but could otherwise choose my background.

Choosing Default, I pressed the confirm button and was ushered into the light.

(Home; Sun's Day)

"Button. Button Mash. Young colt, if you don't get up-"

Opening my eyes slowly and looking at the clock on my bedside table (7:30), i said, "Moooom~. Isn't it Sun's Day? Give me one good reason that I should get up this early."

"I'll give you four. One: if you don't wake up at a regular time, your sleep schedule will be messed up. Two: you need practice waking up at a proper time. Three: I'm your mother. If I'm awake at this time, you get to be as well. Four: Breakfast is ready. Get up."

"Fine, fine." I groaned. Looking toward my mother, I was greeted with two unusual sights. Firstly, my mother looked SMOKIN' today! Whatever had happened had turned my mother into a freakin' Miss Equestria candidate! Secondly, there was text above her head.

Name: Milano Mash
Relationship: Your Mother
Nickname: Button Mom
Title: "Wonder Mom"
Calling: Mother
Nature: Caregiver
LV: ??? (Observe skill not high enough)

That was DEFINITELY different!

Schooling my expression, I managed to confirm my awakened state to my mother with a straight face. As she left, the events of last night came to the forefront of my mind. I remembered that weird dream that I had. I remembered fiddling with the settings of my life. I remembered receiving the title of The Gamer.

To confirm my suspicion, i said aloud, "Status."

Lo and behold, a virtual chart appeared before me.

Name: Button Mash
Calling: The Gamer
Nature: Semi-Libertine
Divinity:
Divine Nature: Chosen
Divine Parent: Princess Celestia/Twilight Sparkle
Paths: Gamer, Adventurer/Luckmaker, Paladin(1)
LV: 2
Allocae Attributes (8/6/4) skills (36) and knacks (7)?
Yes No

Pressing Yes, i quickly allocated some points.

Physical
Strength: 3
Dexterity: 5 (+3)
Stamina: 3
Mental
Intelligence: 3
Wits: 4 (+2)
Perception: 4
Social
Appearance: 2
Manipulation: 2
Charisma: 3

Skills
Academics: 3
Art: Gaming: Automatic 5
Athletics: 3
Awareness: 3
Brawl: 2
Fortitude: 3
Melee: 2
Occult: 1
Presence: 2
Survival: 3

Virtue: Justice/Compassion

Virtue Flaw (2): Red Rage of Compassion
Activation: When seeing the innocent harmed right in his view.
Effect: When the gauge for this fills, he will be filled with rage and will attack the object of his frustration until it is defeated or dead.

Vice: Wrath (mild)

Knacks
Roll With It
Omnidexterity
Cat's Grace
Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Body (natural knack)
Gamer's Spirit (natural knack)
(Gamer's Mind, Body and Spirit combine to create Gamer's Soul)
Monkey in the Middle
Jack of All Trades
Immaculate (3)

Purviews: Video games, Good, Magic, Knowledge, Protection, Air, Glory, Strength

Boons-

That was all I got the opportunity to punch in before I figured that mom would be getting impatient. With that, I closed the window and headed to the bathroom in one smooth motion. That Roll With It knack made me able to move like I was a blade of grass.

Once in the bathroom, I stepped in the shower, flicking the temperature to just the right setting with a mere swish of my tail. As the warm water cascaded over me, I applied a generous dollop of shampoo to my coat. As suds formed on me, a song rose in my heart. Lyrics came to mind and I began my first musical number of the day.

"~The moment I arrived I had a feeling
I just couldn't be leavin' till I cleaned
I might as well be walkin' on a ceiling
Oh, don't call me a mad pony, that's mean! Ooooh!

Washin' in the shower
Could stay for an hour
Scrubbed all clean and
On the scene
Smellin' like a buncha flowers.

Covered in bubbles
Free from all my toubles
Cleanin' up
Then I'm gonna sup
Oh, Singin' in the shower~" (4)

Having washed, I dried off and, with the grace of a cat, slid down the bannister.

A voice and stylized text followed me

Leave it to Button

Hopping off at the last split second, I slid into the kitchen, striking a pose. Hearing slow clapping, I turned and saw my mother with a smirk on her muzzle. "Bravâ. Bravâ." she snarked. "How many times have I told you not to do that with the bannister?"

"Oh yeah. Right. Sorry."

"Now eat your breakfast before it gets cold."

I sat down to my breakfast of bacon, hay bacon, pancakes (5), and apple juice. Can I just say that my mom makes some damn good pancakes?

You ate Breakfast
Gained Full Up status (6)
+1 Stamina for 4 hours
+1 to all Mental stats for 4 hours
HP are maxed out (20)

With that done, I deposited the dish and cutlery in the sink

"Thanks for breakfast, mom! Delicious as usual."

Mom smiled genuinely. "You're welcome, Button. Now run along. I'm sure your friends are waiting for you."

Walking out the door, I made for Sugarcube Corner, where the Crusaders and I were to meet. Thus my day officially started. My life as The Gamer had just begun.

Author's Note

For those wondering, yes, I'm using the White Wolf games style of characteristics. Specifically, the Scion system.

1: Why he's their Paladin will be explained in a later chapter.
1.5: These describe (in this order) what he was before his story started, what he is now and what he s to his Divine Parent.

2: As Josh Scorcher said in his review of The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well: "Character 101:any character's strength, taken too far, becomes a flaw."

3: I'm not sure if this is actually on the official knacks list, but to cover my bases: this knack essentially allows him to walk through any kind of dirt, mud or otherwise, an it'd slough off of him like he had a teflon coating, if he so desires.

4: What do you think? :pinkiesmile:
that was to an approximation of the tune of this

5: Adventure Time references here will be given the Dio treatment.

6: Full Up: Having eaten his fill, Button will be satiated for a time and gains a little extra pep in his step.

Oh. Lest I forget to explain stats in the White Wolf games, whereas in the Forgotten Realms franchise, where the stats gain effectiveness incrementally, in the White Wolf games stats strengthen one at orders of magnitude. Using Strength as an (approximate) example, at 1 you're slightly below average. Strength 2 puts you a fair bit above average. Strength 3 puts you at the level of a martieal artist. Strength 4 would allow you to do the Test Your Migt sequences of the Mortal Kombat series with relative ease. At Strength 5, you could tear a building apart with your bare hands without breaking a sweat. This is without even going into the Epic Attributes (the plus numbers beside his stats, you might have noticed).

Chapter 3: Skills and Thrills (edited)

The next day was a school day, and I had to get up fairly early. I hadn't felt tired the night before, but curfew was at 9:00, so I might as well get some rest, the way I saw it.

You have gained the temporary perk 'Rested'. For the next three hours, your mental stats will increase by 1.

For staying within your boundaries, you have gained 200 xp (800 until level up).

(Home, Moon's Day)

I got out of bed, had a shower and went downstairs for breakfast. As it turns out, Mom had made blueberry waffles for me.

You have eaten: Waffles.
HP +2
Essence + 3 points
Stamina +1 temporary point.

Mom looked at me pointedly. "Button. I get the impression that you have something to tell me." she not-asked, raising one eyebrow. Mare, I hate it when she does that.

Having no choice, I told her about how I got the The Gamer perk. To make the illustration easier to digest, I opened up the Party menu and invited her.

She looked seriously surprised for a moment, (can you honestly blame her?) but accepted.

Out of curiosity, I looked to her face and said, "Observe."

Name: Milano Mash
Level: ??? (Observe skill not high enough)
Title: Wonder Mom
Nature: Caregiver
Nickname: Button Mom
Relationship: Your mother
Stats: ??? (Observe skkill not high enough)
Status: She's confused, but confident that all will be explained.

I explained some of the mechanics to her, then -with her love and blessings- took my lunch, exiting the house, remembering at the last second to close the Party for the nonce.

Just for the fun of it, i decided to pronk down the path toward the schoolhouse. I noticed Pinkie Pie coming on an intercept course. Then she synced her gait with mine.

"Hi Button!"

"Hey there, miss Pie!" I responded.

She scoffed at that. "Button! 'Miss Pie' is my granny! Just call me Pinkie."

"Okay mi- er, Pinkie. What brings you this way?"

She began to speak rapid-fire, as is her style. "Weeeeell... I noticed that you were hopping along on the way to your school, I guess, and I wanted to know what would make you so joyful that you'd be hopping just so and I decided to come over to ask what it could possibly be, so here I am and-."

"For the love of Celestia, Pinkie! Take a breath!" I demanded.

Reflex Command check (Charisma + Manipulation) DC 6 - 4 successes.

Pinkie stopped and took said breath. Before I had time to say more, Pinkie pointed at the upcoming schoolhouse.

"Looks like this is your stop. Have fun! Or, as much fun as you can have at school, anyway."

With that, she waved and hopped off into the distance.

The lot of us piled into the education center, to be greeted with the sight of the rather fine-looking miss Cheerilee.

With a quick Observation, I received the following

Name: Cheerilee
Title: Learned Lady
Relationship: Your teacher
Status: Happy
Level: ??? (Observe skill not high enough)

"Good morning, class!" she greeted.

"Good morning, miss Cheerilee!" we responded in unison.

"Let me remind you that there's a test today. I hope you studied." she said.

There were a few 'aww's, but our teacher scolded, "You had plenty of time to study and plenty of warning."

With that, she started handing out papers. Basic math stuff. Simple enough.

Taking on our anthro forms, we picked up our quills.

After about 10 minutes, Twist was finished, myself coming second. A few minutes later, so were the others.

Quickly skimming over our hand-ins, Cheerilee raised an eyebrow at one before resuming.

A quick journal writing followed, mine being about a super-powered spacefaring cat.(1)

As the recess bell rang, miss Cheerilee called out, "Oh, Button Mash? -Don't worry, you aren't in trouble- i just need to talk to you for a moment."

As the rest of the students went out to play, I trotted over to our teacher's desk. "Yes, miss Cheerilee?" I queried.

"When did you get a Perk?" she asked, completely serious.

"I don't-" I began, but then she glared at me, something akin to Fluttershy's Stare.

"Do you see anything strange abut this test paper?" She asked, hoofing over the sheet.

"Uh.... No. I see that I got 100% on this."

"EXACTLY." she dryly exclaimed. "Up unto today, you've been consistently the third-worst math student, after Snips and
Snails. I don't believe that you'd improve this much in such a short time. Not only did you get every question right, but you even got the bonus question, which none of you should've been able to answer at your current grade level. It was a test to see how you reacted and not only did you get it right, you showed your work. The LONG WAY."

Yes, with my enhanced stats I had forgotten to play dumb. Oops.

"You are GOING to tell me how you improved so fast. And also tell the rest of the class. After recess."

Reflex Integrity check (DC 8) - 0 successes. Critical miss.

Under the maroon mare's spell, I had no choice. "Yes, miss Cheerilee." I droned.

After the class came back in, the teacher said, "Alright, everypony, it's time for show and tell. Due to the test we're having it late today."

Featherweight came up first. He had a bunch of photos that he'd taken over the weekend. Pretty high quality, too. He was getting pretty good at that.

Twist came up next with a tray of candy canes she'd apparently made herself, which was passed around the class.

Then it was my turn. I gulped audibly. Coming up to the front, Gamer's Mind steadied my will, dispelling my fear. I said aloud, "Party." When the screen came up, I invited everypony to the party. They all accepted, one by one.

With that, I explained the whole story, Aside from the occasional question (usually from miss Cheerilee), all was silent. With the cat finally out of the bag, I took my seat, head bowed in shame.

"Nice use of your abilities, Button." miss Cheerilee complimented me.

This surprised me. "You... aren't mad?"

"No! Far from it! You used your ability to improve yourself! That's worh celebrating. And you actually stepped up and confessed it. That takes guts."

Apparently she wasn't fully aware of her powers of Manipulation.

"Everypony, let's give Button a round of applause for being so brave."

There was resounding appluse from the class, much to my embarassment.

You have gained two levels. (+2 max damage threshhold, +2 Essence, +4 BP)
You have gained 10 reputation points.
You have the temporary adoration of the class. Mostly, at least.
Would you like to save your progress? (Yes No)

Uh.... Do fish MOVE?!

(Yes)

Game Saved.

Author's Note

1: The actual series was caled "Cosmo Cat and the Cosmic Kitties" or something like that.

Chapter 4: Getting Into It

(Tiu's Day)

The next day, Sweetie Belle and I went over to the arcade after school to have a bit of fun, like we do now and then. Taking our bipedal forms as we went in, the very first game machine we used was the skee-ball game.

(Accuracy check (Dexterity + Thrown) DC 5, 3 times: 6 successes, 5 successes, 4 successes)

(1)

With my boosted Dexterity (also making a note to invest a few points into Thrown), I easily earned us some tickets. Next, we went to a Whack-a-Croc game. A bit like Whack-a-Mole, but with crocodiles. Giving Sweetie a couple of coins, we picked up the mallets and waited for the game to boot up.

(Player 1: accuracy check (Dexterity + Melee) per 15 seconds, DC4: 8, 6, 5 and 6 successes)

Player 2: accuracy check (Dexterity + Melee) per 15 seconds, DC4: 9, 8, 6 and 3 successes)

Wait, what?

At my incredulous look, Sweetie smiled smugly at me.

I glared at her halfheartedly. "Observe."

Name: Sweetie Belle
Calling: Player 2
Nature: Trickster
Relationship: Best Friend/Destined Lover
Lv: 4

Continuing her smug look, she turned to the side a bit. Right there on her flank was a Neighstation 2 controller with a "2" above it. How had I not noticed?!

She said, "Did you think you were the only Gamer here?"

"Oh, now it's ON!" I said, smiling in earnest at the last bit. Now I knew that this would be an actual challenge! "There's only one way to settlle THIS!"

"Yeah! No quarter asked, none given." she replied.

"Give me a quarter." I half-joked.

The next machine was up: A shiny new unit that was currently unoccupied. Across the top was Prance Prance Revolution.

Sliding a couple of full bits into the machine, I gave Sweetie the 'after you' gesture, saying "Apres tu, mon cher."

Sweetie was pleased by both gestures. "Been actually working on your Prench too, I see?"

This machine worked a little differently from your typical DDR machine. This one also takes into account Ponykind's propensity for musical numbers. Yes, this one lets you sing, too! Booting up the game, we selected the obvious choice for a warm up.

(2)

By the end of the song, we waited for the scores to add up. To our great surprise, our scores were exactly the same! At that, we realized that the challenge was pointless, really. In fact, this was a GOOD thing! Nevertheless, we earned an extra play, so Sweetie said, "One more before the next game?"

"Your pick." I agreed.

So she picked a new song. A bit faster, this time.

Not caring what score we got at this point, we laughed and moved on to the next game.

This too was a shiny new one, Painted across the top was Ninja Baseball Bat Mare.

Sliding some bits in, I had an idea. "Hold my hand for a moment. I have an idea."

Pressing my other hand to the screen, I felt a pulling sensation and for a moment, everything went dark.

You have entered an instant dungeon!
(Ninja Baseball Bat Mare)
Party automatically formed.

Sweetie looked more thn a bit nervous before Gamer's Mind took effect and she calmed down.

Briefly, the game went through the Character introductions.

Captain Jose
Speed: OOOOO
Swing: OOOO
Power: OOOO
Reach: OOOOOO
Special: Dynamite Dance

Twinbats Ryno
Speed: OOOOOOOOO
Swing: OOOOOOOO
Power: OOO
Reach: OO
Special: Thunderbolt Kick

Beanball Roger
Speed: OOO
Swing: OOO
Power: OOOOOOOOO
Reach: OOOOO
Special: Foil Buster

Stick Straw
Speed: OO
Swing: OOO
Power: OOOOOO
Reach: OOOOOOOOO
Special: Royal Stinger

Seeing the Character Selection screen, Sweetie walked over to Stick Straw, who had more range than the others. I chose Twinbats Ryno, who was faster and wielded two shorter bats.

Suddenly, two more ninjas joined us, both fully garbed in the proper outfits. Clearly these were game sprites. "Glad you could join us." Jose said. "We have work to do."

Captain Jose and Beanball Roger joined the party!

(3)

The game over, we leapt out of the machine. Sweetie laughed joyfully. "Ha ha ha! That was a kick!"

"Wasn't it, though?!" I agreed. "Whew! We'll have to try that more often."

We managed to gain several items, which were stored in my inventory. We'd split the 'winnings' later. For the time being, we exchanged the tickets we'd gained for a few little prizes, then left the arcade.

Sweetie turned to me and said, "Button... I had a great time today. If you want to do this again, call me. Maybe bring Bloom and Scootaloo with you. But if you'll be my Player 1, I'll always be your Player 2."

She surprisingly gave me a kiss before leaving me stunned and slackjawed.

You have gained 1000 xp, 200 GB-

I swiped the notification away. "Not. Now."

Fine. Be that way.

Author's Note

This arcade is based partially on the Midway that I used to go to as a kid.

1: Forgot that he had Epic Dexterity points, did you?
2: If you want a challenge, see how many characters you can pick out. :ajsmug:
3: I don't have the skill to describe this properly, so I'll let you use your imaginations. Sorry.

For those who are wondering, I am treating Equestrian money much like that of Dungeons and Dragons, with a touch of the currency system where I come from (Canada), from Bronze 'pennies' to Electrum, worth 100 gold coins. The most commonly seen are the gold 1 bit coins.

Chapter 5: The High Road

(Wodin's Day; Home)

Another school day, and so I had to get up early.

After my bi-daily shower and getting dressed, I went downstairs for breakfast and then started on my way to school.

"Now might be a good time for a recap." I said to the aether.

Oh, so now you want a summary. Fine.

Yesterday, you gained:
2000 EXP
+6 BP (now: 15)
+1 Melee skill
+1 Thrown skill
+1 attack power with blunt weapons
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
HP up: 5 (25 max)
Essence max up: 8 (16)
+4 bp (now 19)
Weapon rewards:
Wakizashi Bat: x2
Odachi Bat: x1
Katana Bat: x1
Kanabö Bat: X1

Relationship with Sweetie Belle improved: ++++
You have reached Well-Liked status with Sweetie Belle
You have gained new options
-Romance conversations
-Flrt
-Proposal (requires Blue Rose and Engagement Ring)

Now I had enough BP that I could spend a few, when I had time. For now, school was in sesion today.

'First things first, i'm boosting Integrity.' I thought. 'I don't want to be overpowered by anypony else, after all.' Also, there were a few things that I had yet to fill out. Namely my Boons and Birthrights.

All that could wait, though.

Approaching at the schoolhouse, I noticed that there was a tall pony that I could see through one of the windows. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was none other than...

"Princess Celestia!" I called out, accelerating my trot into a gallop.

She looked toward me. "Ah! So it's you!"

Arriving, I tilted my head slightly. "Huh?"

"I felt that i'd gained a new Scion, as did my sister. From this point, you may -if you choose- call me 'Amal'(2). Anyway, I thought I'd visit my new Scion, to better explain the finer points of being such. If that's alright with you, Cheerilee?"

Miss Cheerilee smiled warmly. "Of course. He's shown that he's ahead of the class in his studies, so one day wouldn't hurt too much. Just bring him back when you're done. I'll just check him off on the Attendance chart..."

I got the feeling that she only aquiesced because it was Prin- er, "Amal" who asked.

"Come along, Button." my divine mother beckoned.

Before following, I subvocalized, "Observe."

Name: Celestia Dawnbringer
Calling: Diarch
Nature: Caregiver.
Lv: ??? (Observe Skill not NEARLY high enough)
Relationship: Divine Parent
Status: Patient, but eager to teach you what she knows.
Suggestion: You're in no real danger, but she is a Divine. Tread carefully.

....That's not even a little funny, mare(3).

Speeding up to catch up to my Amal, (who took like two steps for every ten of mine!) we went a short distance away.

"Have you allocated all of your points?" she asked me.

"Uh.... no. Not yet."

"You're going to need to."

Bringing up my status screen, I spent a few points.

Academics: 3
Art: Gaming: Automatic 5
Athletics: 3
Awareness: 3
Brawl: 3
Fortitude: 3
Melee: 3
Occult: 2
Presence: 2
Survival: 3
Integrity 2
Thrown: 1

"Also," she said, "I think I'll get you started on learning the 'family business'."

Power flowed from her to me, infusing me with some sort of strength.

Purview gained: Sun (2)
Sub-race status gained: Pegasearth

With that notification, a stabbing pain issued from my sides as new appendages emerged with painstaking slowness.

Amal smiled down at me. "One day soon, you'll gain enough magical potential to complete the set... and become an Alicorn."

My head was still spinning, my new wings shooting off sparks of wind energy as they forged connections to the rest of my body. Eventually, the pain stopped.

Purview gained: Sky

Sun and Sky purviews have combined and evolved into a greater purview: Celestial

"Try flying." She said.

"Flying?! But I-"

"Just. Do it." she commanded.

Remembering the suggestion that my Observe skill gave, I decided to attempt it.

With a little effort, I found the muscles that controlled my new wings. At first, they were all out of sync, but after a few minutes I was able to synchronize them and actually take to the air, albeit jerkily. Soon enough, though, I was flying around my still ground-bound Parent.

"Button! You're a natural! How did you learn so quickly"

"It's... genetic, I guess?" I halfheartedly answered.

"You've achieved in minutes what some can't in weeks! I'm so proud!" she said, wiping away fake tears.

Eventually I learned how to land. The hard way.

"Alright! Next lesson: Illusion!"

"Huh?" I queried.

"Now that you're part pegasus, you'll want to know how to hide and reveal that at will."

------One lesson later....-----

And after a while, I'd managed to hide my new wings. A little later, I'd learned how to control my wings while they were hidden. Then how to use vapour-script.

Amal grinned and said, "That'is just for starters. You'll be capable of even more once you reach Demigod status! This is just the beginning! For now, I need to tell you about-"

Suddenly, with a white flash, Discord appeared and finished Celestia's sentence. "The CHAOS Auction!"

She frowned at him.

"Whaaat?" he half-whined "It's my thing!"

Amal rolled her eyes, but made a "go ahead" motion with one hoof.

"Oh, yes! Kid, are you going to be able to cause some havoc now!" Discord said, excitedly. "Now, listen up. There's a way for you to gain powerful items that will give you POWER! With that skill of yours, you can gain money or objects from defeating enemies or doing specific tasks. With that money, you can purchase items from the Chaos Auction site. Or even sell items that you've gained."

With that, he touched my head with one talon.

Saving throw vs corruption (Stamina + Intelligence) DC 5: 6 successes

Option unlocked: Shop

"And with that, I'll be off." Discord said before vanishing in another white flash.

Celestiamal rolled her eyes. "Well, there you have it. I have my own duties to attend to, so I'll see you back to school."

"Thanks for everything.... Amal." I said.

"We aren't even close to being done, my colt. We'll pick this up some other time."

With that, she brought me back to class, then flew off.

As for me, I sat down at my desk and got out my supplies in time for the next lesson to begin.

Author's Note

1: Any Harvest Moon fans out there?
2: Uh, that means mother, in Elven. One of several words, apparently. Why elven, you might ask? It was the first thing to come to mind.
3: Since Equestria seems to be a matriarchal society, i'm using mare, in this context. For example, whereas IRL one might say "Oh, man!", in it's place i'd use "Oh, mare!"

Chapter 6: Reaping Rewards

(Thor's Day, Home)

It was Thor's Day and I was at home just finishing off Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team on my JBA. When, after the credts rolled...

You have completed: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team. Trade in your save for a reward?

"Um... sure?"

No sooner did I say so than my save file vanished and three pokeballs appeared before me. Touching one, I saw a selection of Pokemon that could occupy it. Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaaur, Pikachu, Chikorita, Totodile, Mudkip, Cubone, Torchic, Treecko, Eevee, Skitty, Machop, Psyduck and Meowth.

If I were to guess, this and the second regarded the starting Pokemon, while the last would be one of the tag-alongs.

"Decisions, decisions." I said aloud. After much consideration, I selected Pikachu. When I did that, the pokeball turned an electric yellow colour.

Moving on to the next one, I saw a similar selection. Notably, Pikachu was missing from the list. The choice was easier this time.

"Eevee, I choose you!" I half joked. The Pokeball solidified into a dark creamy colour.

Turning to the last, I saw a dizzying number of pokemon fly by in a roulette-esque fashion. A button appeared after a while, labelled "STOP". After a time, I pressed it and the wheel stopped short between Plusle and Minun. The Pokeball took on blue and pink hues.

"Not what I was hoping for, but okay. At least I get both Just as well, because the two of them are the OTP."

Just then, I discovered that it was almost 9:00. Time for school!

Grabbing my saddlebags and my lunch (thanks, mom!) I dashed out the door, heading for the schoolhouse.

(School, 8:59)

My increased Agility allowed me to leap across the roofs of the various houses around town, cutting travel time significantly.

I got to the schoolhouse and got to my seat, one minute to spare.

After Math came Science. We always enjoyed thee classes because miss Cheerilee was a very hooves-on science teacher. Not one Science class was un-interesting! (1)

Today, she had a bunsen burner set up. She also brought a bunch of different kinds of salts. Each one turned the flame a different colour, from gold to magenta to fuchsia to green! It was really cool to watch!

Next she brought out a bowl of water and some chunks of raw Sodium. Putting on some hoof-gloves, she dropped in a medium sized chunk. It sizzled for a bit before bursting into flame. She explained that this was because of the implication of Sodium's spot on the periodic table. Maybe next time she'd bring in Potassium! (2)

After that was lunch. Along with some pizza that mom packed, there was also a juice box and a few breadsticks, complete with marinara sauce.. Did I mention that my mom is awesome?

You ate: Pizza lunch
+1 max hp
+5 max stamina
+1 to energy pool

After lunch we had show and tell. Snips and Snails brought in a puppy that they'd acquired recently. They said that it was a long story.

Diamond Tiara brought in some costume jewelery, which she shared around the room. I got a bracelet! Ever since her reforation, she'd brought things like this in on occasion. Needless to say, her mother disapproved, which was as good as encouragement to Diamond.

Apple Bloom brought in a keg of zap apple cider (with her family's permission, of course), which was also shared.

Alcohol content: 0.2%

'I could have gone without knowing that.'

[You have drank: Zap Apple Cider.
Stamina is maxed out]

After that was my turn. I opened my inventory and brought out the three Pokeballs that I'd gained. "How many of you know what these are? I asked the class."

A few hooves went up. Twist was the fastest.

"Twist?" I selected her, a bit surprised.

"Thothe look like pokeballth. Are thothe tha real thing?"

"Very good, Twist!" I said, nodding. Tapping the button on each in turn, I commanded, "Pikachu, Eevee, Plusle and Minun, it's showtime!"

Out came my Pokemon, each taking a bow.

"Pika Pika! (Thank you! Thank you!)"

"'Veeeee! (Yay!)"

"Plus Plusle! (Hi kids)"

"Min min Minun. (Do we really have to do this?)"

After the class expressed their excitement, I explained a bit about these recent acquisitions.

The rest of the day went on relatively normally. After class was dismissed, the Crusaders trotted up, matching my stride.

"That was awesome, Button!" Scootaloo opined.

"Yeah!" Apple Bloom agreed. "Will there be more?"

"Probably." I said. "I'm almost done with a few other games, and miss Cheerilee didn't seem to mind. Who knows? I might even get everypony one."

"Ya mean it?"

"Really?!"

"Cooool!"

Relationship with the CMC improved: ++
Warnning: Letting them down will have the inverse effect. Be careful

'Noted.'

Saying goodbye to the girls, I went back home, hoping to complete more games. I had a lot of work to do...

Author's Note

1: Shoutout to my grade 9 Science teacher, Mr. Scanga.
2: He totally did!

Chapter 7: Going Once? Going Twice... SOLD!

(Frigg's Day (1), Home)

When I awoke in the morning, I stretched before getting up. Now fully awake, I noticed that there was a computer where one wasn't before. Attached to the monitor was a note with a credit card of sorts attached to that.

Hello Button! Discord here.

I remember telling you of the Chaos Auctions, but then realized that you have no way to access it! Silly me! Anyway...

This computer will allow you to access the Chaos Auctions website, along with other resources (which you'll find in the Favourites tab on the browser). It also has an AI which we've called Harmonious Online Network EnvoY, or HONEY for short (2). Be sure to say hello to her! She'll also hide the computer from any prying eyes if you ask her to, save those you choose to tell about it, anyway! What's a secret without a few confidants, eh?

Also, as a small gift, I'm giving you the 'Create Instant Dungeon' ability book. This will allow you to, well, create an instant dungeon. At the outset you'll only have access to Level 1 dungeons, which will spawn up to level 5 monsters, once you learn it.

By the way, you code is 19-1-6-20-25 (3).

Happy shopping!

'That Discord.' I thought to myself, 'Even when he's being apologetic he barely takes things seriously. Welp; Better check this out.' I thought

Flicking the switch to turn the thing on, I found myself greeted by the Desktop screen. I also saw a sleeping digital pony with a little Z floating above her head. Every now and then it'd pop, only to be replaced by a new one.

"Observe."

Name: Honey
Title: 'Net Navigator
LV: 1
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 3
Stanina: N/A
Appearance: 3
Charisma: 2
Manipulation: 1
Intelligence: 6
Wits: 5
Perception: 6
Status: Sawing digital logs.

Awaken her?

I smiled. "Honey? I'm home!"

Sorry. I couldn't resist!

At that, the Z popped and she stretched, much like a cat, before standing up.

'Why hello, master! was your night restful?'

"It was! Nice to meet you."

'And you too, master. As you know, I am your Harmonious Online Network EnvoY. With any luck, we'll have a great partnership.'

"Looking forward to it! Firstly, bring us to the Chaos Auctions homepage, would you?"

'Yes sir! With pleasure!' she said before opening the browser that was there. Immediately, the site's banner was on full display, sized just correctly for the screen at its current resolution.

CHAOS AUCTIONS

In the upper right hoof corner was the amount of store credit that I had. I notced that Discord had also set me up with 2000 bits as a startup. 'He must REALLY want me to use this. Well, better not disappoint him.'

Scanning through the selections, I saw armour sets, artifacts, weapons, spellbooks, potions, scrolls, knick-knacks and much MUCH more! Some of it would cost me a year's worth of college funds to get. Even the penny candy versions were over 50 bits each!

Naturally, the effects of the candy that was on display would make Bayonetta jealous, BUT STILL!

Honey helped me as I selected a few items and added them to my cart, noticing that the skill scroll for 'Create Instant Dungeon' was already added to the cart.

As the numbers rolled down to their new total, Honey sat down, a hat with a satelite dish appearing on her head. 'Sending request..... Done!'

As little as five minutes later, I heard a tap at the window to my room. Sure enough, there was a miniature gyrocopter carrying a package.

"Your. Delivery. Sir." it said in an electronic voice.

It held out a transaction pad, Swiping my card along the slot on the side, I punched in the code and the copter dropped the package into my... hands, then flew off.

Opening the package, I saw a brand new set of Daiklaves (they'd never require polishing, would stay sharp and would appear with a vocal command. Also, they wouldn't harm friendlies or myself. One was of Monsilver and one of Starmetal.), a set of Soulsteel armour (it'd extend when combat scenarios made it necessary, or with a different vocal command), a set of spell books and skill books (Flaming Bolt, Chain Lightning/Energy Chain, Trap, Elemental Control, Mana Regeneration, Combat Skills 101, 102 and 103, Enchantment 101 and Counterspells), a set of potions (Mana, Health, Regen of both, Antidotes for various status ailments -I might not need them due to Gamer's Body, but somepony else might-, permanent buff potions and general reagents), which went right into my inventory).

Also there was a little something for my mother (An all-purpose cookbook, with over 4000 recipes, and a kit with a bunch of ingredients) and a pair of Knight's Arks for myself and for Sweetie Belle, come Hearts and Hooves Day, which was fast approaching. She always did like purposeful gifts.

Needless to say, anything that decided to mess with Sweetie or myself would deeply regret it for the rest of the time they had.

It had cost just about every bit in my account, but it was worth it.

Firstly, I picked the Create Instand Dungeon book up. A notification appeared.

Would you like to learn [Create Instant Dungeon]? [Y] [N]

"Yes." I said. The book disappeared and I could feel the skill enter my mind.

You have learned [Create Instant Dungeon LV 1]

In quick succession, I did the same for the other books

You have learned:
Flaming Bolt LV 1
Chain Lightning LV 1
Energy Chain LV 1
Trap LV 1

Flame Control LV 1
Water Control LV 1
Energy Control LV 1
Wind Control LV 1
Earth Control LV 1
Light Control+ LV 1
These skills have combined to form [Elemental Mastery] skill.

Combat Abilities (5)

Mana Regeneration

Item Enchantment
Runic Enchantments
Item Fusion
Item Evolution
These Skills have combined to form [Runemaster] skill.

Counter Magic
Dispel Magic
These Skills have combined to form [Magebane] skill.

That done, I stashed the rest of the items in my Inventory and prepared for school that day.

"Oh, right. Honey?"

'Yes, master?'

"Conceal the computer until I return, would you please?"

'Affirmative. Have a nice day. I'll be here if you need me.'

Author's Note

1: No, really. That's what Friday is short for.
2: Yes, this is a reference to the app. #NotSpon.
3: S-A-F-E-T-Y.
4: I'm just going to take the lazy route here and say that he gets the Combat Abilities from https://www.khwiki.com/Abilities_(KH)

Chapter 8: Keeping Promises

Saturn's Day - Home

I exited from the game that I'd just completed. This ability to dive into games was straight up AMAZING! Better than any 3D tech you might imagine!

You have completed: Jade Empire
Rewards- The following Arts
Leaping Tiger
Thousand Cuts
Legendary Strike
Heavenly Wave
Stone Immortal
Dire Flame
Storm Dragon
Paralyzing Palm

The following weapon styles:
Tang's Vengeance
Crimson Tears
Dragon Sword

8000 Silver bits

Dragon Amulet
The following Essence gems:
Gem of Inner Genius
Gem of Unyielding Strength
Gem of Infinite Spirit
Negative effects nullified by the unison of all three gems(1)
Net gain: +10 Physical, Mental and Social points

Eye of the Dragon- Physical +6, Social +6, Mental +6, Celestial Aura
The Open Palm- Social +10, Mental +5

16, 26, 21 points awaiting allocation

8000 EXP
You have leveled up 4x
BP gain: 16

All in all, a very fruitful playthrough! Earlier on, I completed Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team, which earned me a set of pokeballs, containing each of the starters that were available for play, aside from the ones that I'd recieved from the first playthrough. So, as a result, I got:
Charmader, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Meowth, Machop, Cubone, Psyduck, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Treeko, Torchic, Mudkip And Skitty.

Again, a very fruitful playthrough. I decided that I'd let the Crusaders have one each, as long as they were careful with them. I'd also let mom and Miss Cheerilee have second and third pick, respectively.

Also, due to my ability to create Instant Dungeons (which I'd been practicing with to the extent of being able to augment time by 6:1) I had Jade Empire completed before breakfast! I was loving this ability of mine more and more!

That said, no school today or tomorrow. Bonus~!

I thought to myself, 'Maybe I will meet the Crusaders at Sugar Cube Corner. Maybe they have an idea of what to do for fun today.'

(Saturn's Day; Sugar Cube Corner)

Arriving at Sugar Cube Corner, I saw the Crusaders there, drinking their favourite milkshakes. Vanilla for Sweetie, Apple/Strawberry for Apple Bloom and Caramel for Scootaloo.

Trotting over to the counter, I shifted to my bipedal stance, so I could better balance and order my favourite. Which, you might/might not remember, was Chocolate!

After paying for that, I went over and took a seat at the same table. Placing my shake to the side, I opened my inventory and placed nine of the pokeballs in a 3x3 pattern. These were all of the starters that were available in-game.

Sweetie tilted her head. "What are these ones?"

I smiled and replied, "Why don't you pick one and find out?"

Apple Bloom chose first and recieved Chikorita. Sweetie chose next and got Squirtle. Scootaloo chose last and got Cyndaquil.

Promise kept.
+10 XP

Suddenly, Pinkie dashed over and chose one. "I want this one!" she said. Begrudgingly, I let her do so. As it turned out, she picked Totodile.

I said to the four of them, "With these Pokemon you'll be able to defend yourselves should worse come to worst." They tossed their 'balls to the floor, releasing their Pokemon. All except Pinkie, that is. Unexpectedly, Gummy (who was nearby, i guess?) walked over and poked the button on the Pokeball that Pinkie chose. Suddenly, he was sucked into the Pokeball, which started glowing.

Pinkie touched the button and with a nigh-on blinding flash, Totodile was released. As it turned out, it had Gummy's colours!

This wasn't lost on the bubbly balloon branded mare, and she called out, "Gummy?"

Her new pokemon responded, "(Present! It's me. And in this new form, others will be able to understand this renewed gator. What possibilities might come from this? What new experiences might He witness?!)"

Apparently, Gummy had merged with this new guy. That flash was them coalescing!

"Well, that was unexpected." I commented.

Pinkie nodded excitedly. "You're telling me!"

I decided to inform Pinkie of her Partner's stats. "Okay, Pinkie, listen up. Gummy here is now a Totodile, I guess. Totodiles are Water type, You might occasionally have to go to Fluttershy for some fish, or get some for him yourself. Maybe see if there's a place that sells something he might like. He should now be able to tell you what he's in the mood for. At the level he's at, he'll have a couple of Intrinsic moves and one Learned move (2) Be sure to give him lots of love and for Celestia's sake keep him far away from the twins!"

As it turns out, Pinkie was taking notes, a quill held in her mane scribbling on a likewise prised piece of parchment.

"If you train him well, he'll eventually become a Crocognaw and in turn a Feraligatr. Raise him right and you'll have a powerful partner protecting you and yours from danger. Speaking of... Gummy?" I continued, addressing the bystanding reptile at the end.

"(Yes?)"

"Open your mouth, would you?"

Obliging, the small Pokemon opened his mouth, revealing several sharp-looking teeth.

"You may or may not want to pick a new name for him. I hardly think Gummy describes him anymore. Something catchy. Self explanatory. Easy to remember."

Pinkie thought for a moment. "Nothing's coming to mind, so for now I'll just keep calling him Gummy." She turned to her partner. "If that's okay with you, buddy?"

"(Always! 'A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet', as the saying goes. I'll be fine with any appellation you designate to me.)"

I subvocalized, "System?"

Update in progress.

That brought me up short. This thing got updates?! Oh, well.

My promise kept so far, I decided to move on. Maybe Rarity would like to have the Skitty? I finished my shake-

(Saving Throw vs Cold, DC 4: 4 successes)
You have eaten: Milkshake.
+2 HP
+1 temporary Stamina
Satiated status for the next three hours.

-and exited the sweet shop.

(Saturn's Day, Schoolhouse)

Arriving at the schoolhouse, I noticed Miss Cheerilee doing her best to fill out paperwork.

Status: working
Emotional status: frustration/boredom

Surprise her? Y [] N [x]

I knocked on the door, attracting her attention.

Good Manners
+10 XP

"Yes, Button? You have a question?" she asked.

"More of a... gift, Ma'am." I said. Stepping over to her desk, I placed three pokeballs upon it.

"Pick one! Maybe it'll... brighten your day!" I offered.

She smiled and chose one. Pressing the button on the front, she released Meowth!

"Well, I have always wanted a cat." she commented perkily.

"(Oh, I'm no mere cat, mistress! I'm a Meowth!)" the released feline corrected.

Miss Cheerilee was surprised, but pleasantly so.

"How are you with paperwork?" she joked.

Leaving them to get acquainted, I decided to move on.

Author's Note

1: That's only a thing for the purpose of the story.
2: For example, a bipedal gator should be naturally able to Bite and Scratch. Water Gun or Bubble, for example, are Learned Moves. I think you can figure out why.

Chapter 9: The Meaning of Lives

(Sun's Day - Home - Midnight)

You might be wondering why I was up at this hour. Well, I'll tell you.

At the time, something was bugging me. Even with my enhanced stats, it boggled my mind.

Though I wanted to figue it out myself, I would have to rely on the troubleshooting system.

"System."

What is your query?

"I have a question; a bit of an existential one."

Go on...

"Thing is, just before becoming The Gamer, I was confronted by a Game Over screen. What happened? Why can't I remember what happened?"

You died.

"No, I mean, what really happened?"

Are you sure you want to know? [Yes] [No]

I sighed, really taking time to think about this. Did I want to know? Would Gamer's Mind protect me from any potential scarring?

Did it really matter?

The answer to all of the above was hopefully the same.

"Yes."

Very well.

For several successive weeks, you'd been having the same nightmare; a powerful vampony, named the Lord of Bloodsoaked Dreams(1). Each time you'd have more and more trouble fighting it off; Each time it came back stronger.

Each morning you would awaken with more scars under your coat.

I then saw a montage of myself defeating the nightmarish creature.(2) Each time, it would take me longer to slay it, and it would come closer to defeating me.

Naturally, this would either confuse your mother, scare her, or both, you figured. So you didn't bother asking her about it. Princess Luna later explained to Princess Celestia that she'd been having trouble entering your dreams. And little did she know that the closer she came to entering... the easier it became for your adversary to invade your dreams. In a similar but more powerful form.

Eventually, it defeated you; you fell to its blade. As it was about to take you over, Princess Luna intervened. But it was too late. For all intents and purposes, you were already dead.

So she came and took you to Princess Celestia, who is more well-versed in healing spells. In that moment, you took your Second Breath. You were returned before morning's light, which is why your mother didn't know of it.

It took both Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia's efforts to bring you back from the brink. That's why both are your Divine Parents. That's part of why you now have the ability of The Gamer, and became their Scion.

Is this answer satisfactory?

This explained a lot. One more question remained.

"What happened to the... nightmare?"

Banished, hopefully forever.

Amen to that! A nightmare of that kind of power? Who knows what would have happened with something like THAT in the waking world?

"Thank you. That's a load off of my mind."

Any time.

At length, I asked, "Is that update finished?"

Yes. Your character chart has been updated to use a different system(3). Display the results?

"Yes."

Strength: 3/15
Dexterity: 5/25 (+3)
Stamina: 4/20
Charisma: 3/15
Manipulation: 4/15
Appearance: 4/15
Intelligeence: 3/12 (+2)
Perception: 4/20
Wits: 5/25 (+3)
[] Academics ***
Art: Games *****
Athletics ***
Awareness **
Brawl ***
[]Command *
Control *
Craft **
[] Empathy **
Fortitude ***
[] Integrity **
Investigtion **
Marksmanship **
Medicine **
Melee ***
[] Occult **
[] Politics ***
[] Presence ***
Science *
Stealth *
Survival ***
Thrown **

Virtue: Justice/Compassion/Harmony

Virtue Flaw (2): Red Rage of Compassion
Activation: When seeing the innocent harmed right in one's view.
Effect: When the gauge for this fills, he will be filled with rage and will attack the object of his frustration until it is defeated or dead.

Vice: Wrath (mild)

Knacks
Roll With It
Omnidexterity
Cat's Grace
Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Body (natural knack)
Gamer's Spirit (natural knack)
(Gamer's Mind, Body and Spirit combine to create Gamer's Soul)
Monkey in the Middle
Jack of All Trades
Immaculate (3)

Purviews: Video games, Good, Magic, Knowledge, Protection, Sky, Sun, Glory, Strength.

Birthrights
Resources: 3
Mentor: 4

Willpower: ******

Soak: B6/L4/A3

Legend: 6
LP: 36

BP: 0

I nodded, satisfied. I'd be able to go to sleep now. In the morning, I'd continue on with my life as The Gamer, but for now, I had some logs to saw.

Author's Note

1: Reference to Boktai's Count of Groundsoaking Blood. And I gotta say, without even trying (I only looked that up after writing the whole section), I got the referenc pretty well! :pinkiesmile:
2: No reference to THAT game, of course. :twilightsheepish:
3: I realized that the way things were, there was little point to the experience points. This will complicate things somewhat, but will hopefully work out.

Chapter 10: The Joy of Flight

(Moon's Day, just outside of home)

I decided that I'd stalled for long enough and that I should teach myself how to fly fluidly.Princess Celestia (You might remember that she wanted me to call her Amal) gave me my first flying lesson, and i'd passed with flying colours. But as far as I'd heard, Pegasi coming into their power have a boost to their flight abilities. Pinkie Pie had to catch Pound Cake a few times.

Anyways, I made sure to get Princess Twilight to spot me; make sure I didn't hurt myself. I figured that she might also have some pointers, having recently gotten control of her flying.

"Okay, Button." She said, "You may make your first attempt whenever you're ready."

I felt for the muscles that controlled my wings. I'd practiced getting that far before, but it still took a little effort.

Attempt 1

After that, I fully extended my wings and gave them a couple of flaps. When I realized that I was actually off the ground -a fair 40 hooves, at that-, I stopped flapping out of surprise and dropped like a rock.

"Don't worry." the lavender princess assuaged, "That happened to me too." This was another reason that I'd chosen princess Twilight to aid me. Rainbow Dash would've been too gung-ho. Fluttershy would've been too soft. Princess Twilight ought to be just right, I figured.

Her being one of my Divine Parents didn't hurt either.

Gained 22 EXP in Pegasus Magic.

Attempt 2

After a few slow-flaps to make sure I had it right, I attempted again.

This time, after I'd reached about 50 hooves, I tried turning, which was... relatively easy. Tilting forward slightly, I angled my wings -still flapping enough to stay aloft- I went forward.

Only to overbalance and nearly crash. Fortunately, princess Twilight caught me.

Gained 25 EXP in Pegasus Magic.

"Ooh! That might've been a painful one. When you crash like that, it's because you have an unbalanced body position. You're in control."

She projected an image of a standard pegasus flying.

"Take a look here. With the slightest movement of your body, you can control your flight. You can turn in position -you covered that- go up or down," the pegasus did all of that, "With enough practice, you can even fly upside down, or spin on your head like a top. With Celestia having given you your wings, it should make it even easier. Come on, let's try again. I'll even keep you balanced."

This time I took out a pair of flight goggles from seemingly nowhere. I'd bought it from the Chaos Auctions site.

"Where did you get that?" princess Twilight queried

I shrugged in response, putting them on anyway.

Flight Goggles equipped; +3 Agility, +2 Endurance

I took a takeoff stance for the third time.

"Make sure not to put too much energy into your hooves when you push off the ground. We'll cover hot takeoffs later."

I took a deep breath, exhaled and -with a clear mind- extended my wings again. Music began playing in the background.(1)

Attempt 3

I carefully took flight, I could feel princess Twilight's magic holding me steady, subtly shifting my wings to make sure I was balanced. With this confidence booster, I sped up slightly as the music began to swell.

I was flapping harder, speed increasing steadily. The wind was whipping past me, blowing my short mane back. By this time, Twilight had let me go, not that I noticed. A mach cone began to form in front of me.

I kept looking straight on, focusing on reaching the next cloud bank, then the next one, then the next. It became harder to do so over time, but it helped at first. I did a midair somersault as the music increased in tempo.

The mach cone condensed, but I hadn't broken the barrier yet. I would never be as fast as Rainbow Dash -who could easily reach mach 4 BEFORE entering her Iconic Sonic Rainboom mode-, but I was fine with that. I could feel the pressure increasing...

On top of the next cloud was what looked to be a Super Star. Not questioning it, i grabbed it as I flew by, new energy flowing into my body, inccreasing my speed yet again!

As the music reached a crescendo, I finally broke past the sound barrier.

"Yahoo!ahoo!ahoo!" I exclaimed as my speed increased again.

Twilight turned toward the audience. "When a flying object breaks the sound barrier, a sonic boom occurs -that's the sound you would've just heard.

Since Button doesn't seem to want to come back down, I'd say this about does it for this session."

She whispered conspiratorially, "He'll realize I let him go eventually. He should be fine, though, since I cast a Feather Fall spell on him. On the bright side, he'll learn about gravity, too."

Author's Note

1: Imagine the classic meme track from Halo. You know the one. I couldn't find a proper version of it on Youtube, so...

Chapter 2: Merry Meetings and Enemy Encounters (edited)

(Ponyville, Sun's Day)

I made my way toward the iconic gingerbread themed house, a skip in my step as I went along. As I did so, I noticed that some of the mares I passed by still looked about average. With my heightened Intelligence, I reasoned that the Sex Appeal buff probably only worked on those that were potential romance options for me specifically. This was partially proved to be accurate, as I noticed Dinky looking rather pretty herself.

Then I paused mid-step. If that's the case, then why did my mother....

Nope! Not entertaining that thought! Just because it might be possible it doesn't mean that I should. I'll just settle for 'I was wrong' and move rrrright along!(1)

Arriving at Sugarcube Corner, I noticed the Crusaders sitting at the table and- WHOA!

While Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked especially lovely, Sweetie Belle was practically sparkling. Not a single fleck of dirt marred her features. looking as lovely as others consider her sister to be. My vision was swiftly gaining a pink filter as I looked at her, a clear sign that I was enamored AB!(2)

When Scootaloo noticed me, she waved me over.(3)

As I reached that table, I seemed to be attracting some attention from other patrons of the establishment. Must be my enhanced Charisma. It made other Ponies notice me when I walked through the door. Obligingly, I switched my gait to a strut ratther than a base trot.

"Hey, girls!" I greeted, ¿Cómo te va?"

This got their attention. "Since when did ya learn Spaneighsh?" Apple Bloom queried.

(Bluff check (Wits + Charisma), DC4; 3 successes)(4)

Not missing a beat, I replied "I've been broadening my horizons a bit, lately. I've read a few dictionaries, of late."

The fib fooled the fillies and we moved on.

"So... you're looking rather svelte, Button."

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Another white lie. "Come to think of it, you girls are looking rather radiant yourselves. Especiallly you, Sweetie." I sent an instinctive wink at the trio.

(Attraction increased with Apple Bloom +
Scootaloo +
Sweetie Belle ++)

We didn't notice her before, but Pinkie Pie was nearby, looking at me with her head tilted slightly. "What's that?"

I quickly X'd the window. "Uh... Nothing!"

She shrugged. "Okay. What'll it be?"

The three of us laid down our bits and, in unison, said "The usual!"

For me, that meant a chocolate shake (with a doule chocolate muffin). A vanilla for Sweetie (with a slice of cheesecake), a strawberry-apple for Apple Bloom (with an apple frtter) and a caramel for Scootaloo (with a slice of strawberry-rhubarb pie).

Forrtitude check (Stamina + Fortitude) DC4; 4 successes

With my boosted stats, I was easily able to avoid an Ice Cream Headache.(5)

The four of us chatted for a while, enjoying our desserts. Along the way, I was able to flatter them a bit more.

(Attraction increased with Apple Bloom ++
Scootaloo ++
Sweetie Belle +++)

Alas, good things came to an end.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is."

"Oh, great." the four of us said in unison.

With Diamond Tiara's redemption came unfortunate consequences. Namely that instead of two bullies, now there were three. And these guys were much more forceful than the previous two. These were Pennyworth, Firecracker and Spinner. Typically, they were quite the nusciance. Now, however...

I stood up from the table and sighed. "Let me handle this, girls."

"Ooooh!" Pennyworth sneered, "Is somepony getting a burst of courage? Didn't learn from the last time?"

"I was different then." I replied coolly. "What say we take this outside? No point wrecking the place."

We did just that. Once outside, I stretched my legs to prepare.

Initiative check; 4. Player takes second turn.

I decided that I'd go easy on them.

Limiter placed: 2 Strength

Spinner said, eagerly, "Let's do this."

But first, a warning.

"Ah ah! All we want is to be left alone. So. If you're smart... you'll back off right now. If you're stupid, you'll be needing to go to Zecora to get new teeth."(6)

Intimidation check (Charisma + Intimidation) DC 5: 2 successes

Sure enough, they decided to do this the hard way, marching toward me. Firecracker approached first, taking on a bipedal stance. He thrust one foreleg toward me.

Counter check (Dexterity + Wits) DC6; 6 successes; 10/2 (7) = 5 bashing damage

I grabbed Firecracker's outstretched hoof, pulling him to me and striking him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. The sight of him staggering back caused the other two to pause, letting me take an opportunity.

"Scan." I sub-vocalized.

Firecracker HP: 15/20
Pennyworth HP: 14/14
Spinner HP: 20/20

Hmm... Pennyworth was tough, for a spoiled rich kid.

"My turn." I stated, making my move.

Attack check (Strength + Brawl) DC 2; 5 successes = 18 damage.

I struck Spinner a devastating blow, causing him to fall to the ground, effectively incapacitated.

Pennyworth gave me a determined look and attacked next.

Counter check: (Dexterity + Wits): 6 successes 22/2= 11 damage

Pennyworth also slumped to the ground, effectively out of the encounter. I looked to Firecracker. "Give up? Or do you want me to make good on that threat?"

Firecracker sighed, said "I give up. We'll get outta here." and picked his allies up from the ground, walking away wit a wobbly gait, the uneven weights setting him off balance.

Gained 2 skill points for winning the encounter.
Gained 3 BP for defending the Cutie Mark Crusaders from harm.
+ toward Good, due to taking the high road.

Scootaloo dashed out of the restaurant. "Whoa! How did you learn to DO that?!"

"What?" I queried, not expecting that to be the first thing for her to say.

"THAT. Was AWESOME!" she extolled.

"You're not mad at all?"

"You just defended us by yourself and didn't get a scratch! Why in Equestria would I be mad?!"

From above, Rainbow Dash flew down and excitedly said, "I know, right?! Oh my gosh, that was SO. AWESOME! Naturally, I was prepared to swoop in if you were having trouble, but you totally owned those jerks! It'll be a while before they come back!"

I observed, "It's like mom always says: Never start fights, but always finish them."

Going back to the faux-gingerbread cafe, i finished my well-deserved drink, quite pleased with the accomplishment.

Author's Note

1:#thatisnotmyfetish!
2: Like AF, but ponified. Let's keep this relatively PG, hmm?
3: Being a pegasus, Scootaloo would naturally be more observant.
4: Been a while since I've broken out the D10s. :twilightsmile:
5: More commonly known as a Brain Freeze.
6: Family Matters reference!
7: Halving damage because of taking a counter action, not an attack action.