The Game: Aether and Mind

Art and Treasures

I stood within the realms of the Gamer's dream, upon a field of mystic blooms on a well-lit night, where flower petals and a smooth, gentle wind flew through the endless expanse that was this space. From every corner, almost like I was surrounded by many creatures, a soothing, lulling tune of a woman could be heard, so soft, it may have just been one sound varying only in volume and intensity. In front of me stood a nearly fully carved statue of a slender, mostly featureless mare dressed in a silky dress and face hidden behind a veil, looking upon the heavens.

Are you sure female members of the pony race usually have such edged snouts? The Game asked calmly, or perhaps it was just me who has become completely used to his presence, that I didn't even flinch.

"I usually finish the face last, call it poetic or pragmatic, but I think the face should fit the body, because adjusting it afterwards is much easier than shaving the whole thing." I said, while my gaze was still fixated onto the visage of the mare, the stone appearing like cloth. It was weird, knowing that having possessed absolutely no talent in art as a human, to suddenly carve something you'd see in museums. All that, in just about five or six years of practice, seemed surreal to me.

I parted my eyes from the unfinished piece, absorbing it back into my inventory. I enjoyed carving much more in this place, than the already masterfully crafted halls of the palace. I glanced at a suddenly appearing window. The moonlight shimmered across the glossy surface, even if both the light, and the reflection were but an illusion.

Artist - Level 35 [19,87%] - - Create an greater masterpiece to advance from novice to intermediate.

With the average level of a pony being around level 30 to 35, possessing this progress in the job class 'artist' could allow you to create art that is of the highest quality in this world in theory. However, you have to remember that the progressions within the classes are based around the standards my creators and thus the nightmare realm deemed: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, and Supreme. It is unlikely to find many living creatures except for possibly entity Princess Celestia to be higher than Intermediate in any class.

I huffed, blowing strings of silvery hair out of my vision. "Way to ruin the mood, Magic Eight Ball." A muttering left my mouth as I walked further forward, and the world seemed to rotate as I progressed. I disliked the negative view on the masses or the higher standing before them that was spoon fed to me by so many sources, made me feel like one of them Corpies. In my field of vision came a high wall of stone that advanced quickly, and in said blockage was a slit, an archway, through which I walked.

The world on the other side changed drastically, now the sun was up in the sky and I found myself back in the familiar valley. "I can see why it's called a dream, oh and G- Right,I forgot to pack up those two." My smile fell into a frown as I saw the bell and mirror standing upon two pedestals crafted from stone. Unlike the material used for the statue that was 'funded' by the crown, this stone was mined by my own two hooves from the goblin hideout, a dungeon spanning several kilometers, only filled with rock and the occasional Nitorium.

If you wished for me to put these two items out of your peripheral and ethereal vision, you could've just beckoned me. The Game spoke with a heightened tone and mused like an old nobleman sipping wine.

"Har har."

I stopped in front of the well and forcefully kept my vision away from the cursed mirror. Picking up the bell, I felt several additions to its array of memories, mine, but I knew this long already, but it still didn't bode well with me, knowing I could accidentally transmogrify my loot.

You enhance them.

"This time with the bell. The mirror on the other hand-." I nearly threw a punch at the glassy surface, but held it back, not knowing if I'd coincidently discover a hidden aspect that'd knock out my teeth. "-Now is a problem for all of equestria and fuck else."

I cannot understand where the problem lies. You created a unique item that can likely ease the hardship of our quest.

"How can you not see how this can't backfire?"

Star's Mirror
*[Scrying]

-Communicate with any creature on the same plane of existence.

-Requires familiarity with the person or a personal object as well as a reflective

surface through which can be looked at the receiving side.

-Can be used to communicate.
*[Prismatic Reflector]

-Absorb any projectile and fire it back as its polar opposite.

-The ability costs as much mana as the original spell.

-Physical projectiles are reflected without cost.

Smithed in the finest forge of the Canterlot castle, and imbued by the desire to return all pain done to its maker, Star Touch, this mirror stands as a monument of thorns. Yet the hope to rebuild what was lost still glimmers in the dark, tinted surface

"You're telling me this won't back- ouch - fire?!" I asked with disbelief, before sucking my hoof as I accidentally poked myself on the metal thrones that adorned the frame of the mirror.

All items we possess are deadly to mortal and immortal kin, however, they are highly unlikely to be able to use, less so understand them, and that is before factoring that these objects would absorb all their lifeforce in an attempt to muster enough pure Aether to fuel their abilities.

"Great, you all heard of suicide cells, now comes the new invention everypony has been waiting for, horse juicers." I rolled my eyes, before quickly turning towards the bell.

While we are on the topic of discussing the mirror, may I know when you will contact entity Sunset Shimmer?

I took a deep breath with closed eyes while leaning closer towards the bell, letting the happy memories push away this awful night. " Pal, mate, I ruined her whole life, even if it wasn't the best family she had, with the situation of Celly being lofty, and even if every single aspect of her existence was already crumbling- should this have been the case, it was still something worth having."

"Now I send another woman out into no-one's land, you think I can just go and be like: ‘Hey miss Shimmer, look at my new cool trick, I've been trying a whole long time attempting to make it work so that we can talk again, you know, like some years ago.’" My childish voice suddenly faded as I quickly turned around and stared at the floating ball of color, the one that only now showed a hologram of his form, with a dead look.

So I presume that the last interaction with entity Sunset Shimmer was the final one?

My face tightened as the stare I gave it sharpened. "You really know how to rile me up, ya know." I commented, before deflating and turning back to the bell. I picked the chime up with my hoof, I found myself denying the use of magic in everyday situations as to not become too comfortable, and held it to my heart. The sound was much sweeter than it was before, much smoother and gentler, while the appearance was almost the same, were it not for the small, engraved image of a mother and foal.

I shuddered slightly, the thought of having a mother was still so alien to me, even when I had already embraced it. How hard the decades clung to my bones.

Star's Bell
*Miracles are 30% more effective
*[Greater Restoration]

-Heal 500 points of health at the cost of 100 faith

-Lesser debuffs are automatically removed

-Additional faith can be used to cleanse higher-tiered effects
*Minor Stat boost

-At the cost of 25 Faith, a stat can be slightly boosted

-Multiple stacks cannot apply to the same stat but may be cast on all categories simultaneously.

Enriched by the bonds of family, devotion, blood, and marriage, this heirloom was passed down onto Star Touch, who invigorated it with the love he has for his foster mother, Gentle Touch. The desire to heal and grow hums softly.

"I'll contact her one day, soon, but not now." I said solemnly, before picking up the chime, and putting it in my inventory, while leaving the mirror behind. I took a few steps away, before stopping. "Now, let's see what mother has to show us."

Traditions

"So... what do you want to show me?" I asked with peaked interest as Celestia and I trotted through 'Celestia's school for gifted unicorns.'

I honestly was unsure if I liked or hated this place, and this confident statement of mine was formed within the first minutes of entering this surprisingly large building. On one hand, it seems pretty nice for a school, most certainly much cleaner and more refined than the dumps I've visited in my human youth, but the place was filled with snobs. No, I was not being objective or seeing only the surface level, the place had an aura of arrogance, and most of the pupils I've looked at had piss poor stats, the only redeeming factors were their perks earned likely through selective breeding or whatever plans their grandparent had to couple their children.

Of course, I was not much better, my Intelligence stat wasn't the best either without the perks, but advancing quickly as I got into far more complicated subjects like magical fields, ley lines, and thaumatic laws.

We passed through the entrance hall, and it was huge, to put it lightly, possessing eight staircases in total that lead to the upper levels, all carved from granite. Finely crafted furniture and decorated walls with the school's achievement filled this place with life, since most pupils, - or should I call them scholars at this point? - Were busy learning in their classroom. Still, some seemingly had free time and were ogling us as we walked deeper into the building.

'Why aren't they looking at me with disgust.' I thought while glancing at a small friend group of pupils who quickly turned their eyes away from me as I paid them some notice. 'Now that I think about it, why has nopony done so in a while?'

The average level of charisma for an adult pony is 100, and this threshold is the case for all other categories the ponies possess, with the average hitting 150 at certain stats depending on the tribe. Earth ponies are more advanced in strength and endurance, Pegasi in Dexterity, and Unicorns in Intelligence.

'And what about wisdom?' I wondered.

Unless a creature is of spiritual nature, or has a natural connection to an element, wisdom is usually unaffected by race.

"When I grew up, there was a tradition for fillies and colts soon coming of age." Celestia started, while softly smiling to herself, enjoying and cherishing this moment. "And as you are already ten years old, I desired to continue it with you as well."

'Wait, soon coming of age? The hell is that supposed to mean?!' I thought angrily.

In human years, you'd be 20, in addition, seeing as entity Princess Celestia comes from a period, this likely being the equivalent of human medieval times, children became adults much earlier by law. Though I had guessed that this 'coming of age' would happen earliest at 14. How surprising.

"And this tradition is..."

"Just let it be a little surprise."

I was uncertain of the events to come, so I tried not to be pessimistic this time. Maybe they'd turn out nice.

The path we took led very deep into the school, even when we never took a turn, just one long, straight line until we reached the laboratories, or more precisely, their storerooms.

This wing of the school was dressed with much less-flammable material but still outfitted with marble statues and carving of famous researchers, teachers, and even students, such as: Glamorous Gleam, one of the first Sorcerers attempting Metallurgy and to an extent, Aurumancy. Valtek, a master of infusion and arcane energization. Cryptic Scribble, father of enchantment and the lost arts of runecraft.

Lost is an excessive way to describe unreachable knowledge, it still exists somewhere, even when it's stored within a nightmare or object which fell between the layers.

'And so the grave robbing continues.' I thought lumpingly, stealing from nightmares was digestible, and taking some coins was deplorable, but still, something I could manage. This reached a bit over my span of flexibility.

A click of a heavy oak door alerted me and made me part with the long line of researchers. Celestia smiled contentedly as she waited and held the door open for me. I didn't hesitate long and walked inside, though feeling the instruments stored inside, radiating somewhat stagnant magic, was a bit uncomfortable. It was akin to tinnitus, always in the back of the head, slowly driving you mad.

While on the topic of excessive equipment, why was it stacked so weirdly? The room was big enough to house at least five... more... ponies.

"Surprise." Hauhuthos said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, even when it sounded rather muffled.

The aforementioned Owl, in addition to Cadence and Gentle Touch, sat in a half-circle before a massive table, littered with various objects covered by white sheets, greeted us. And was it not for the presence of Gentle Touch, I would've been a whole lot more worried about my, you know, existence.

"So, uhm, this tradition entails." I asked slowly, once again attempting to prematurely find out about this grand secret.

"I think my colt has waited long enough, Cadence, could you please reveal the mystery to Star?" Gentle Touch said kindly, apparently more aware than I was.

"With pleasure." The Pink alicorn said, before moving to the side alongside the rest of them to grant me a better look at the table. Suddenly, the cloth was illuminated by a blue glow, before it was levitated to the side.

What I saw, no, felt, was nearly overwhelming in every sense of the word, as the magic that radiated off the 'mystery items' was free to indulge everything in the room with their presence.

It was an array of creatures still in their youngest stages, most still being eggs.

Cadence took a step closer to me and said cheerfully. "Members of the royal family, or close associates, regardless of gender, receive a companion at the age of ten. The most gifted and talented receive theirs first, and you have definitely achieved more than any colt I've seen in my years. As a reward, you may be the first to choose your partner, before anyone else."

"Take all the time you need, there’s no rush." Celestia assured from the side, before sitting on the floor.

"I- I uh- uhm." I stammered while eying the vast selection, the question completely steamrolled me as I attempted to inspect the array of companions.

"I believe a small tour is needed." Hauhuthos spoke gracefully as he wobbled his way towards me. "Let us skip the more common companions first. First we have a Phoenix, Princess Celestias’ choice, a Calcava which is Princess Cadences’ companion, or what I chose found as a pleasant partner, a Vitruvian Mouse."

"I don't know what the last two are..."

Hauhuthos raised one of his feathers like an index finger, but Cadence was faster. "An Calcava is a bird made up entirely of crystals, and it can read emotions and changes color accordingly. A kind hearted creature. The mouse, on the other hand, is as big as an opossum, and is quite intelligent, you could call it a natural librarian for its love of order and dusting."

"Mouses come from eggs?" I asked with wonder while staring at the brown and white spotted, ostrich-like egg.

"This one does." Gentle Touch noted, though I just assumed she had to survive a lecture for this presentation in advance.

"Ehem, now barring any further interruptions, let's continue. We also have a Spartus Kitten, a cat with metallic, keratin plates with an indisputable desire to protect it's master. Next there is the Arcane Owl, less so of a companion than a guide, but still a pleasant creature to be around. After that we also have a phalfasum, it's kind of like a floating fish, but nonetheless still a caring creature that's adept at sensing magic, but likely inferior to your abilities. The last one I'd recommend to you would be the, and please excuse my poor pronunciation of the Cardavon accent, Kar'kawon Wandosa."

The last creature, with the unspeakable name, was not in an egg, but sitting in a golden, gilded cage. It looked like a mix between a Chinese dragon, cat, and ferret. It was lanky with short limbs and a body covered in scales and fur. Its fur color was blue, while the scales seemed to be a metallic white. The snout was defined, sharp in a sense while the teal eyes bore a kind nature. It floated a bit as our eyes met.

But from the corner of my vision, and the edge of my senses, I felt another signature from below the table. I crouched down and saw, in a little, old cage a huge purple-spotted egg.

"What about that one?" I pointed my hoof at it.

"Oh, ehm, you see, this one's not an option." Cadence fiddled with her hooves while thinking about an answer.

"Why?"

"It's dead." Hauhuthos answered bluntly, earning him the ire and glare of the two alicorns in the room. He seemed only slightly bothered by their reaction. "Rather the dragon whelp's flame is nearly extinguished and doesn't have enough strength to break out of the egg, nor survive. It was bought nearly two hundred years ago from smugglers by the headmare at the time, and after its state was diagnosed, was used for magical manipulation and studies regarding dragonkin’s innate ability to resist magic. "

I stared at the egg a little longer, before pulling the entire cage towards me. I wonder if this body was one of the options I had been given in the beginning. A creature with no goals in life, no achievement, with no one missing them should they perish. A Nothing, never given a chance...

"I'll take it." I spoke softly, quietly while pulling the egg out of the cage, only to be stopped by Cadence herself.

"This tradition, and the companions chosen for it, were not chosen merely as a gifting ceremony, but because they are to accompany students while under stress, and these creatures are especially good at absorbing excessive amounts of released magic. They are mental and physical health aids." Cadence said while levitating the egg towards herself. "And a dragon is a unique case, given that they are sentient in every way, which would make things more difficult, not even taking into account that it will likely never hatch." It was a soft way in which she tried to explain things to me, and yet it was gut-wrenching to me.

"It's not fair that you give up on it just because it looks like it won't ever live." I said sadly, not meant as an accusation or wanting to offend, it just poked me in a wound.

There was an air of uncertainty for several, long-stretching moments, a very uncomfortable frame of time, of staring at one another.

"Oh for Starswirl's short hairs." Hauhuthos groaned loudly, before swiping the egg and the Wandosa from his surroundings and pushing them into me with his wings. "Here, problem solved, there are at least a dozen completely dead dragon eggs lying in the cellar. Now if you excuse me, I've got about fifty-six more mana measurement devices to fix." He huffed loudly, before ripping out six of his feathers and throwing them into the air.

The feathers formed a circle, with their tips pointing towards the center, before they started to rotate and a thin, white portal expanded from the core to the vane of the feathers. It looked like a sheet and it hummed with magic. "Besides, ‘wouldn't be the first time he stuck it to the laws of reality." He didn't give us another glance, before vanishing into the portal, not even hesitating before leaving.

The portal collapsed into a shower of tiny, quickly dying sparks, and to dusty crumbling feather remains. I wouldn’t forget what the owl did today.

I looked at the two creatures in my hooves, the Wandosa seemed as confused as me, while the egg, well, I could assume it was happy for somepony to hold it. Yet, I wondered how much truth stuck to Cadences’ words.

Unhatched Dragon Egg
Level: ???
Rare
Health: 86/500
Mana required to hatch: 0M/144M
A small dragon egg once taken from its mother, hundreds of years ago. Due to the preserving nature of dragon eggs and the longevity of dragons, the baby managed to survive for quite a long time however, causing the hatchling to degrade over time. A substantial amount of mana is required to enable hatching.

Only 144 Mana? that's not a lot, I can hatch it right now. I thought with enthusiasm.

The 'M' does not stand for 'mana', but for the unit 'million.' You require 144.000.000 points of mana to hatch the foundling.

My confidence sank, but it didn't matter if it took me one, or ten years, I'd hatch the egg even if it's the last thing I'll do!