The Games we Play

by Sunny Milk

Rating: teen
Tags: Alternate Universe, Human, Original Character, Profanity, Adventure, Violence, Crossover, Sex, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 18113

A teen wakes up in another world.

My life has been flipped upside down, and now I'm in a world of fucking technicolour ponies! Not only that, but I'm a game character now too? And There's a voice inside of my head?!
I'm right here, Aria.
Not now, Stele! Where did it all go wrong...?
Or rather, did it really go wrong? Maybe I'll enjoy this world better than my old one, it's not like I'm missing much back over there anyway.
We know, we didn't have any friends, Aria.
Sigh Well, Dear Reader. Care to sit down, grab a nice cup coffee and read about my tale, do ya?

Elements of this story are Inspired by The Gamer, written by Sangyoung Seong and Illustrated by Sang-A and other Fics on this site, like The Game: Aether and Mind by Zwillingen700

Side note: for those who may thing I'm ripping off the name of another popular fic, I didn't actually know about it before I came up with title, and only learnt that someone else had used this game when someone pointed it out to me.

Published 2022-08-04 17:20:00 UTC
Last updated 2025-02-01 19:53:12 UTC

Arc 1: Chapter 1: Every Game Needs a Good Tutorial!

It's not every day when you have to question everything you knew up until now.

As consciousness returned to my once-sleeping form, I reflexively clutched my aching head in a futile attempt to ease the mind-splitting migraine that had made itself known to me. Strangely, this pain vanished just as fast as it came, much to my relief...

What was not to my relief, however, was that I immediately noticed that something was deeply wrong about the situation I had found myself in.

To start, I could feel clothing hugged tightly against my body, clothing that I did not wear to bed that night. My entire body was laid down on what I could only guess to be soil of some kind, soft and slightly moist.

What caught my attention the most however was a light blue panel suspended in the air like magic, floating above me with text reading:

Integration of Unique Skill(s), Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Body is complete. Would you like to begin the Tutorial?

Beneath this line of text were two buttons, yes to confirm and no to deny.

There's no fucking way this isn't a dream right? I mean, you don't see random floating panes of glass asking you questions in reality, do you? Finishing with my musing, I lifted my right hand out to touch the 'yes' button on the panel, flinching slightly as it made contact.

The panel vanished from sight and was replaced by another bearing different text, and a gentle voice echoed within my mind.

User. Now that your body and mind have acclimated to new heights, I believe an explanation of your new capabilities is in order. But first, introductions are in order. I am Stele, a fragment of your subconscious given form by one of your new abilities, Gamer's Mind. I shall assist you, my host, in understanding and overcoming any situation yet to come. Now if you would, please utter the word "status" out loud so that I may help you.

My mind nearly went blank from the onslaught of new information, or at least, that's what I'd usually be saying. Strangely, every word that was spoken into my mind just, made sense to me, as if it followed any logical sense! Then again, this is a dream, right? Dreams didn't have to make sense.

As if she(?) could hear my thoughts, she interrupted my musing.

I assure you, User, this is no dream and to answer what I know you're thinking, I only have access to your surface-level thoughts. Now, would you please say "status" for me?

I sigh in defeat. I decide to get up off of the ground and in doing so, get a full view of my surroundings. I had woken up in a large clearing in some kind of forest, though I didn't recognise any of the tree species, which threw me off a little.

I open my mouth, but nothing come out for a moment as I hesitate. I shake my head, before uttering that one word.

"Status."

This time, a grey panel popped into existence in front of me, displaying yet more text.

Name:Aria Lee
Class: The Gamer
Title:None
Race:Human
Level: 3(0.00%)
HP:123 ((VIT x 10) + Level) (12HP/Min)
MP:233 ((INT x 10) + Level)(19MP/Min)
STR:12
VIT:12
DEX:17
INT: 23
WIS: 19
LUK: 10
Skills:
[Gamer's Mind (Passive) LV MAX]
This Skill allows the user to stay collected and analytical under any pressure as if life was nothing more than a game with no stakes and protects against psychological effects, magical or otherwise.
[Gamer's Body (Passive) LV MAX]
Allows the user to live like a character from a game. Food restores HP and drinks restore MP, wounds, regardless of severity will heal with enough time, and pain quickly subsides once a wound is healed.

Before I could voice my opinion on this new development, Stele's voice cut me off.
As you can see, "status" allows you to see information about yourself and your capabilities, as well as your current HP and MP. Although we both already know how attributes generally work, I shall still go over them.

STR is a measure of how physically strong you are and affects how much weight you can carry and the attack power of melee strikes. STR affects the size of your muscles, and how toned they are to some extent, although not to the same degree as DEX.

VIT is a measure of how much Life Force any given thing has, and affects the chances of resisting some debuffs and is also mainly responsible for how much HP someone has. VIT does not have a physical trait associated with it.

DEX is a measure of how mobile and nimble your body is and affects how fast you can regularly move and the damage you inflict with ranged weapons such as bows. DEX shows how toned and defined your muscles are. The more DEX, the more this trait is noticeable.

INT is a measure of how easy it is for your mind to process complicated problems, as well as spatial awareness. INT is also a measure of how potent one's Magic is, and how much Mana one has. INT does not have a physical trait associated with it, but at higher levels can cause Mana to radiate off of you passively, making you more intimidating due to the sheer amount of power leaking off of you.

WIS is a measure of how good one's memory is, as well as how perceptive they are of their surroundings. WIS also slows down the ageing process, and at higher levels can even completely halt ageing altogether.

LUK is a measure of how favoured you are by the universe and increases the chances of outcomes that favour you, as well as the rarity of items found in Instant Dungeons. LUK has no physical trait.

With these 6 attributes, you will continue to grow in this new world, and face the dangers that may lie inside of it.

...Hold on, did you say new world? Am I not on Earth anymore?
Stele paused for a moment, before answering.
We are not. I'm not sure what this new world is, but we aren't on Earth anymore. Please do not panic however, although it is faint I can sense sapient life nearby. I believe we should introduce ourselves and find shelter there.

And before I could express any form of retort, I was interrupted once again, by two screens.

Tutorial Quest Complete
As a reward for completing the Tutorial,
two Skills will be given to you.

Rewards:
I.D Create(Active) Level 1(0.00%)
Instant Dungeon Create allows the user to project a temporary pocket world called an "Illusion Barrier" that overlaps and is a copy of the real one. Higher Level I.Ds can have monsters inside them.
I.D Escape(Active) Level 1(0.00%)
I.D Escape allows someone to leave an I.D provided that all requirements are met.

I suddenly wasn't mad with all the constant interruptions.

Those two skills were very useful as far as I could tell. I could use I.D Create to effectively disappear and be completely safe within an empty Illusion Barrier, and come back to the real world whenever I want!

I nearly lept for joy after that revelation, if it wasn't for the other text box that was floating in front of me.

Quest: Meet the Locals
Stele believes that locating the other sapients is the best option for survival,
given that you don't have any experience living out in a forest.

Accept Quest?

Stele, I don't think that's a good idea. They might just attack us on sight, and we don't know how powerful they'll be... then again, I could use I.D Create if things get hairy. But say that we don't get attacked, how will we even understand them? And you haven’t even told me where to go! I questioned incredulously.

One of the many features of our ability allows us to automatically translate other languages into our own! It's rather convenient.
As for where to go, turn to your left and keep walking in that direction, it'll lead you straight out of the forest.

...Alright, I'll do the Quest. I just hope we'll don't run into any trouble.
I tap the "yes" button with a finger, and the text box disappears like the rest. I turn my body to my left and take my first step in this new world.

I wasn't sure how long exactly I had walked, but I was elated once I had finally breached the dark canopy of that unnerving forest. Everything about it made my hairs stand and goosebumps break out all over my arms. The very forest itself seemed to just ooze malice, I could practically feel it in its humid air. I was glad that I didn't have the misfortune of encountering any creatures that may have lived there, that was for sure.

The first thing that I saw was a town. Although I couldn't make out the details of the architecture from this distance, it looked like a medieval village and somewhat reminded me of how houses looked in the Shiganshima District in Attack on Titan.

It didn't take me long to reach the outskirts of the town, and I immediately took notice of what I assumed to be decorations for some kind of event across residential buildings.

I wonder what they're celebrating? I idly mused.

I do not know either, but I detect a being of significant power nearby, be on your guard. I wonder, may the decorations have something to do with that great power?

Let's just hope that they'll be friendly, if in doubt I can always just use I.D Create to get out of there.

I continued walking deeper into the town and strangely, I hadn't encountered any of the inhabitants yet. While I hadn't seen any of them, I could vaguely hear someone's voice. I headed towards the voice, and it became clearer and clearer the closer I got. The voice was feminine and had an air of authority behind it, I could tell its speech was measured and precise even if I couldn't understand what was being said this far away.

I turned a couple of corners, now moving at the speed of a light jog until I got close enough to the voice to hear what she was saying.

"I, Princess Celestia hereby decree that the Unicorn Twilight Sparkle shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must continue to study the magic of friendship, she must report to me her findings from her new home in Ponyville!"

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The villagers were sapient, technicolour ponies! Hell, some of them had wings and others had horns too. Though, other than the pony named Princess Celestia -which I gathered from her speech and name hovering above her head- none of them seemed to have a set of both wings and horns.

Suddenly, another text box appeared in front of me.

A Unique Skill has been created via continuous and focused observation
Observe(Active) Level 1(0.00%)
Displays information about the target, more information is given the higher the level of this skill

And yet another useful skill has been added to my collection!

After I had finished reading the text, the box vanished, and what I saw sent a chill down my spine.

Princess Celestia was looking right at me, making eye contact with me.

In a flash, I quickly hid behind the corner I came from, hoping that she didn't actually notice me. I held my hand up to my ear to listen out for anyone approaching. I felt my heart sink in my chest as I heard her voice once again.

"My Little Ponies, it appears that we have a newcomer," the crowd turned in the direction that Celestia was gazing in. "Do not be afraid, little one, we will not harm you."

Hesitantly, I took a shaky step out of my hiding place. The ponies in the crowd began to whisper among each other as I approached, though I couldn't hear what was said, not that it was my priority at this moment. Celestia and I's eyes were locked on to each other as I advanced, mutually eyeing each other up in curiosity. Celestia unfurled her wings and took flight over the gathered ponies, who cried out in a cacophony of "oohs" and "ahhhs" as their crowned Princess soared above them, landing a few meters away from me. She gave me a friendly smile, before speaking.

"And who may you be, young one? And, what are you exactly? I don't believe I've seen anypony of your kind before."
Seeing her up close for the first time was... breathtaking. She stood about a head taller than me, much taller than the rest of the ponies present. Her mane seemed to be in constant motion as if suspended in flowing water, no doubt due to the overwhelming amount of sheer mana she possessed. Even at this distance, I could feel the pressure her mere presence exerted on the air around her, making my hair stand on end. Her royal regalia complemented her pure white coat and beautiful magenta irises. Even though she was a completely different species from me, there was no doubt that she was beautiful.

I took in a deep breath to calm my nerves, before answering her Highness.
"M-My name is Aria, Aria Lee, your Highness. I'm not from around here, I don't even think I'm in the same world as I was before... I'm a human, you see."

Her face shifted into this unreadable expression, as she raised a singular eyebrow. "You're a 'human', and say you're from a different world? How interesting. If what you are saying is true we have much to discuss, young one, although I fear that the streets are not an appropriate place for such a talk. Accompany me, and my faithful student Twilight to her new place of residence here in Ponyvile, if you would."

I simply nodded and mumbled, "yes, Princess Celestia."

Today is going to be a long day, isn't it?

Author's Note

16/09/22: I fixed some minor grammatical mistakes I made when I first wrote this chapter :twilightblush:

Chapter 2: Accommodation in the New World

It didn't take long for us to reach The Golden Oak Library, but during that time I had learnt some crucial details while grinding Observe on the various ponies we passed. For starters, the average adult pony was usually around Level 4 to 5, meaning that they weren't at a much higher level than me. However, while their level wasn't impressive, their base stats threw me through a loop. From what I could tell, their stats were pretty similar to mine, barring the fact that their races gave them pretty decent boosts to various stats. Earth Ponies, as I have learnt, tend to have STR and VIT in the 20s to 30s range on average. Pegasi tent to have DEX in the upper 30s range, and VIT in the 20s range and Unicorns typically had INT and WIS in the 30s range and had a passive boost to their base Mana pool.

Once my Observe reached level 3, It showed me some of the Passive Skills the target possessed, which is how I learnt about these things called 'Cutie Marks', which seem to symbolise one's calling in life and gave passive boosts relating to such a calling. Quite overpowered, if I do say so myself.

The last thing I learnt is that if my target had significantly more levels than me, I wasn't able to see any information on them, I learnt that by using it on Celestia only to get an error message telling me just that. At least I could still see the names of people even if I couldn't see their level, since it floats above their heads.

The three of us were sat down on the wooden floor of the Library, and Spike stood holding a quill and parchment, ready to transcribe our discussion. Celestia started off with a single question.

"So, Aria. What makes you say that you're from a different world?" She asked simply, a neutral expression plastered on her face.

"Because I've just had a conversation with a Unicorn and a Dragon. Those didn't exactly exist in any real capacity back home, they were just mythological creatures and even then, they didn't have the ability to speak. I'm either in a different world, or this is just one weird dream." I deadpanned, before flashing a small smile. "There's also the fact that I can see all of your names floating above your head, that too."

Celestia blinked, but before she could reply Twilight interrupted her, eyebrow raised. "You can see what? How's that even possible?" She questioned incredulously.

I sighed and chuckled. "Hell if I know, I went to bed one night, woke up in that forest nearby with this strange ability and walked here. That forest is extremely creepy by the way." Twilight's puzzled expression quickly shifted into worry as she realised what I said.

"Y-You walked through the Everfree Forest? You aren't hurt, are you? Nopony is supposed to go in there, because of how dangerous it is!" She exclaimed.

Celestia raised an eyebrow at her student, her face breaking out into a wry smile. I was clearly missing some context there. Twilight noticed her look and quickly looked away, a faint blush appearing on her as the tentatively rubbed a foreleg with another.

Celestia made eye contact with me again and continued. "The Everfree Forest is quite a dangerous place, you're lucky to have made it out of there alive. But enough of that, what is this ability you speak of?" She asked, listening curiously.

I sheepishly rubbed the back of my skull and answered. "Well, it's a little hard to explain... tell me, do you know what a Role Playing Game is?" Before either could answer, Spike, called out.
"Like Ogres and Oubliettes?" I shot him a puzzled glance before answering.

"Well, if it's like Dungeons and Dragons from back home, then yeah, it's kinda like that. Ogres and Oubliettes is a Table Top Role Playing Game, I assume?" He gave me a simple nod. "Then yes, like that. My ability allows me to exist kinda like a game character. I can not only see your name but your level too!" Twilight's mouth was agape as she attempted to comprehend the absurd statement that came out of my mouth. Celestia intervened and asked another question.
"Do you know everything about your power yet?"

I winced and answered honestly. "I don't, but I do have some ideas when it comes to what other things I can do, but for now, let me show you something!" I spoke 'Status' out loud and as expected, the status text box appeared in front of me. I lifted my hand and pointed at it. "Can any of you see this?" I asked. Unfortunately, the three of them shook their heads. I lifted a hand to my chin, deep in thought.

Hmm...maybe I could try inviting them to a party?

"Maybe this will work, Invite Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle and Spike the Dragon to my Party!" A yellow text box materialised in front of me.

Party Created. What would you like to name your Party?

Below the yellow text box, was an ethereal keyboard. I typed in the phrase, 'Magic Casters' stifling a giggle as I did so. Once I pressed enter, the keyboard disappeared and the yellow text box had changed.

Invites to Party 'Magic Casters' has been sent

Immediately, I noticed yellow text boxes appearing in front of the three, boxes that they seemed to be able to perceive, given they had all flinched. Celestia was the first to speak up.
"Do I... accept?" She questioned, puzzled. I eased her confusion. "If my theory is right, you might not have been able to see my status because my ability does not consider us to be 'on the same team' if that makes sense. That should change if you accept the Party Invite, though." My explanation was sound enough, as the three of them accepted the invite.

In the top left of my vision, I finally noticed my own HP and MP bars, red and blue respectively, along with the addition of three new sets of HP and MP, courtesy of my new party members. I flipped my status screen in their direction, now that they should actually be able to see it.

Lo and behold, the trio gasped in shock as they looked over my full status screen. I gave them time to read it over, before asking a question.
"Is there anything else you would like to know, Celestia?" She thought for a moment, before answering.
"There is much that I wish we could learn, however, I believe my time here is coming to an end, I must see my sister as she and I have much to discuss. Before I leave for Canterlot, the nation's capital, I will inform the townspeople of you, so that none of them is afraid of you. They're good ponies, but they can be... jumpy, at times. The only thing I wish to know is, are you capable of Magic?"

Am I..? I mean, MP does imply I have access to Mana so... probably?
"I might, we didn't have Magic back at home but, the fact that I have MP implies that I at least have some Mana inside of me," I answered confidently.

She simply smiled at me, issuing the last decree for today. "In that case, I, Princess Celestia, decree that Aria Lee the Human is to live here in The Golden Oak Library, as both a valuable friend to my protégé and a student to be taught Magic. And yes, I do also expect you to write Friendship Reports, just like Twilight." Both Twilight and Spike bowed as she finished up, and I copied, not wanting to be rude.

And with that, she took to her leave. The three of us sat there for a moment, in silence. Spike was the first to break said silence.
"Soooo... you come of a different world, right? What was it like there?" The baby Dragon asked inquisitively. Twilight seems to pipe up with the mention of the other world.

"That's a great question! I'm pretty curious about your world too, especially since you mentioned that races like Unicorns and Dragons were myths. After all, what are the chances of one culture depicting something that actually exists in a different world?!" She stared into my eyes intently, lusting for the knowledge that lay within me. I chuckled and responded cheekily. "How about we make a game out of it? Flip a coin, if it lands on heads you can ask me a question, and if it lands on tails I get to ask you one!" I smirked at her, and to my delight, she smirked back.

"You're on, Aria!"

When we had started our little game, it was around evening time, and we had continued playing long into the night, and I had learnt quite a bit about the new world I lived in, and she learnt about mine.

The first thing she asked me about was how advanced human technology had become, as we don't have magic. Turns out that Twilight, before even asking the question had already hypothesised that human technology was vastly superior since it was all we could rely on.

I could only dumbly nod my head as she told me this. If there's anything to remember about Twilight, it was just how smart she was.

The next couple of questions revolved around human culture and what we did for entertainment. I recounted some tidbits of various historical events across multiple cultures off of the top of my head. Something that I had noticed was just how clear my memory was now, I suspected that it had something to do with Gamer's Mind but I decided not to bring it up.

As for entertainment... well, she decided to be a bit more personal and asked what I specifically did for fun.

I nearly talked my head off for an hour straight about various Anime that I had enjoyed over the years, and she was engrossed in my retellings of some of my favourite Anime.

"...So Vegeta got so mad that he just decided to destroy the entire planet with his Galic Gun,"- I got up and mimicked Vegeta's pose before firing his Ki Blast- "But Goku wasn't down yet, and prepared a Kaioken x3 Kamehameha Wave!" I then mimicked how Goku fired the Kamehameha, even down to throwing out my cupped hands. To both my shock and horror, as I threw out my hands I felt a strange sensation trickle out from my core, through my arms and out of my hands in a fraction of a second as a blue beam of Mana formed and blasted forward.

Forward... heading straight for Twilight Sparkle. Thankfully, She acted quickly and erected a lavender magical barrier which tanked the blast, leaving no visible damage. Just as quickly as it appeared, the barrier was unerected and we stared wordlessly for a moment.

"I-I didn't mean to do that! A-Are you okay Twilight?" I nervously stuttered out, worried that she thought I had done it purposefully.

"I'm... fine. I'm not hurt, you just startled me is all," She weakly reassured me. "It's probably a good idea not to do any more poses just in case. I don't want you blowing up on me, you know?" She gently poked me with a hoof, a friendly gesture. "Also, one of those boxes your ability causes appeared to your left, in case you didn't see." I cautiously pivoted to the left, and lo and behold I had gained a new skill, or rather, created a new skill.

A new Skill has been created via a special action!
Due to performing both the somatic and verbal components for a certain technique you were already familiar with, Magic Kamehameha Wave (10 MP) (Active) Level 1(2.47%) has been created!

I wasn't sure how to feel about this, I did feel kinda bad for being rewarded for nearly blowing Twilight's head off but, there was no denying that having a ranged skill like this did wonders for my survivability.

We quickly got back into the flow of our game, which allowed me to ask some burning questions about this world.

For starters, much to the confusion of both me and Twilight, many creatures from my world's mythology existed here. We theorised that maybe our worlds may have had contact at some point in the past, but that wasn't much more than guessing. Furthermore, these other species have their own Kingdoms like the Griffon Kingdom to the east past the Celestial Sea, Griffonstone.

Twilight had remembered two of the skills I had in my slowly growing arsenal and asked me to demonstrate I.D Create and Escape for her which I obliged since it would also give me an excuse to use them enough times to level both up by 1, allowing me to make my first monster Illusion Barrier, which contained ...Faires.

Now, something that I've noticed about I.D Create and Escape was that nearly every detail concerning how Illusion Barriers function practically burnt itself into my brain. While the term 'faires' was pretty vague, knowing that the enemies my Barrier would create were based on my own memories, specifically my memories of enemies I had fought in games in the past made me realise just how annoying that I.D would be to clear.

I wasn't looking forward to having to dodge projectiles from all sides, that's for sure.

The coin had been flipped in my favour once again, so I asked if I could use Observe on her, to which she obliged provided that she would also get to see what I did.

Did I mention that Twilight was Level 35?! and she had some pretty insane stats too! I practically had to pick my jaw up off of the floor once I saw the numbers.

Name: Twilight Sparkle
Class: Grand Arcanist
Title: The Element of Magic
Race: Unicorn
Level: 35(53.92%)
HP: 375((VIT * 10) + Level) (34HP/Min)
MP: 1905(((INT * 10) + Level) + 500) (73MP/Min)
STR:14
VIT:34
DEX:24
INT:137
WIS:73
LUK: 8
Skills:
Unicorn(Passive) Level MAX
Your arcane birthright as a Unicorn grants you above-average ability in commanding the forces of the arcane.
+10% Spell Damage
-10% Spell Cost
+500 MP
+10 INT
+10 WIS
Gaining Attribute Points related to Spell Casting is easier for you.

I really wish I had that passive. Unfortunately for me though, being a human didn't amount for shit as it didn't give me any kind of passive.

As I stared up at the ceiling to my new room I lamented my current weakness.
Tomorrow really can't come any sooner, once I learn how to do Magic, I think I'll try and tackle an Instant Dungeon. Also, are you there Stele? I haven't heard from you in a while. My little friend inside of my head responded, albeit groggily as if waking up in the morning.

I have been resting in preparation for tomorrow, thanks for waking me up, baka.
I had the distinct feeling that she'd be blowing raspberries at me right now if it was for- wait, did you just call me a baka? How are you even more of a weeb than I am, you're me!
Stele did not respond.
Fine, whatever. Let's go to sleep now.
As that thought entered my head, a text box appeared.
Would you like to rest until morning?
I tapped 'yes' and felt a wave of tiredness wash over my body as I quickly passed out, deep into sleep.

Chapter 3: Trouble in the New World

My consciousness buzzed back to life and I groggily rubbed the tiredness from my sensitive eyes as they adjusted to the light filtering through the window blinds.

Rest Complete. HP and MP are fully restored.

I slipped my bed covers off and sat on the edge of the bed as I stretched my well-rested arms, earning me a few pops.

I'm probably gonna need new clothes soon since I don't have any from back home. I silently lamented. It really was a shame that nothing came with me to Equestria. Then again, without an Inventory, I'd be pretty limited with what I could take with me.

Wait... Inventory! That's it! Why didn't I think of this sooner?!

Facepalming, I experimentally spoke aloud 'Inventory' and much to my satisfaction, a new screen appeared.

On the left was my silhouette overlaid by equipment slots for my torso, head, legs, feet and hands. Furthermore, next to the silhouette five more slots with a ring icon, presumably for accessories.

Then on my right were several Inventory slots, some filled by... my stuff?!

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Within my Inventory were a few of my shirts, dresses, various undergarments and other pieces of clothing, but that was a drop in the bucket compared to the pleasant surprise that came next.

My laptop. My laptop was here.

If it wasn't for the fact that I had just woken up, I'd probably be running around the room in excitement. I couldn't help but feel elated that I had something to remember home by, even if I wasn't all that attached to it.

I reach out for it with a shaky hand, and a second text box appears.

Laptop(Uncommon)
A middle-of-the-road Laptop owned by Aria Lee. It is currently fully charged(100%).

Fully Charged? Surely that can't be right, I know for a fact that I forgot to put it on charge that night. Don't tell me... does it charge while it's in my Inventory or something?

That seems to be the case, Aria.

I jumped at the sudden appearance of Stele's voice. After a moment of trying to get my heart rate to go down, I greet my comrade accordingly.
Good Morning to you too, you ass.
All that I got out of her was a giggle in response. I sigh, not engaging in any further mind antics.

"Right, I guess I should go see if anyone else is awake, it should be morning now," I spoke, not to anyone in particular.

"...That's because it would get really awkward for me very fast if I didn't wear clothes!" I retorted, attempting to hide a quickly forming blush.

Turns out, both Twilight and Spike had already been awake for roughly half an hour and Spike was in the middle of making breakfast as I stumbled downstairs. Once Spike was finished with our pancakes, we began eating at the table while engaging in friendly talk. That was when the topic of me always wearing clothes came up.

"...What are you hiding, huh?" He narrowed his eyes, pointing an accusatory claw at me before we both broke out in a fit of giggles. Twilight just facepalmed (facehoofed?), at our antics.

"So, what's the plan for today, Twilight? Gonna teach me some magic?" I asked, not caring that half my mouth was filled with Spike's heavenly pancakes. Seriously, the little guy can cook.

"Let's see," - A clipboard stuck in her telekinetic grip floated in front of her. - "We should have enough time to practice for 1 hour, but after that, I need to pick up some supplies in town. How does starting once you finish your breakfast sound?"

"Don't you need to finish yours fir- oh." She had already finished her food. With haste, I sheepishly finish my own stack of pancakes and enter the Library's "main" area. Despite how little time it took me to eat, Twilight had prepared a blackboard and had already drawn several diagrams depicting Magic Theory. She noticed my arrival that beckoned me to sit down with her, and as I entered the room proper I noticed Spike, sprawled out on a bean bag reading some kind of book that I couldn't make out the title of.

I'll just ask about it later.

"What I'm going to teach you might be basic but don't worry if you don't understand it the first time around, after this lesson is over you should be able to find some more material on Magic Theory here in the library. Are you ready?" I nodded, preparing myself to absorb as much as I could.

"Mana is a force that permeates all of Equus, and through all living things. Magic is the practice of manipulating our own latent Mana to produce unique effects, which are what we call spells. We Unicorns channel Mana through our horns to cast our magic. Although we're one of the few races on Equus who can manipulate Mana freely, all creatures possess magic in some form. Our latent Mana is generated by something called a Magic Core and this Mana circulates around the insides of our bodies through points called Magic Circuits, similarly to how we circulate blood," Twilight recites matter-of-factly as if she's done this many times before. "Any questions so far?"

"Could you go into a bit more depth about Magic Cores and Magic Circuits?" I asked.

"Of course!" She obliged. "Magic Cores are magical constructs inside of us that generate Mana and along with Magic Circuits, make up the Mana Circulatory System. Magic Circuits are points in the body where Mana flows through and accumulates. For Unicorns, Magic Circuits assist in controlling and manipulating our Mana, and the majority of them develop around our horns. Although I'm not sure yet, I think your body works similarly given how easily you cast that spell yesterday." She warmly smiled at me.

"Speaking of, would you like to try learning how to control your Mana properly? We should have some time before I need to get supplies."

I nodded enthusiastically, earning a chuckle from her.

"Alright, first things first! Close your eyes, and focus. You've used magic before so you should have some idea of where your Magic Core is, all you need to do is find it and let your Mana flow wherever it naturally wants to go."

I did as I was told, closing my eyes and focusing on that feeling from yesterday. The outside world ceases to exist for me, as I focus intensely for minutes on end, and eventually, I feel... something inside of my chest. I couldn't describe what it was in words, all that I knew was that it was undeniably me, an extension of my very being. I focused on it, my Magic Core and let its power flood my body. I could feel raw Mana permeate throughout my entire body, my limbs tingling from the feeling of Mana gathering in them. I opened my eyes and looked at my arms, covered by an aura of red Mana.

My Mana.

Two new Skills have been created via a special action.
Magic Aura (Active) (Base 10MP/Min) (Level 1) (6.27%)
Your Mana is covering your body, bolstering your physical capabilities both defensively and offensively. This scales directly with how much Mana you decide to cover your body with.

Mana Manipulation (Passive) (Level MAX)
Through training, you have learnt how to control your own Mana, both in and outside of your body, allowing you to create and use more refined Magic.
+5 INT
+5 WIS
-10% Spell Costs.

My entire body was enveloped by a thin aura of red mana. I could feel its protective glow strengthening me, a wonderful feeling unparalleled by anything I had felt before.

I swing my Mana-cloaked fist experimentally through the air, red streaking in its wake, and as I suspected, it barely felt like there was any resistance! I then turn to Twilight, my self-discovery eliciting astonishment in her magenta eyes.

"W-Wow! You did it on your first try, that's pretty impressive. I've lost count of how many tries it took me to first channel Mana as a filly." Her words of gratitude scored her an embarrassed sway of my head, my long hair trailing along as my field of Mana faded as I broke concentration. An act which amused her, as she stifled a giggle with a hoof.

"That being said, we're out of time," she warned, eyeing the clock. "While I and Spike run our errands, there's something I'd like you to do!"

I stared at the paper map Twilight gave me, a puzzled look on my face.

Are you sure this is the right way? I think we took a wrong turn.

I'm positive the Schoolhouse was near here, we just need to walk a little further up and we should be able to see it and ask Miss Cheerilee when she wants to take her class to the library.

As Twilight was the new librarian in town, all matters about The Golden Oak Library were to go through her, including trips to said library by school classes. I was tasked with asking what day of the week Cheerilee would like to use for her class, I even got a Quest for it.

A New Quest has been Generated.
Informer of the Library.
Twilight wants you to ask Miss Cheerilee, Ponyville's sole Teacher when she, and her class, would like to use the library.

Completion Rewards: +30.00% EXP, Twilight Sparkle will see you as reliable(+Reputation with Twilight Sparkle), 30 Bits.

Failure: No EXP, Twilight Sparkle will not see you as reliable(-Reputation with Twilight Sparkle)

Lo and behold, after just a little bit more walking, Ponyville Schoolhouse came into view. Just as it rolled into sight, the distant sound of shattering glass, followed by a panicked scream set me into overdrive. In reaction, I activated Magic Aura at a level that easily consumed 50MP a minute as a broke into a sprint, careful not to fall over due to my massively increased running speed because of Magic Aura. I cover a distance of nearly 300 meters in half a minute as I swiftly approach the doors to the schoolhouse, slamming the doors open as I reach them.

In front of me stood 3... Wooden Contructs ? 2 of those things were clawing at a door down the hallway, (which at the end there was a shattered window, likely how the intruders entered), As for the other one...

I yelp in surprise as the wooden amalgam leaps up at me, fangs bared. I reflectively smash the wooden beast with a Mana-cloaked first into the ground, before following up with a powerful kick to its abdomen strong enough to send it flying several meters, directly at the other two who had by now noticed my presence.

-72! -144!
"Observe."

Name:Timberwolf Grunt
Race:Timberwolf
Level:8
HP:124/340
MP:60
STR:20
VIT:34
DEX:15
INT:6
WIS:5
LUK:9

You need to finish them off before they recover!

"Agreed! Using a beam would be too destructive for a building so..." Concentrating my Mana in my hands I form a ball of red Mana, and hurl the ball of destruction directly at the recently launched "Timberwolf", before launching another and breaking into a sprint, ready to finish off the other two wolves.

-46! -40!

My two balls of Mana strike true and completely deplete the Timberwolf of its HP, netting something very important.

Level Up.
Level 3 -> Level 4
HP: 123/123(12HP/Min) -> 123/144(14HP/Min)
MP: 208/283(24MP/Min) -> 304(26MP/Min)
STR:12 -> 14
VIT:12 -> 14
DEX:17 -> 19
INT: 28 -> 30
WIS: 24 -> 26
LUK: 10 -> 10
+ 5 Attribute Points
Ignoring this screen, for now, I continue to rush down the other two Timberwolves. One of them finally recovers from their prone stance and meets me halfway, going for the throat just like the last. In response, I pull my arm back and pivot in an attempt to put as much kinetic force into my blow as possible.

428! Critical!

My fist barrels through the Timberwolf's fragile body and as it dies instantly, its remains practically explode all around the hallway. The final Timberwolf recovers before I can react, and scores a clean bite on my leg.

-38

I hiss in pain and reflexively kick it off of me with my free leg, dislodging its iron grip.

I glare the Timberwolf down.

The Timberwolf glares back.

Then, we both act.

The Timberwolf zig-zags during its approach in an attempt to throw me off but I easily track its movements and catch it in the air as it practically throws itself at me. Before it could do any damage to me, I pivot my entire body and slam it into the ground that was once behind me, the sound of breaking twigs echoing.

-24

With weary breath, I follow up my impromptu throw with a flurry of stomps to the cranium until it finally runs out of HP.

Due to proving your prowess in combat for the first time, you have unlocked several new skills!

Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive) (Level 1) (43.2%)
Unarmed Combat Mastery is your ability to fight using just your body.
Boosts all unarmed damage by 1%
Boosts chance of unarmed critical damage by 1%

Mana Ball (Active) (Base 10MP) (Level 1) (12.43%)
A simple technique that condenses Mana into a ball that can be thrown/fired. Due to the simplicity of such a technique, its effects can be heavily modified should the user have to skill and knowledge to do so.

Wild Throw (Active) (Level 1) (21.62%)
This skill requires no resources for activation.
A type of throw where the user pivots their entire body to throw their opponent into the ground.
30% to stun for 5 seconds if the opponent is within 1.5x that of the user.

Magic Aura (Level 1) (6.27%) -> Magic Aura (Level 2) (23.12%)

Magic Aura will now consume 1% less MP/Min.

I'll review all of this later, for now, let's just let the ponies know their safe now.

Ignoring the remains of the 3 grunts, I deactivate Magic Aura and hastily make my way over to the door with the scratch marks. I could hear someone talking on the other side, but it was too muffled to hear anything of value. With no other reasonable option other than knocking, I lightly rap on the door and announce my presence.

"It's safe to come out now! I took care of the Timberwolves!" I called out, making sure I would be loud enough to hear through the door. After waiting a few moments the door finally swung open, and standing in the doorway was my goal, Miss Cheerilee. Her mane has definitely seen better days, as it was rather frazzled with loose hairs sticking out like sore thumbs.

We began an impromptu staring contest as she took in my form. Eager to break the silence, I decide to crack a joke.

"Damn, I didn't realise teaching was such a stressful job, you look pretty bad." I offered with a half-grin. I watched for a few seconds as the cogs in her brain finally started running again, to which she countered with, "You have no idea... Aria was it?" We shared a good laugh with each other as I confirmed my name before I told her my business here.

"To cut this short, Twilight, the new town librarian sent me to ask what day you want your class to come down to the library. Though given... Whatever you want to call this," -I gestured towards the broken window down the hall- "I'm willing to bet that you probably want to call it for a day and sent your students home. There's no guarantee there won't be more of those things." She looks at me with a downtrodden expression, before conceding my point. "I'll keep watch while you evacuate your students, I'd recommend that you find somewhere else to teach temporarily while someone can make sure the schoolhouse is safe." She gives me an understanding nod as I walk back outside the building to watch the perimeter.

Around 10 minutes pass and Miss Cheerilee finishes vacating the building of foals and ushers me to walk with them on the way back to Ponyville, and also informs me that she'd like to use Tuesday as Library Day. With not much else to do while we walk back, and the students wrapped up in their own conversations, I decide to grind Observe to see if I could level it up further.

"Observe."

Name: Sweetie Belle
Class:None
Title: Sister to Generosity
Race:Unicorn
Level:3 (12.53%)
HP:93 ((VIT x 10) + Level) (12HP/Min)
MP:733 (((INT x 10) + Level) + 500)(18MP/Min)
STR:7
VIT:9
DEX:10
INT:23
WIS:18
LUK:5
Skills: Unicorn(Passive) Level MAX
Your arcane birthright as a Unicorn grants you above-average ability in commanding the forces of the arcane.
+10% Spell Damage
-10% Spell Cost
+500 MP
+10 INT
+10 WIS
Gaining Attribute Points related to Spell Casting is easier for you.

Sister to Generosity? I wonder what that means?

"Observe."

Name:Silver Streak
Class:Novice Eletromancer
Title:Tiny Spark
Race:Unicorn
Level:4 (42.72%)
HP:124((VIT x 10) + Level) (12HP/Min)
MP:774((INT x 10) + Level)(20MP/Min)
STR:10
VIT:12
DEX:10
INT:27
WIS:20
LUK:7
Skills: Unicorn(Passive) Level MAX
Your arcane birthright as a Unicorn grants you above-average ability in commanding the forces of the arcane.
+10% Spell Damage
-10% Spell Cost
+500 MP
+10 INT
+10 WIS
Gaining Attribute Points related to Spell Casting is easier for you.
Cutie Mark: Electrokinesis.
+50% EXP to Any Lightning-based Magic
Acutely able to sense the location of electrical objects within 10 Meters.

Definitely keeping an eye on that... Colt? Stallion?

It was hard to tell just how old Silver Streak was. In fact, all the other students also seemed to be like this, older than foals but, not old enough to be adults either. Maybe they were teens like I was?

"E-Excuse me, did you really b-beat up those Timberwolves?" A young, squeaky voice calls out to me. It takes me a moment to realise that he was addressing me, as I was preoccupied with reading the Status of various ponies.

"Oh- yeah, that was me. They went down pretty quickly too!" I bragged. Could you blame me for bragging a little? I did just win that fight pretty easily. The colt, -who I just realised was named Pipsqueak- seems to be pretty amazed by my accomplishment, seems like Timberwolves are considered pretty tough here.

"Hmpf! That's not impressive, anypony could do that!" A pony with a pink coat and light purple mane with white highlights by the name of "Diamond Tiara" interjected, taunting me.

"She's right, you're nothing special." Another pony, who I assume is Diamond Tiara's friend, joined in the mockery, flicking her grey muzzle along with her mane, up in disgust.

So it looks like we have two rich assholes who don't have anything better to do with their time. Man, I wonder where I've seen that before?

I turn and glare at Diamond, my Mana flaring up wildly in response to my swelling hostility.

"If that's really the case, then why didn't your lazy ass do anything? No need to embarrass yourself coming up with some half-baked excuse, I've wasted enough time even responding to your sorry ass," -I jab an accusatory finger at her- "if there's any kind of person I hate the most it's people like you, who only serve to make everyone else's lives worse." I lectured in an even tone, my anger carefully masked. A few of the other ponies who had overheard our conversation seemed to agree with my sentiment, some saying things like "You tell her!", "She's right you know!", and other such statements of approval. My anger quickly fades and my Mana calms and retracts into my body, now replaced by my now growing confidence as the ponies around me cheer me on.

Clearly overwhelmed, the two partners in crime struggle to come up with a rebuttal. Diamond Tiara grits her teeth in rage before her expression twists into a resentful smirk as Silver Streak breaks through the growing crowd. Many of the voices supporting me die down as he approaches. He moves to stand between us, hoof striking the ground, nostrils flared.

"How DARE YOU speak to my Diamond like that?! How about I teach you a lesson, huh?" He lowers his horn, along with his entire body as if ready to strike me down.

"Silver Streak. Are you really sure you want to fight me? Considering that I'm no less than 5 meters away from you, there's no way you could even hit me with a spell before I can reach you, you're at a disadvantage." I warned. I didn't really care either way, but it would likely save me some trouble not getting into fights with strangers.

"Really? Let's test that theory then! Take this!" He challenges, grey mana flowing through his horn as he charges some kind of spell. About a second and a half into the charging of the spell, little sparks of electricity spike out of his horn. As soon as I see this, I immediately activate Magic Aura at a rate of 70MP/Min, more than enough to protect me. He fires the spell, and a sphere of solid electricity flies at me. With a bored expression on my face, I bat away the ball off to the side as it impacts the ground. I hold in a pained grunt as I feel a light burn over my hand.

-7

He double takes, dumbfounded that I deflected his spell so easily. "Do you understand now? It's pointless, you can't hurt me." I lecture, just wanting this to be over. Before any of us could say anything else, Miss Cheerilee makes herself known.

"And what do you think you're doing, you two?" We both flinch, and she sternly glares at both of us, clearly not happy with the way we acted. I'm the first to recover and deactivate Magic Aura.
"It's nothing to worry about, just a little Misunderstanding." I assured, hoping she'd pick up on the fact that I didn't want to press the issue further. She seems to accept this, although begrudgingly so. I clear my throat, grabbing her attention.

"If you wouldn't mind, I think I'll take my leave now. We're close enough to the town proper to be safe anyhow." I inform.

"I... Alright. Just one thing, once we confirm the schoolhouse is safe again would you like to study there with us?" She invites, with a friendly smile. "I'll think about it, thanks for the offer. I'll see you soon, I guess." I hold my hand up to the sky, focusing power into my hands as I make use of I.D Create, making an empty Illusion Barrier.

I think I'd like to walk back to the Library on my own.

Quest Complete.
Level 4 -> 5
HP: 137/144HP(14HP/Min) -> 137/165(16HP/Min)
MP: 245/304(26MP/Min) -> 245/325(28MP/Min)
STR:14 -> 16
VIT:14 -> 16
DEX:19 -> 21
INT: 30 -> 32
WIS: 26 -> 28
LUK: 10 -> 11
+ 5 Attribute Points, 10 Total.

Author's Note

Hey guys. I hope you enjoyed this next chapter in the story I'm weaving!

So, this is actually the first time I've ever written a fight scene before, I hope you enjoyed the little bits of action, I plan on having fights be pretty common, especially since Aria will be tackling Instant Dungeons soon.

Anyway, you may have noticed that I've aged up the school cast. This is one of many changes I'll be making to the canon. I'll be introducing a new mechanic to the way Mana interacts with life in this Universe.

Another thing, I'd like to see what kind of questions you guys would ask Aria, I'll pick out some that I like and have her answer them in the author's note next chapter.

Again, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Sunny, out. :twilightsmile:

Chapter 4: The First Dungeon

It's been an hour or so since that incident involving Silver Streak. After leaving via Illusion Barrier, I travelled back to The Golden Oak Library to inform Twilight and Spike about the incident at the schoolhouse. Using I.D Escape, the fake world shatters around me and reveals reality.

Apparently, reality means "library being cleaned by various birds(and even a squirrel?!) and a butter-coloured Pegasus who has a really good singing voice.

She doesn't seem to notice my sudden appearance, so I decide to make my presence known. "Not that I mind some help around the Library, but why exactly are you here?"

As soon as she hears my voice, she practically jumps out of her skin, as her startled shriek causes a veritable chain reaction of various dropped cleaning supplies. The Pegasus, who is named Fluttershy, quickly recovers from her momentary freight and timidly addresses me.

"O-Oh, I'm just doing this for Twilight, how'd you-" As if being summoned, the library door suddenly bursts open, courtesy of a flustered Twilight. Once she enters, she takes immediate notice of the pink-haired pegasus and sighs in annoyance.

"Fluttershy, not you too!" It seems like I'm missing a great deal of context here. Fluttershy takes this in stride, however.

"Oh, well, hello, Twilight. I hope you don't mind, but we're all doing a little spring cleaning for you."

"It's summer." Twilight deadpans.

"Oh, well, better late than never, right?" -She offers and deflects, a soft blush appearing on her cheeks- "It was Angel's idea." She points.

Angel? I look in the direction Fluttershy pointed, and there the aforementioned Angel was. He was a pure white bunny... Who seems to be preparing some kind of salad? It seems like animals are more intelligent here than back on Earth, it seems.

Just before I was going to inform Twilight about the schoolhouse, I double-take and glance back at Angel.

I couldn't see his level.

As to not draw attention to myself, I mentally execute Observe only to be met with a great heap of nothing. Nothing more than a set of question marks.

I'm going to try not to think about that one too hard.

"You're not doing this for the ticket, are you?" She counters, eying the pegasus with scepticism.

"Ticket? Also, Cheerilee says Tuesday is good." I ask, not wanting to be left in the dark any longer. Twilight seems to finally acknowledge my existence and levitates over two golden tickets from her saddlebags.

"Oh, it's for the Grand Galloping Gala!" She exclaims, with an excited little clop of hooves. "It's one of the most extravagant parties in all of Equestria and Princess Celestia invited both of us, including a plus one." My blood runs cold, and I freeze up for a moment before I grasp the two tickets with a shaky hand. Twilight takes notice of my sudden shift in behaviour and approaches me, worried. She nuzzles my side and then looks up at me with a worried expression.

I'll always love and accept you, my... Daughter. No matter what.

"Is something wrong?" That simple question... It takes all of my strength to answer. "I... I'm fine, just some bad memories..." I managed to croak out, my coming out a little deeper than usual as I lost my composure.

Both Twilight and Fluttershy seem conflicted about what to do to help me, but Twilight speaks up first. "I don't know what could have happened for you to react like this, but know that as your friend,"- She wraps her forelegs around my chest- "I'm here for you."

A wave of calming energy washes over me, and my body finally stops shaking.

Gamer's Mind has neutralised the negative emotional state.

"Thank you, Twi, I needed that," She lets go and blushes at my nickname for her. "Anyway, I'm sorry to disappoint but I'm probably not going to this party so, " -I extend my hand, offering the tickets back, which she then grabs telekinetically-"You can have these back. Do you have anything else you need help with while I'm still here?" Twilight seems to be agitated by 'help' for a moment before exasperatingly sighing.

"I can't decide on who I should take to the Gala, and I just feel awful having to decide..." She admits, a solemn expression on her face. Fluttershy, well, flutters over, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm sorry that I made you feel like that Twilight, I should have known better..." She trails off, hiding in her mane out of shame.

"Well, I'm glad you apologized at least" The both of us say simultaneously The three of us break into a fit of laughter over it. It was kinda funny, after all. A few more moments pass before the library door is once again forced open, this time entering five ponies of various races, along with Spike. The orange earth pony wearing a straw stetson was the first to speak up.

"Twi, we all came to apologise. Thanks to Spike 'ere, we realise how this Gala business 'been stressing you out. And if it helps, I don't want that ticket anymore, promise." An Earth Pony apologised, tipping her stetson. Applejack was her name.

"I'll have to admit," a tinge of red bleeding through The white Unicorn's face-fur,"I've acted less than lady-like in pursuit of that ticket. And for that, I am sorry." She concluded sincerely. Rarity Belle was her name.

"That was a meany-pants thing to do to try and force you to give me the ticket! I'm sorry, Twilight." The very pink Earth Pony by the name of Pinkamena "Pinkie" Diane Pie adds.

Another pony I can't see the level of... Wonderful. Even trying to use Observe didn't net me much more than just her name, unfortunately. I really need to work on levelling up.

"Yes! That means the ticket is mine! Haha! I got the ticket, I got the ticket~" The blue-rainbow pegasus sung in a sing-song voice.

The celebration of the final mare breaks me out of my reverie, her aerial chanting catching the unamused eye of everyone in the room... Even the bunny.

"Learn to read the room, Rainbow Dash." I reprimand, almost earning myself some backtalk before a stern look from Applejack causes her to settle down, finally returning to the floor.

"...Y'know, I haven't perfected my signature moves for the Wonderbolts anyway, I don't need that ticket either." She sheepishly makes an excuse for herself.

"Either way, i think this serves as a good learning moment, don't you think Twi?" I hint. She takes a moment to understand what I meant, but once she does, she knows exactly what to do next.

"Spike, take a note, please." She asks her draconian assistant, who is quick to obliged by pulling out qill and parchment.

"Dear Princess Celestia, I've learnt that one of the joys of friendship is sharing your blessings, but when there's not enough blessings to go around, having more than your friend can feel pretty awful. So, while I appreciate your generous gift, I will be returning all the tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala,"- A wave of "what?!" overtaking her momentarily before she continued-"If my friends can't all go, I don't want to either."

"Aww, Twi, you don't have to go do that." Applejack urged, but Twilight refused.

"Nope, I've made up my mind. Spike, you can send the letter now." Spike opens the nearest window and... Burns both the letter and tickets with his green Dragonfire. I stopped myself from enquiring into why as I saw the ashes of the once fully-formed letter and tickets transform into a cloud of green magic and fly into the sky.

How odd. Was that how they sent mail to each other in this world? No, at least not most people, as it doesn't seem like dragons are particularly common, given that I haven't seen another one other than Spike in Ponyville.

"But this means that you can't go to the Gala either, Twilight," the butter coloured mare points out.

"It's okay, girls,"- She reassures -"I'd rather not go if I'm not there with my best friends!" She affirms, prompting the rest of the mares to form a sort of group hug. Ponies were certainly cute.

Just as they were going to seemingly break into casual talk now that things were patched over, Spike makes an odd retching sound before a gout of green flames escape his mouth, which quickly materialised into parchment!

So it was mail!

For exercising your deductive reasoning skills and being proven correct, you have gained +1 WIS!

WIS: 28 -> WIS: 29

Now that was some good news! I can earn stat points in other ways than levelling up!

Implications aside, i observe as Spike promptly unfurls and, with a hearty clearing of the throat, begins to read out the contents of the scroll.

"My Faithful Student Twilight,
Why didn't you just say so?"

A sudden flash of bright yellow light emanated from the scroll, and then, several more tickets had appeared from nothing and were suspended in some kind of magic.

"I suppose that solves the issue, doesn't it?" I spoke, stifling a giggle.

The multitude of now triumphant mares celebrate uproariously at the development. And though i wouldn't particularly look for too such and event, it was hard to blame them for acting as they were, it did seem like a pretty big deal.

The magical golden tickets began to levitate over to their respective owners, including mine.

With great reluctance, my hand waivers on, and i grasp the ticket and stuff it into my Inventory on the off chance that I change my mind. I can't let the past control me forever.

Now, with that all sorted, what am I going to do with the rest of today? I could alw- my musing is cut off by the hungry growl of a certain someone's stomach. Turning to face source of the noise, Twilight only looks back, her face flushed red.

"Someone's a hungry pony~," i jokingly admonished in a sing-song voice. "I bet you're so hungry you could eat a hor- uh... Nevermind." I try my best not to look embarrassed as she looks back at me questioningly, and, clearly amused at my verbal fuck up.

"Aw, sugarcube, How about we getcha somethin' to eat? Should be about lunch time by now anyhow." Applejack cuts in. A simple nod from the purple unicorn, and a chorus of agreement from the others was good enough for the mare. The seven (Spike included) begin to make their way out of the Golden Oak Library, not before Applejack offers to allow me to join the others in their crusade for a filling meal for their friend, which i decline.

Left alone in the library by myself, i can finally get a bit of peace to think out what I'd do for the rest of the day. Though i didn't necessarily dislike their presence, sometimes i simply prefer being on my own.

Now, where was i? I should probably habe a look at my stats right now, don't i have attribute points to spend? Status.

Name:Aria Lee
Class: The Gamer
Title:None
Race:Human
Level: 5(2.38%)
HP:165 ((VIT x 10) + Level) (16HP/Min)
MP:325 ((INT x 10) + Level)(29MP/Min)
STR:16
VIT:16
DEX:21
INT: 32
WIS: 29
LUK: 11
Attribute Points: 10

This is where i really need to start thinking about what kind of build i want to go for... Right now, I'm best geared towards a caster role with my INT and WIS. While that wouldn't really pair well with my skill set as a fighter... Magic Aura would end up making up for my lower STR and DEX if i were to spec into magic. A lot of choices... But i think magic is the way to go here, especially if i can start learning some real spells! Playing some kind of hybrid between a melee DPS class and a magic DPS class... Actually sounds pretty good. If i can excel in both, I'm still dangerous regardless of any range my enemies might have on me.

That settles it. I'm gonna put 6 points on INT, 1 on WIS, and the rest on VIT. I can't be too squishy, after all.

I reach out to my Status panel and input the correct amount of Atribute Points into my stats, then confirming. The moment my finger hits "confirm", i feel my body grow slightly tougher, likely the result of increased VIT, though strangly, i felt no such change whatsoever for the INT and WIS.
Name:Aria Lee
Class: The Gamer
Title:None
Race:Human
Level: 5(2.38%)
HP:195 ((VIT x 10) + Level) (19HP/Min)
MP:385 ((INT x 10) + Level)(30MP/Min)
STR:16
VIT:19
DEX:21
INT: 38
WIS: 30
LUK: 11
Attribute Points: 0

That's one agenda solved for today, next... How about that dungeon? I'm just high level enough that i at least am on equal level to the weakest stuff in the dungeon. The real issue is my lack of weapons... Unless...

Mana Manipulation!

It says i can now create spells through it somehow... And I'm in need of a weapon. So, why not try and make something out of my own Mana?

I take a seat down on the hard wood floor, eyes closed, focused on nothing else but my own Core. Just like before, i draw out my Mana, though instead of covering my body, i will it coalesce a few centimetres above my now outstretched and open hand.

Condense!

The red Mana begins to thicken, then stretch to fit my visualisation. Cracking one eye open, i now see a pure red dagger suspended just a bit above my hand. I reach out for the dagger, and hold it comfortably in my hand. It felt as though i had used it my entire life.

Two new Skills have been created!

Mage's Construct (Active) (Varies) (Level 1) (2.5%)
Creates a physical projection made from raw Mana. The maximum size of this construct, as well as the distance from the caster the constuct can maintain its' form, scale with the level of this Skill. Every cm³ of the construct requires at least 1 MP to be invested towards it. Aditional MP increases the durability of the construct.
Maximum Size: 50 cm³
Maximum Distance: 1 M

Mage's Knife (Active) (Varies) (Level 1) (25%)
A specialised form of Mage's Construct geared towards small blades. Mage's Knife costs a minimum of 50 MP to cast, and additional multiples of 50 MP will increase Level of the construct, increasing construct's cutting power.
Damage Formula: (INT + STR) * Level

Yes! Now that's what I'm talking about! I'm glad that it doesn't require additional MP to maintain, that'd be a pain to deal with, with my fairly low Mana reserves right now. With this, I'm way better off than if i was unarmed.

With my newly formed weapon firmly gripped, i swing it in the open air in an attempt to get feel for the dagger's weight distribution, only for my arm to swing with no difficulty whatsoever. It was as if the dagger had not weight of it's own, or at least, it was too negligible for me to pick up on.

Interesting. That may come in handy, especially once i can project something bigger than just a dagger. A sword would be nice and all, but if i could wield a polearm that had no weight, and still was even more deadly than a regular weapon? I'd be set! But, that's for future me, present me is gonna go clear a dungeon!

With my free hand raised up high, and my mind set in stone, I.D Create activates, and the space around me beings to crack, then suddenly shatters like glass, revealing a white void all around me. Then, moments later, a completely new set of scenery surounds me.

In front of me, I'm standing at the bank of a vast lake, frozen over. Hazy mist blocks out any attempt to view what lies beyond the lake, to my annoyance. Despite this, the air didn't feel that cold. Chilly, sure, but not so cold to be uncomfortable.

Turning around, about twenty or so meters behind me lies the tree line to a forest, otherwise unremarkable if i did not recognise the kind of trees there were. They certainly weren't native to England, that was for sure.

Deciding to take my chances with the forest, rather than a frozen lake that could give out at the most inopportune time, i begin to walk towards the tree line, only to slam into something a couple meters away from where i started. Ouch.

The fuck?

I slowly reach my hand out, and to my surprise, my hand makes contact with an invisible wall. It ripples to the touch, like the water's surface.

Well, shit. I guess I'm supposed to cross the lake?

Promptly turning around, i head off towards the lake instead. Just as I'm about to take my first step onto the frozen lake, a piercing cold wind suddenly washes over me. Though, the wind goes just as fast as it came, thankfully.

Well, that was wasn't ominous or anything.
Taking my first few steps, I'm surprised by the ice not being slippery in the slightest. An oddity, but a welcome one. I wasn't going to be happy with trying to not fall on my ass while trying to fight.

Speaking of fighting, where are the enemies?

As if the dungeon had read my mind, three tears in space itself suddenly form not too far off of the ground in front of me. Through them, three humanoid figures emerge, floating. The moment they did, i nearly kicked myself for not recognising where i was sooner.

The three figures were Fairies, where else would this be than Misty Lake? That stupid Ice Fairy must have really done a number on this place.

The three Fairies, who had now bunched up into a group roughly two meters off of the ground, begain firing orbs of raw magic at me. Deftly ducking under the ranged assault, countering with a sudden leap bolstered by Magic Aura. Dagger raised high, i channel Mana through my arm and slash straight through the three Fairies, more than enough to make them all pop like balloons, going Pichu~n.

As i land, i quickly realise i that forgot to use Observe on the Faires, like an idiot.

It would pay to not forget things like that, you know.

Yes, yes, i know. You don't gotta flame me for an honest mistake. I'll just use it on the next ones.

I'll hold you to that.
Internal banter aside, I keep moving forward. Despite their ranged advantage, most fairies are still pretty weak due to having generally low HP, assuming they still had the same properties as the ones I knew from the games.

Now that i think about it, Cirno is going to be a bigger threat than I initially thought. For a Fairy, she's abnormally strong, and i don't have a direct conter to her ice magic... Meh, I'll just have to think of something on the fly.

As i continue, the frosty mist permeating the air gets noticeably colder. Again, another tear in space itself manifests infront of me, just a few meters ahead of me, though, on the same elevation as me rather than midair. This time, a singular Fairy walks through.

The Fairy wears a short blue dress with white sleeves that fall short of her elbows about halfway, a short, admittedly cute, yellow ribbon both around her dress collar and in her forest green hair. A short, stick-like structure protruded from her back, not too dissimilar from stubby wings.

I immediately recognise the enemy in question to be Daiyousei, a Fairy that wouldn't be too much of an issue.

Taking the initiative, i use Observe.

Name: Daiyousei
Class: N/A
Title: None
Race: Great Fairy
Level: 9
HP: 149 ((VIT x 10) + Level) (14HP/Min)
MP: 229 ((INT x 10) + Level) (26MP/Min)
STR:2
VIT:14
DEX:10
INT: 22
WIS:26
LUK:25

I barely have time to process all of the information before a volley of green kunai shaped magical projectiles come flying at me. I try to avoid them to the best of my ability, but a few stab into my arm, taking out 65 of my HP. The pain shooting its way through my arm doesn't hurt nearly as bad as i thought it would, but now wasn't the time to be thinking about such things.

Despite the amount of damage i had taken, i was still at a distinct advantage. With the help of magic, I could close the short distance of a few meters and kill Daiyousei in a single blow.

Flairing up Magic Aura, mentally commanding the skill to push itself to it's limit momentarily, I dash straight forward at blinding speeds. This was it, an easy victory. It felt as though the world had slowed down as the distance between myself and my target closed. My weapon raised high, I slash down and-

Nothing.

My dagger cuts through nothing but air as my momentum nearly sends skidding across the ice if I didn't stop myself by stabbing the ground. Whipping my head around in confusion, i see a white cloud of mana quickly reform into Daiyousei. The Fairy wore an expression of relief as she narrowly avoided death.

Ah, right. She can teleport.

I power down as though to not waste any of my limited supply of MP, and Observe her again.
Name: Daiyousei
Class: N/A
Title: None
Race: Great Fairy
Level: 9
HP: 149 ((VIT x 10) + Level) (14HP/Min)
MP: 155/229 ((INT x 10) + Level) (26MP/Min)
STR:2
VIT:14
DEX:10
INT: 22
WIS:26
LUK:25

She ate through quite a bit of MP teleporting, but I'll probably end up running out first if i try that again... And she knows i can accelerate that quickly now, so it's even less viable. I don't have any other choice but to beat her at her own game, it seems.

Yet another volley of projectiles comes hailing in my direct. This time, thankfully, the increased distance gives me more than enough time weave past each and every shot.

Now, it's time for the experimenting!
Planning to return fire, I concentrate my Mana, 100MP's worth, into a single Magic Ball, which had grown to the size of beach ball. Aiming directly at the Fairy, i give the mental command to fire off the large red projectile.

As it flies through the air, I focus all my attention onto it. I watch as Daiyousei easily sidesteps the bullet with ease. That was planned, though.

Here goes!

With all my mental strength, along with a swing of my arm, I will the shot projectiles to come careening backwards unbeknownst to the Fairy. It seems to warp slightly as it is pulled, and it slams straight into her back with a loud bang dealing massive damage!

In one single hit, the Fairy known as Daiyousei goes Pichu~n.

Level 5 -> 7
HP:151/195 -> 237 ((VIT x 10) + Level) (23HP/Min)
MP: 207/385 -> 427 ((INT x 10) + Level)(34MP/Min)
STR:16 -> 20
VIT:19 -> 23
DEX:21 -> 25
INT: 38 -> 42
WIS: 30 ->34
LUK: 11
+ 10 Attribute Points, 10 Total.

Damn, two levels at once? Now that's what I'm talking-

I'm interrupted by the sound of a wooden object hitting the ground in front of me. The object appeared to be just be an ordinary modestly thick stick, about a meter and a half in length.

As i lean down to pick it up however, i immediately recognise that the stick is anything but ordinary. It's hard to describe, it just felt as though the stick was exuding a power of it's own. I immediately use Observe on it, wanting more information.

Faewood Staff (Uncommon)
A Staff made out of Faewood, a type of wood that can amplify magic, and drains mana from it's user to repair itself.
Melee Strikes with this weapon use STR + DEX or INT + DEX, whichever results in more damage.
Melee Strikes with this weapon are considered magical in terms of overcoming resistances.
Boosts Magic Damage by 10%

And it just keeps getting better!

The faewood staff feels just about as light as regular wood in my hands, swinging through the air with ease.

And now we've got a weapon! You better go show that Ice Fairy who's boss!

Hold your horses, we're not taking any more risks. We might not have won if i didn't pull that manoeuvre out of my ass, and I'd rather not rely on a gimmick to win. I suggest that we leave for now, get a bit stronger, and come back. Sound good?

...I suppose you make a good point. Authorising Withdrawal~

And since when did i need your permission? Silly ass.

Let me have my fun, hmpf.

With a roll of my eyes, I raise my one free hand into the air and watch the whole world around me shatter like glass curtesy of I.D Escape.

That's enough activity for one day.

Character Sheets

Arc 1: The New World

As of Chapter 4

Name:Aria Lee
Class: The Gamer
Title:None
Race:Human(?)
Level: 7(87.33%)
HP:237 ((VIT x 10) + Level) (23HP/Min)
MP:427 ((INT x 10) + Level)(34MP/Min)
STR:20
VIT:23
DEX:25
INT: 42
WIS: 34
LUK: 11
Skills:
Mage's Construct (Active) (Varies) (Level 1) (9.9%)
Creates a physical projection made from raw Mana. The maximum size of this construct, as well as the distance from the caster the constuct can maintain its' form, scale with the level of this Skill. Every cm³ of the construct requires at least 1 MP to be invested towards it. Aditional MP increases the durability of the construct.
Maximum Size: 50 cm³
Maximum Distance: 1 M

Mage's Knife (Active) (Varies) (Level 1) (99%)
A specialised form of Mage's Construct geared towards small blades. Mage's Knife costs a minimum of 50 MP to cast, and additional multiples of 50 MP will increase Level of the construct, increasing construct's cutting power.
Damage Formula: (INT + STR) * Level

Observe(Active) Level 3(94.02%)
Displays information about the target, more information is given the higher the level of this skill.

Magic Aura (Active) (Base 10MP/Min) (Level 2) (89.26%)
Your Mana is covering your body, bolstering your physical capabilities both defensively and offensively. This scales directly with how much Mana you decide to cover your body with.

Consumes 1℅ less MP/Min.

Mana Ball (Active) (Base 10MP) (Level 1) (54.22%)
A simple technique that condenses Mana into a ball that can be thrown/fired. Due to the simplicity of such a technique, its effects can be heavily modified should the user have to skill and knowledge to do so.
Discovered Modifications:
R.C Magic Ball
MP + INT = Base Damage

As of Chapter 3

Name:Aria Lee
Class: The Gamer
Title:None
Race:Human(?)
Level: 5(2.38%)
HP:165 ((VIT x 10) + Level) (16HP/Min)
MP:325 ((INT x 10) + Level)(28MP/Min)
STR:16
VIT:16
DEX:21
INT: 32
WIS: 28
LUK: 11
Skills:
[Gamer's Mind (Passive) LV MAX]
This Skill allows the user to stay collected and analytical under any pressure as if life was nothing more than a game with no stakes and protects against psychological effects, magical or otherwise.

[Gamer's Body (Passive) LV MAX]
Allows the user to live like a character from a game. Food restores HP and drinks restore MP, wounds, regardless of severity will heal with enough time, and pain quickly subsides once a wound is healed.

Observe(Active) Level 3(73.02%)
Displays information about the target, more information is given the higher the level of this skill.

I.D Create(Active) Level 2(12.5%)
Instant Dungeon Create allows the user to project a temporary pocket world called an "Illusion Barrier" that overlaps and is a copy of the real one. Higher Level I.Ds can have monsters inside them.
Current Instant Dungeons:
Empty
Fairies (Level 5-15)

I.D Escape(Active) Level 2(0.00%)
I.D Escape allows someone to leave an I.D provided that all requirements are met.

Magic Aura (Active) (Base 10MP/Min) (Level 2) (58.23%)
Your Mana is covering your body, bolstering your physical capabilities both defensively and offensively. This scales directly with how much Mana you decide to cover your body with.

Consumes 1℅ less MP/Min.

Mana Manipulation (Passive) (Level MAX)
Through training, you have learnt how to control your own Mana, both in and outside of your body, allowing you to create and use more refined Magic.
+5 INT
+5 WIS
-10% Spell Costs.

Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive) (Level 1) (43.2%)
Unarmed Combat Mastery is your ability to fight using just your body.
Boosts all unarmed damage by 1%
Boosts chance of unarmed critical damage by 1%

Mana Ball (Active) (Base 10MP) (Level 1) (12.43%)
A simple technique that condenses Mana into a ball that can be thrown/fired. Due to the simplicity of such a technique, its effects can be heavily modified should the user have to skill and knowledge to do so.
MP + INT = Base Damage

Wild Throw (Active) (Level 1) (21.62%)
This skill requires no resources for activation.
A type of throw where the user pivots their entire body to throw their opponent into the ground.
30% to stun for 5 seconds if the opponent's STR is within 1.5x that of the user.

As of Chapter 2.

Name:Aria Lee
Class: The Gamer
Title:None
Race:Human(?)
Level: 3(0.00%)
HP:123 ((VIT x 10) + Level) (12HP/Min)
MP:233 ((INT x 10) + Level)(19MP/Min)
STR:12
VIT:12
DEX:17
INT: 23
WIS: 19
LUK: 10
Skills:
[Gamer's Mind (Passive) LV MAX]
This Skill allows the user to stay collected and analytical under any pressure as if life was nothing more than a game with no stakes and protects against psychological effects, magical or otherwise.

[Gamer's Body (Passive) LV MAX]
Allows the user to live like a character from a game. Food restores HP and drinks restore MP, wounds, regardless of severity will heal with enough time, and pain quickly subsides once a wound is healed.

Observe(Active) Level 3(13.42%)
Displays information about the target, more information is given the higher the level of this skill

I.D Create(Active) Level 2(0.00%)
Instant Dungeon Create allows the user to project a temporary pocket world called an "Illusion Barrier" that overlaps and is a copy of the real one. Higher Level I.Ds can have monsters inside them.
Current Instant Dungeons:
Empty
Fairies (Level 5-15)

I.D Escape(Active) Level 2(0.00%)
I.D Escape allows someone to leave an I.D provided that all requirements are met.
Observe(Active) Level 1(0.00%)
Displays information about the target, more information is given the higher the level of this skill.

Kamehameha Wave (10 MP) (Active) Level 1(2.47%)
A basic magical beam attack.
INT x 2 = Base Damage

Name: Twilight Sparkle
Class: Grand Arcanist
Title: The Element of Magic
Race: Unicorn
Level: 35(53.92%)
HP: 375((VIT * 10) + Level) (34HP/Min)
MP: 1905(((INT * 10) + Level) + 500) (73MP/Min)
STR:14
VIT:34
DEX:24
INT:137
WIS:73
LUK: 8
Skills:
Unicorn(Passive) Level MAX
Your arcane birthright as a Unicorn grants you above-average ability in commanding the forces of the arcane.
+10% Spell Damage
-10% Spell Cost
+500 MP
+10 INT
+10 WIS
Gaining Attribute Points related to Spell Casting is easier for you.

Name: Princess Celestia
Class:???
Title: "Princess of The Sun"
Race: Alicorn
Level:???
HP: 10000(?) ((VIT * 10) + Level) (1000HP/Min?)
MP: ((INT * 10) + Level) (1000MP/Min?)
STR: 500(?)
VIT: 1000(?)
DEX:750(?)
INT:2000(?)
WIS:1000(?)
LUCK:???

Author's Note

The Character Sheets will be updated every chapter with new information, provided there's stuff to add.

Chapter 5: Training – Body, Spirit and Techique

"One." A swift jab from my left.
"Two." The right hook impacts the punching bag, the chain it hangs from rattling.
"Three!" I let out a puff of breath as my fist impacts the punching bag oncemore. I take a few steps backwards to catch my breath, wiping my brow of sweat.

It's been about a week since I entered the dungeon for the first time, and I've refrained from going back in for now. In hindsight, it was a stupid idea to do what I did, and I simply got caught up in the moment. I needed to get stronger than I was then if i were to guarantee my safety when I eventually take on the boss.

So, naturally, I got some exercise in.

On the first day, I did my exercises in the Golden Oaks Library as the place didn't get visitors all too often. It also gave Twilight and I some time to talk our heads off about the kinds of exercises humans do, much to Spike's amusement. It was only after our lunch (where we decided to eat out this time) that she suggested that I'd have a look at Ponyville's Gym.

It was run by an Earth Pony stallion by the name of Steady Hoof. He had a silvery mane and a dirt brown coat that barely concealed the jacked body he had. Even by racehorse standards, he was probably the most muscular equine I had ever lied eyes upon. Very impressive.

It cost 10 bits for one week of gym access, which cut my funds down by a third, ouch.

The gym itself wasn't anything too special, though a lot more modern looking than I was expecting, given that Ponyville looks like what amounts to a medieval hamlet. Though it was a little disappointing that some of the machines there definitely weren't designed with bipeds in mind.

There were about a dozen or so ponies there, too. Seems like a slow day.

I spent about 30 minutes or so doing some bicep curls with 10kg dumbells (which were noticeably wider than normal), taking appropriate breaks in between sets, when an Earth Pony mare approached me, smiling gently.

Blossom Lovesong
LV 4

What struck me first when I looked at her was her eyes. A pair of beautiful light pink eyes made eye contact with mine, her soothing gaze easily, gracefully disarming me. She was the first mare that I had seen that made me think "beautiful" when I saw her. Her platinum blonde mane was in two separate braids, one tied off with a blue ribbon and the other a red ribbon. Her smooth, shiny coat was the same shade of pink as her eyes.

"You're that new girl in town that saved those foals at the schoolhouse, aren'tcha?" She spoke.

I quickly broke out of my reverie, slightly flushed.

"Yeah, that was me." I awkwardly squeak out, rubbing the back of my head as my blush makes itself even more known. Blossom giggles, clearly finding something amusing.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, sweetheart. What you did was good! Celestia knows I could never do something like that," the mare praised, outstreching a foreleg. "My name is Blossom Lovesong, yours?"

"Aria. Aria Lee, it's nice to meet you, Miss Lovesong," I shook her hoof, wearing a content smile. Blossom then got comfortable on the floor, sitting on the haunches.

"My, how polite! I was under the impression that you would be a little... 'rough around the edges' as it were. I'm pleasantly surprised."

"You've heard about me?"

"Of course!" – She clapped her two hooves together daintily. – "You've practically been the talk of the town ever since you got here. I'm surprised you haven't noticed yet."

"... Let's just say i haven't really talked to much of anyone yet. Though I guess it does explain the staring. Me not being from here also probably contributes to that."

"Where are you from then? You seem a little young to be travelling, and I haven't seen any of your species before."

I tensed for a moment before ultimately relenting.

"Well, to be honest with you. I'm from a different world than this one. Planet? Huh. I haven't really thought about it yet. Though I suppose it'd be more accurate to say universe since this place doesn't seem to run on the same rules as mine does. I never would have even thought magic was real until like, three days ago. As far as I know, it doesn't exist where I'm from. I certainly couldn't do magic back then, that's for sure."

She simply blinked, "... You don't have magic where you come from?"

"Yknow, it's pretty funny that's the one detail that gets you, and not that I'm effectively an alien."

"A world without magic just sounds wrong to me! How did you... uh... hoomans?"

"Humans." I deadpanned.

"Right, how did you humans survive without it?"

"Simple." I smirked, "We humans had nothing but our bodies and the natural world. We've gone from barely understanding how fire works to building machines able to reach our moon in like... forty-thousand years? Give or take, it's a little contentious at what time we actually started making fire."

"... You're serious," She uttered, eyes as big as dinner plates.

"Yup. Technology sure is great, ain't it?" I spoke, rubbing my chin pretentiously. "I'd rather not stand here and explain all the stuff humans have made, though. We would literally be here all day and then some."

"Aw..."

"Besides, didn't you come here to work out like me? You could come visit me whenever; I live in the giant tree, you can't miss it."

Her face lit up, "Golden Oaks?"

"That's the one, now, you gonna get started?" She got up on hooves.

"Right, I'm going to go on that treadmill over there. Thanks for the talk, sweetheart." She trots up and almost nuzzles my side, quickly backing off as she realised she almost just rubbed her face on my sweat-moistened t-shirt, to my amusement.

"You ponies are heckin' silly. You're like very friendly cats, nuzzlin' up on someone you barely know." I jokingly admonished, reaching out and scratching just behind one of her ears.

The effect is immediate. The pretty pink pony leans into my touch, and the very pleased little pony became as malleable as clay in my hands as I continued my machinations. Ears? Scratched. Chin? Scritched. Cheeks? Rubbed. I swore she even started purring! After about five or ten minutes of this, I stopped.

The pink pony was particularly petted.

After that, I decided to join her on the treadmill for a while to get my cardio in, and it wasn't until an hour had passed that we stopped. Blossom waived me off as I went to leave, as she wasn't finished with her own session yet.

Thankfully, I had gotten what I came here for.

Your rigorous exercise has improved your body.
STR: 20 -> 21
VIT: 23 -> 24
DEX: 25 -> 26

One point in each wasn't too bad for only like, an hour and a half of work.

My entire week was more or less, just like this. I got up, I trained until lunch, trained a bit in the afternoon, and went home.

I wasn't only working on my physical body, however.

"So, Twilight, I've been meaning to ask you how exactly I should train my magic. I have read some of the books you recommended to me, but they mostly just talk about practising a particular spell over and over again until you master it. But that's not the same thing as, say, training to increase your reserves and control, is it?" I pointed to a paragraph I was reading of Five Cantrips For Your Camping Needs that illustrated my point perfectly.

She swallowed the chunk of syrup-covered pancake (courtesy of The Chef, commonly known as Spike) that was in her telekinetic grip before answering.

"Do you know what meditation is, Aria?"

"... I don't know why I didn't think about trying that sooner, honestly."

"I really should have thought about that."

"Anyway, all you need to do is meditate while also focusing on cycling your mana throughout your body. You'll know what to do," she explained concisely.

"That's it? I was kind of expecting something a bit more involved. If that's the case, I suppose I'll just be in my room. See you in like, an hour?"

"That I will! Tell me about what it was like once you're done, won't you?"

"Sure," was the simple answer I gave her as I headed up the short flight of wooden stairs leading to a short hallway, leading to four rooms; Twilight and Spike's room, my room, another guest room, and the bathroom. Part of me wondered how this even fit inside Golden Oaks Library; space certainly isn't playing by the rules here. Either that, or it's just perspective.

Musings aside, I walked down the hallway and entered my room. I sat down in the middle of the room, eyes closed, legs crossed, and took a deep breath. I focused on my core, my Magic Core, allowing my Mana to flow freely around my body.

I quickly slipped into the routine of deep, controlled breaths. I felt the flow of Mana through my Magic Circuits. They were like pools – no – lakes of gathering Mana interconnected by what I could only describe as "rivers."

There were ten Magic Circuits located around my ten fingers, the largest collection of them in my entire body, followed by the five on my head, one on each eye, one on each ear, and one on my nose, the four in each of my legs, two at the knees, two at the heel of my feet, and the three within my chest arranged like an upside-down triangle.

With each breath I took, my Mana pulsed within for a moment, becoming more vibrant before dying back down, not unlike fanned embers, or thin metal heated up until it glows, only to dim almost immediately. It was as though my breath – my continued existence fueled my Mana.

I continued the exercise, and before long, the world around me quickly became irrelevant. I quickly fell into the infinite void that my perceptions bestowed onto me during meditation. There was nothing but me. Me, and this ember, this flame within me that needed to be nurtured. Cultivated even.

Just then, I swore I heard... something. It was like T.V. static, but the more I focused on it, the more obvious it became that it wasn't simply just some noise. The static rose and fell with the distinct rhythm of speech. Curious, i reached out towards the presence with my Mana, allowing it to flow freely towards whatever was calling out to me.

Then, I felt compelled by the presence to open my eyes and, in doing so, was perplexed by what I was seeing. Or rather, what I wasn't seeing. I truly wasn't in my room anymore. The void had been actualized in full, an infinite expanse of nothingness in all directions, even up and down.

I swivel around, looking in all directions, noticing how each step I took made the ground "ripple" like water. Then, I saw it.

There was some kind of figure juxtaposed against the black of the void, its silhouette clearly humanoid in nature, though I swore that I could see ears on the top of it's head, rather than the sides. Was that also a tail that i saw?

"Alright, just what exactly are you? It'd be nice if yo-"

The silhouette dashed forward much faster than I could even keep track directly towards me. Within an instant, it closed the distance between us (does distance even matter wherever this place was?) as though it was nothing more than a walk for it.

Despite its physical proximity, I wasn't much closer to discerning what I was looking at. It's – rather – her form, from what little I could parse, was far too blurry for me to make out any concrete details about its appearance, though the figure was definitely feminine. What was most striking to me, though, was her pointed ears jutting out off of the top of her head, vulpine ears, along with a foxes' tail swishing lazily behind the figure.

The figure reached its blurry hand outwards, and before I could protest, gently takes hold of my face, staring into my eyes appraisingly. An odd sense of calm washed over me as she did this, and I dared not to make a sounds until she was finished with whatever she was doing.

"You... No, not yet, it seems...."

"...who – no, – what are you?" I manage to wheeze out.

"Child, you are not ready. Not yet. Even if you managed to... call me here. However, I will give you the answers you no-doubt want once the time is right. For now, you must leave this place."

"B-But wait, just who ar-," Before I could finish, a snap of the apparition's fingers snaps me back into reality.

There I was. Back in the room.

You have been meditating for 1 hour 32 minutes and 9 seconds, and have therefore permamently gained:

+6 Max MP
+3 MP regeneration

What the hell just happened?

"Stele," I called out to my mental companion.

"I don't know what that was, either, if that's what you were going to ask me. Although..."

I then felt a familiar hum in the back of my mind, as though Stele was processing something. Processing... Processing..

That wasn't a memory of ours, nor a dream. That thing... if we had even a shred of knowledge on what that thing was,
subconsciously or otherwise, we would both know...

"...meaning that we're missing something, here," I conceded, brow furrowing.

With a sigh, I leapt off of the bed and streched my stiff muscles, earning myself satisfying pops as the gas between my joints were released. Deciding to leave that topic behind for now, I turned my attention to the screen infront of me.

Such a small increase... I hope it doesn't stay like that forever. Any increase I can get without needing to spend attribute points is welcome one, but not when I would be better off going back in the dungeon for faster growth...

Although, the merit of the excercise wasn't lost on me. Although subtle, a quick flare up of my magic made me notice a slight change. It felt more... malleable, like it would bend to my will just a little bit more than it did before.

It then came to my attention that the library was silent. Leaving the room, I see that Twilight and Spike are absent. I then spot a note on the table where we had eaten...

"...Remind me again why this was a good idea?" I questioned, narrowly avoiding a thin beam of lavender magic.

"Because you're the kind of pony who learns much faster from practical application, than just textbooks," Twilight Sparkle shot back, barely even registering my magical counter-attack as the orb of raw mana dissipated against her ever-strong barrier.

"That doesn't mean I have to enjoy," — I paused as another bolt flies forward and nearly grazes my side, — "What's essentially a boss fight I can't win!" I moan, leaping backwards to avoid the mare's arcane assault.

I'm was down to about half of my total mana pool as this point. If I want to win, I needed to pull off something new.

I looked upon my teacher, a thin, glass-like lavender sheen covering her.

Wait, glass!

A new idea began to brew in my mind, an idea catalysed by a new tool at my disposal.

"Alright, I'm going to give this everything that I've got!" I declare, standing resolute. Cold focus enters my mind as I flow mana into the circuits in my hands in preparation for my gamble.

"Persist in defending life..."

Alarm is evident on her face as I begin the incantation.

"The smallest spark from the heart..."

The rest of my focus is dedicated to amplifying my body, as I rush towards Twilight, her stance wide, and horn glowing intently.

"Becomes an inferno, blazing down..."

My arms feit number and number with each blast of magic I attempted to fend off, along with the growing pressure of my own spellcraft.

I kicked off of the dirt with great velocity as my spell began to reach it's conclusion, speeding off and through her ranged defence. With the distance finally closed, with my opponent within arm's reach...

I let the spell go off.

"To warm even the heaviest day!"

The spell's embrace erupted my arms in blood red flame, a [Produce Flame] bolstered by incantation, directed and feeding upon the magical aura covering my arms.

I planted my legs, pulled my burning fist back, pivoting, and finally allowing the chain of the body to deliver the full force I could muster, along with the radiating heat of magical fire, straight into the barrier covering Twilight, hoping that the force, along with the rapid heating would shatter the barrier.

The impact sends feedback throughout my entire body like I had just hit steel with a sledgehammer. Absolute resistance. The barrier held true despite my best efforts.

I didn't even have time to follow up with another blow as Twilight finally releases the spell she had been charging.

In an instant, my body felt a hundred times heavier as I was immediately forced into the dirt, [Produce Flame] immediately ending due to my broken concentration, and unable to offer any resistance even at my maximum output of [Magic Aura]

Thankfully, the increased gravity went just as quickly as it came, and I lied there in the dirt for a few moments contemplating my life choices up to that point.

"...For what it's worth, you did far better than I was expecting you to," She commended, helping me off of the ground.

"Can't say I didn't try. I didn't even know you could fight this well," I praised the victor, absentmindedly wiping my face of the dirt I had just become acquainted with.

"I can see why you'd think that, but I am Celestia's personal student. Self-defence magic is just one of many things I've studied." She stated matter-of-factly, without a hint of gloating.

"I'd say that reading about something isn't the same thing as actually doing it, but you've clearly proven me wrong," I admitted.

In truth, the only reason I was even able to get as close as I did to her was because she was holding back. If she didn't, my bolstered defence would have been torn straight through.

"Well... my brother may have taught me some things too, he's part of the royal guard," She admitted sheepishly.

I made note to never piss off Twilight lest I wish for one of the worst ass beatings of my life.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" The resident baby dragon cheered, now making his way towards us as he had been watching from a distance, for safety.

"Well, I suppose it's not every day you get to watch a magic duel," I reply.

"That won't be true for long..." Twilight cut in.

Oh?

"As your teacher, it's my responsibility to help you grow as best as I can. It just so happens that fighting is very effective for you. Speaking of your ability, did another one of those screens pop up?"

Right on que, like it was waiting for an opportune moment...

Despite your loss, sparring with an opponent far stronger than you has pushed you beyond your limits!

STR: 21 -> 23
VIT: 24 -> 26
DEX: 26 -> 28
INT: 42 -> 44
WIS: 34 -> 36
[Magic Aura]: 2 -> 4
[Mana Ball]: 1 -> 3
[Unarmed Proficiency] 1 -> 2
New Skills:
[Produce Flame]
[???]

A new skill has been created, what would you like to name it?

I stared blankly at the screen for a moment. It had never asked me to name a skill I've acquired before. Thinking back though, the stunt I had pulled wasn't really [Produce Flame], rather, something derivative of it.

Firstly, the spell was never meant to be used on the caster, especially in this manner. That book, Five Cantrips For Your Camping Needs, told me that it was meant to be cast on a source of fuel for combustion, such as wood shavings or charcoal. It was a gamble trying to use my own mana as a fuel source instead, and was likely part of why the fire had been so intense.

Secondly, the incantation. It was crudely cobbled together after recalling that tidbit about spellcasting, sure, but it was an incantation regardless. That additional amplification of power turned what would usually be a small fire into an inferno that i was wearing!

Musings aside, I decided on a name for this new skill.

"Inferno Install." I coined.

Produce Flame (Active) (20MP) (Level 2) (31.37%)
A basic cantrip level flame spell. Mostly used for survival purposes and has little use in combat. The colour of the flames of this spell are determined by the caster's magic.

Inferno Install (Active) (init.100MP, 20MP/min) (Level 1) (78.31%)
A derivative skill of [Produce Flame]. It covers the arms of the user in brilliant red flames as long as concentration is not broken. Provides additional fire damage with unarmed strikes, resistance to other sources of heat, and causes unarmed attackers to suffer fire damage by hitting you.

I look at Twilight with a smug grind on my face.

"Yes, yes it did."

The next six days went by with much the same minutia. Physical training, meditation, and training with Twilight, along with learning some more about magical theory from her. Explosive growth had been made.
By the time the seventh day had came to and end...

"Status."
Name:Aria Lee
Class: The Gamer
Title:None
Race:Human(?)
Level: 7(87.33%)
HP:427 ((VIT x 10) + Level) Regen: 42 (42HP/Min)
MP:609 (((INT x 10) + Level) + 42) Regen: 55 ((34MP/Min) + 21)
STR: 39
VIT: 42
DEX: 44
INT: 56
WIS: 48
LUK: 11

I was far stronger than I was a week prior.

Author's Note

It certainly has been a while, hasn't it? :facehoof:
There's been many reasons why I haven't been working on TGwP, some mundane, some personal. However, my ideas for where this story will go have never ceased, even if they have changed behind the scenes. Rest assured, this fic is not dead in the water, no matter how long it'll take me to write. Motivation is my only limit.

Enough about me, though.
I'm looking forward to what you readers may think of this chapter. Soon, the gears in the background will begin to turn, and some more... original content will begin showing up.
I won't reveal much about the future, my readers, but I will leave you with this:

Chapter 6: A Summons.