You know, one thing I did not anticipate about this project was how hard it was going to be to hold back from revealing spoilers. Even refraining from making annoyingly vague replies to reader predictions is a challenge (which is also why I haven't been replying to every single post like I did in the beginning, as I don't want to say anything that could confirm or deny a theory). Worry not, for I will remain strong, but it's still just so neat to see people picking up the threads and guessing where they're going to lead.
I should note, however, that while I am reading all comments and taking inspiration from them here and there... the simple fact of it is that the "most recent chapter written" is quite a ways ahead of the "most recent chapter posted here" (at least at the moment; we'll catch up in due time) so the results of those inspirations won't appear for a while.
Technically, Rainbow Dash rolled it offscreen, but as it's a Workshop expansion Perk it applies to them collectively. If it had been "Hunter's Workshop and a weapon and the skills to use/maintain said weapon" instead, then it would have counted as one of hers personally.
I did consider that when figuring out this story's rules, but eventually decided against it. Otherwise it'd be too easy to hyperspecialize each of them (You get all the magic, she'll get all the tech, and they'll get all the physical changes) and that'd pretty much negate the point of the Who Gets What randomizer. It could certainly work as a concept and might even help make things more streamlined, but I decided to stick with more randomization this time.
Funny you should say that. As far as I could find, the Perk list does not have any "Gain a pokemon companion" Perks (there's one that's pokemon inspired that lets you revive fossils and blend creatures' DNA in pokemonic fashion, but it's not the same). So, naturally, the very first Perk I added to it was one to do just that (and also another one that bequeaths a Ranger Stylus, training, and custom tailored Uniform).
-Starter Pokemon Companion | Pokemon (100CP)
What better companion than one you can both snuggle with and count on to defend you against monsters? Some may even produce material or naturally shed parts of themselves that you may find useful. Your pokemon is entirely loyal to you and comes with a pokeball (your choice of style) and a few species-appropriate toys. Species is dependent on random roll, or pay an additional 200CP to choose (300 for lesser legendaries).
And I too am vivaciously hoping that someone will manage to roll it.
You know, one thing I did not anticipate about this project was how hard it was going to be to hold back from revealing spoilers. Even refraining from making annoyingly vague replies to reader predictions is a challenge (which is also why I haven't been replying to every single post like I did in the beginning, as I don't want to say anything that could confirm or deny a theory). Worry not, for I will remain strong, but it's still just so neat to see people picking up the threads and guessing where they're going to lead.
Trouble is, some people are really bad with spoilers, but they can't resist opening 'spoiler' tags. Me? Spoilers don't bother me, but I've seen the agony some seem to go through. So, easiest for everyone if don't take the risk?
Also, gives our Equestrian Author the opportunity to re-write stuff, if their muse requires, or the story goes strange in some way. A buffer is so, so, useful - and you don't always realise it until a few chapters of having to write episodes at the last minute.
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For reason I'm unclear on, I found myself looking up "dalek pony". Seeing as Doctor Hooves exists in Equestria, might a Celestial Forge perk which is dalek-related (or a least Dr. Who setting) be reasonable? Yeah, one of the interesting things was looking at pony vs. dalek images.
I'm sure a unicorn pony which could replace their horn with a (still works as a magic horn) dalek eye-stalk wouldn't be unreasonable.
(Dalek Parts: a (randomly selected?) dalek shell part can be expressed from the body when desired. If a dalek shell has multiple of the same part, all of them (like sensor bumps) are expressed at once. Internal parts, like the flight system, the space-grade life support/indefinite hibernation, or the force field, only found in some dalek models, may be optionally added to the list. Cost: ???
No. I don't really know what I'm talking about, here. )
Doesn't sound like it would obviously attract him... If you don't just want, "I talked to the trees, so they locked me away", wouldn't a distinct lack of Hist Trees be relevant?
Or, sorry, am I missing something obvious, here? His magic might/would improve?
Doesn't sound like it would obviously attract him... If you don't just want, "I talked to the trees, so they locked me away", wouldn't a distinct lack of Hist Trees be relevant?
Or, sorry, am I missing something obvious, here? His magic might/would improve?
Hmm. So, how much upset will it take to get Sparkle and co. to nail boards across the Hunter's Workshop door? Just saying, there might be worse ideas...
That was the prevailing thought in Rainbow Dash's head as she walked through the decaying halls of the old Castle of the Two Sisters and listened to Spike's rambling and excited story about how the new workshop had changed right before his eyes.
It just wasn't fair. All her friends were getting crazy superpowers like they were taking free samples at Barnyard Bargains, and yet she hadn't gotten any. Okay, she'd got one, but the ability to make things that fall apart easily barely counted. And sure, she'd been ahead of the pack from the get-go for being the fastest pegasus in Equestria, but that was all hard work and talent. She hadn't just been given it out of nowhere. Her skill was real.
It was frustrating to watch as Fluttershy wove magic out of crafting supplies. As Applejack took down trained Guards like they were foals. As Twilight—who was already way up there in the most powerful unicorn category—got gifted a whole new branch of magic.
Meanwhile she was stuck making cloud formations that busted apart in one kick.
Why was she the only one who got left out? What had she done to offend this mystical granter of superpowers? Didn't she deserve its gifts as much as the others? Everyone except for her had more than one now (not counting Fluttershy, but her oldest friend had quietly shared with her the true depths of what her power let her make, so Dash knew Fluttershy's one skill put everyone else's to shame).
She didn't want to admit it because she knew it was nothing they had control over, but she couldn't help but be a little frustrated at her friends for getting all the powers while she got squat. Even the not-so-cool ones like Pinkie's 'always-survive-surgery' and Rarity's weaving.
Not that she'd ever tell that to her friends! She wasn't jealous or anything. She was Rainbow Dash! The supermare extraordinaire with the awesome flair and the rainbow hair! 'Rainbow Dash' and 'jealous' didn't belong in the same sentence.
...unless it was someone being jealous of her, that was okay.
So she stamped down the envy simmering in her chest and put on a brave face as she tuned back in to Spike's story just as he was wrapping up.
"...so she's been up all night long playing with her new toy. Making it take enchanted trinkets apart and put them back together, testing just how much damage it can repair, pushing the limits of what counts as 'reagents'. Apparently that origin-whatever rock is like candy for it. It was fun for a while, but she's determined to test every possible thing it can do and I just had to get out of there."
"I feel ya," she said. She too knew of the pain of being trapped in one of Twilight's egghead research sessions. The sheer amount of times she'd been asked to build a tower of blocks over and over andover in the name of 'sufficient data' made her shudder even at the memory.
She noticed Spike starting to jog and slowed down to match his speed. His stubby legs had trouble keeping up, especially when she got distracted and started flying too fast for him. "I'm glad she had a job that needed doing outside of the library so I could catch a break." He gave Rainbow Dash a friendly shove. "And thanks for volunteering to help me. You're gonna make it way easier."
"No prob! I had some free time." Time not spend squaring off against Applejack in a competition they'd had planned for ages, because what was the point now? "So what's actually the plan?"
"Okay, so since Twilight's theory about second Special Talents didn't pan out—" As if it'd held any water from the start. "—she wants to start fresh for her new theory. No assumptions, base everything on hard references. That said, there's no books in Ponyville that mention anything like what's going on with you all. She knows, she checked them all."
Rainbow Dash ducked under a dangling spiderweb. "And we're here in the Princess' old castle because...?"
"Because there might be something in the old library here, if any of it's still intact. Maybe even some of Starswirl's other journals if we're really lucky."
She groaned as she finally realized what she'd agreed to. "This is a research mission? I'm not gonna have to read a bunch of dusty old books am I?"
Spike chuckled. "Nah, we just need to gather together anything that doesn't look like it'll fall apart at a touch and bring them back to Twilight."
That wasn't too bad. A few trips back and forth between the castle and Ponyville, less if she could find a tarp or something to carry them with. After all, how many books could really survive a thousand years unattended and still be readable? Ten? Twenty?
"Here we are!" Spike pushed open a pair of double doors to reveal a massive library, three stories of shelves with sweeping walkways and the withered remains of ladders. And hundreds of intact books.
"Oh hay no. It'll take a week to fly all these back to Ponyville!"
Spike gave her a look. "Yeah. It would," his look melted into a cheeky smile, "if someone didn't have a magic key to a big storage space."
Oh. Right. She did have one of those. She reached under her wing and grasped at the smooth piece of gold that hadn't existed there until she wanted it to. "In my defense, I never use the thing." They stepped into the library, shut the door, then reopened it into the crystal Hub.
Dash grabbed an armful of books from the nearest shelf. "Where does Twilight want these? Straight into the library?"
"That's what she said," he looked out at all the closed doors that faced them. "But it looks like she forgot to open the door on her end. Whatever. Just put them in the warehouse for now."
"In where?"
"Sorry, that's what I call the room with the arrows. All the empty shelves make me think of a warehouse, and we did get a delivery there."
Alright. She could do that. She could collect musty old books faster and better than anyone else. And she didn't need some freebie power to do it. "You take the low shelves, I'll take the high ones?"
Spike grinned. "Sounds like a plan."
They worked in genial companionship for about an hour, passing the time with small amusement like mispronouncing titles written in dead dialects and racing to clear a shelf. It was almost enough of a distraction to keep Dash's mind from wandering back to sulking over the unfairness of power distribution.
But a reminder soon came as another of the doors opened.
"Easy, easy. Careful with those tassels! Annnnd... set it down in one, two, three!" A long roll of blue and silver fabric settled down on the main table, a pegasus on one side and a unicorn on the other.
"Splendidly done, Fluttershy," Rarity said as she brushed some dust from her hooves (even though she'd been using her magic to help lift it). "Now let's go get the other- oh! Hello Rainbow Dash, what are you doing here?"
A hot spike of anger surged before she could shove it back down. "What? Am I not allowed to be here or something?"
Rarity offered her a look of innocent confusion. "Of course you are, darling, it's just that I've hardly ever seen you use the Nexus."
"I thought we were calling it the Hub?" Spike piped up.
"Twilight calls it the hub, whereas I felt it deserved something a bit more grandiose."
Dash forced the undeserved anger back down and tried to answer the question without inventing any mean-spirited subtext from it. "Spike and I are clearing out all the books from the old castle in the Everfree. Twilight's trying to research this whole—" she gestured loosely at everything around them, and themselves "—thing."
Rarity's eyes lit up and she laughed. "Really? Why, we're in the castle as well! What are the chances?"
Fluttershy (who'd finally caught her breath after lifting what looked like the lion's share of the weight) nodded. "We're salvaging--"
"Thrifting, darling, thrifting!"
"...thrifting some old royal banners and tapestries Rarity wanted to restore."
"Any historically significant ones of which I will, of course, happily give back to the Crown after their restoration," Rarity added slightly too quickly. "Oh, but have either of you had a chance to try these darling new Jump Boots Fluttershy made?"
She posed, showing off her brightly colored and kind of foalish-looking booties. "They're a marvel. Perfect for helping you grab those pesky things just a few dozen feet out of reach."
'And what's that compared to flying?' Dash shook the negative thought from her head before it could reach her lips. This was Fluttershy's work and she should be happy for her friend's accomplishments.
"Of course, it was only sensible to use this handy magic room to get them back home." She turned to Fluttershy. "Though, in hindsight, perhaps one of us should have stayed at the Boutique to open the door from the other side."
Fluttershy gave her a steady look through half-lidded eyes. "That's what I was trying to tell you all the way here."
"Ah, well, yes. What's done is done. I'm sure we can find somewhere in here to store them for the time being, no?"
"There's always room in the warehouse!" Spike offered, eager as usual when Rarity was involved.
"A fine idea!" She gestured to the far side of the banner. "Fluttershy, if you would?"
The pegasus made a pained face, but was saved the effort by Spike, who ran under the far side before she could move. "I got it, Rarity!"
"Thank you Spike, you're such a wonderful help." She batted her eyelashes at him and the lovesick dragon nearly swooned.
"If we're swapping," Rainbow Dash turned to Fluttershy, "you want to help me carry some books instead?"
Fluttershy's thankful smile was a balm on her soul. "I think that'd be much nicer. Thank you."
Horadric Cube (Diablo) (200CP)
A copy of an ancient artifact created by the mage clans, which was itself a copy of an even older device, this engraved cube is a potent tool of alchemy and transformation. The cube's four most common uses are to repair, refine, transmute, or dismantle items. The cube can repair broken magical items to full functionality, though you may need to add in reagents to make up for lost mass and energy. Multiple items of the same type placed inside will be consumed to create a single slightly more potent version. Items can be transmuted into other items of a different shape yet similar nature, such as arrows into bolts. Finally, magical items can be fragmented, enchantments and power cleanly divided between each piece, a function commonly used to store dangerous items in a more manageable form.
Sprinting is great and all, really, but it's not much use in life. How often is raw speed in that sense going to help, in anything from typing to fighting? But it looks like it's actually quite fitting for you. The faster you become in raw movement speed, the faster you are able to do any task at all. Becoming able to move faster than the speed of sound would let you accomplish hours of work in just minutes, with no loss in quality, consideration or effective time spent on the project. You'll be moving and acting faster but be just as effective as if you took as much time as you normally would on the task you're working on.
This was what RD got right? Admittedly forgot about that. Now the thing is, I am not sure she will be able to notice the difference easily because being fast has always been her thing in action and personality. It's gonna take something making her push herself to notice. Maybe when she decides to do a rainboom for some reason or maybe during her try outs for the Wonderbolts.
Folks seem to want them to get perks that align with their themes. It actually is more amusing to read their reactions to getting perks that have little to do with their theme or existing hobbies.
It's more like: how often will I use this? Take Apple Jack's martial arts training. That's actually neat for the next few weeks, but really how often would she be using it? O.k. they fight random things like those vines, but those generally need a gimmick to fix rather than straight out beating them.
RD is jealous not because she doesn't have a lot of perks or anything. It's that she hasn't really learned to make any use of her current perk. If she was having fun with her existing perk, she wouldn't be that jealous.
I kept on wondering if she'd end up with one of the various time perks. That goes along with the speed theme though.
I'm having fun reading along with the slice of life bits of this. Watching the group interact as they discover their new abilities is rather fun. Its still rather early as well. Those girls have no idea what's going to hit them later on.
It's a bit hard to do that with only trap making. Traps require a degree of patience, both to set up and then to wait for it to go off, which is something that doesn't click for Rainbow Dash. Maybe, she could leverage her ability to make domino creations or fun Rube Goldberg Machines, but that requires a degree of outside thinking that's more Pinkie Pie's wheelhouse than Dash.
By WoG, we know she would have gained Hunter's workshop, but Bloodborne is suitably horrific so those feelings of envy would have mutated to something more…. of a miasma. It's fortunate, that Dash got a Workshop Expansion, so she doesn't deal with mixed feelings. Hopefully, they dice favor her to get something she might enjoy in addition to her Cutie Mark.
It just wasn't fair. All her friends were getting crazy superpowers like they were taking free samples at Barnyard Bargains, and yet she hadn't gotten any. Okay, she'd got one, but the ability to make things that fall apart easily barely counted.
We know the other mane 6 like the perks, or at least have a neutral outlook. No one has been inconvenienced by their Perks. We have Fluttershy's viewpoint of trying to recreate Mario Shrooms, and Twilight's R and D efforts. Pinkie Pie's Perk are, more or less, an extension of her regular behavior. The only one who might have a negative opinion on the Perks is Rarity, but depending on the rolls, it'll be awhile before she stumbles on to objects which require….graphic vocabulary to describe their function. What I'm getting at, and what Rainbow Dash walk backs from is the others got fun or interesting things, while she hasn't but
'And what's that compared to flying?' Dash shook the negative thought from her head before it could reach her lips. This was Fluttershy's work and she should be happy for her friend's accomplishments.
the only one who might have a negative opinion on the Perks is Rarity, but depending on the rolls, it'll be awhile before she stumbles on to objects which require….graphic vocabulary to describe their function.
Maybe give her Sentai Powers? A magical Helicarrier?
Maybe give her a job class system from Dragon Quest, only modified where she starts out as a Builder from Dragon Quest Builder... Maybe even allow her the ability to create something that lets others gain job classes or benefits from what they already have...
Maybe she needs a sidekick? That's totally Loyal to her?
How about... A shoggoth pegasus, looking (honest!) totally normal, except for a tendency for tendrils to bleed darkness into any shadows? Can pop around through shadows? Really good at building stuff from (dark) clouds for her - aren't shoggoths good builders?
But, Loyal. And always willing to tell Rainbow that she's 'the best'. That's the important thing.
