“Alright Shady since I don’t have a choice here, how do we start this Game?” I said as I sipped on my coffee. I have no idea what I'm getting myself into. But Shady had a point, I was getting bored of how my life was going.

[You always have a choice Moony, that’s my whole shtick. Giving people choices and options.]

[To begin please select your Class. Your class will be the primary definition of what your character will be able to do. It is more than just your job it will be your calling, your purpose. Your chosen class will guide your future quests, combat style, and other potential systems and routes.]

[Barbarian - A primitive and emotional physical damage class. Drawing upon their reservoirs of fury where rage takes over, giving them superhuman strength and resilience.]

[Bard- The Charismatic class- An inspiring magical class whose power comes from its music and supporting its allies.]

[Cleric - A pretty and pious class whose power comes from serving one of the divine or others of a higher power.]

[Druis - A priest of nature, capable of wielding the power and taking on the form of other creatures]

[Fighter - Masters of martial combat, skilled with a variety of weapons armor, and disciplines.]

[Monks -Masters of Martial arts, focused on hardening the body and mind to achieve spiritual and martial perfection.]

[Paladin - A holy warrior bound to his oath or serve and protect all that is good in the world.]

[Ranger - A dexterous and wise fighter who combats threats on the wilder edges of civilization.]

[Rogue’s - Scoundrels and sneaks who use stealth, charm, and trickery to overcome obstacles and enemies alike.]

[Sorcerers- A spellcaster who draws their power from an inherent magical source or as a gift from another being]

[Warlock- A wielder of magic that is derived solely from a bargain struck with extraplanar entities.]

[Wizard - A Scholarly magic user whose ability to manipulate the structure of reality is only dependent on their wit and intelligence.]

[Artificer- Maters of Innovation and creation. Use Ingenuity ad magic to unlock extraordinary capabilities in their creations.]

[Extra class available]
[Blood Hunter - Blood hunters are willing to suffer extraordinary pain and hardship to achieve their goals. They have cast all other comforts in the pursuit or either guarding the innocent or defeating their sworn enemy]

[Please select your class.]

Looking over all the available classes I bit my lips in indecision. There were a lot of good-looking classes.
“OK, That’s a lot of classes. Let's narrow that down a bit. I am not and will never be a physical fighter. Too much sweat and dirt for me. So Barbarian, Fighter, Monk, and Paladin. I’m not nearly as nature crazy as an earth pony so cross out Rogue and druid. I’m not nearly morally deficient enough to be a rouge or blood hunter. That narrowed things down considerably to Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard, or Artificer.”

Looking over the list again I thought it was far more manageable. I read over the descriptions once more to cross a few more out.

“You know what, take off Warlock as well. I don’t particularly want any power I have or get to be given to me. I like being self-reliant and having someone just give me power is just a big NO in my book. And I can’t carry a tune to save my life so bard’s out as well.”

As I told the system this It Grayed out and then deleted all the other classes until I was down to Sorcerer, Wizard, and Artificer.

“Shady, Can you go into a bit more detail on Sorcerers, Wizards, and Artificers? I get how Artificer is different but how are sorcerers and wizards different, I’m a unicorn so I have my own inherent magical foci and core in my horn. And this is Canterlot so Wizards are a dime a dozen around here.” I could throw a rock outside and have a decent chance of hitting a pony with wizard of something or other in their title.

[Certainly, and I can see the confusion with our classifications. Technically all the magical users in Canterlot are Sorcerers since they all use their own unicorn magic. By selecting The Sorcerers class you would gain further insight into unicron-based magics and further develop down the UnicronTrack. Usually, these powers and abilities are more instinctual and raw. However, due to the special characteristics of unicorns, spells and other magical abilities can be taught like with the wizard class as long as it’s in the unicorn magic system.]

[Wizards are students of the arcane. Wizards seek mastery of Magics Mysteries. Some aspire to evolve into gods, some shape reality itself, and others simply open interplanar taverns.
What they lack in power most Wizards make up for in versatility Wizards by far have the largest and most varied repertoire of spells available to them. Seldom is a Wizard's days mundane. The quest for more knowledge often leads even the most ordinary and reserved of Wizards out into new adventures. Since you are a unicorn this means that you will gain access to spells and magic of any and all types as long as you study how they work and practice them. No magic system will be barred from you.]

“Wow. That’s actually really cool. Pony feathers, choosing between those two is going to be hard. On one hoof I can finally become more powerful as a unicorn and learn all those spells I couldn’t do since I wasn’t strong enough. On the other hand, being able to use any magic system? That sounds good.”

I thought over the classes again. I was leaning really hard towards Sorcerers since the only other creatures I know who even used magic were Earth ponies and Pegasi. And while I’m sure there are other creatures that could do magical things none of them had the sheer versatility that unicorn magic had. None of their magic was all that useful to her. Sure they could do some neat things but what use is being able to grow plants better and move a cloud by hoof when I could just cast a spell to do the same thing?

Ok so maybe I couldn’t do it as well as them and I’d need far more magic to due it, but I'd still be able to do the same things eventually.

I was about to select the Sorcerer when I caught that Artificer was still on the list.

“Hey Shady? What about Artificers? Honestly, they sound really similar to what my job is now. How is Artificing any different from enchanting?” I asked the screen curiously.

[While at first glance enchanting and Artificing may look similar, as they both imbue magic into objects, They branch out quickly after that. Enchanting is the art of using runes to imbue magic into items for a specific effect. As you know this is a long and tedious process that often can result in failure as it is more an art than proper science.
Artificers are a lot more complicated as while they can enchant as well, their scope is far broader. Artificers are far more inventive and innovative always tinkering with new machines and spells. Researching ways to combine magic and science to create items and machines that could do virtually anything. As an enchanter you would gain levels and experience based on your creations and inventions as well as magic imbued into the items.]

Well, that threw a wrench into my thinking.

At this point, this meant I would either go for an artificer for the inventing and innovating aspect or the Sorcerer class to become a better unicorn.

[Do note that once you have leveled up enough and completed the necessary quest lines a second class shall become available to you.]

“That doesn’t really help me know but good to know,” I said with some exasperation.

Taking the last sip of my coffee I walk over to the sink to put the glass away and grab some breakfast. Thinking is hungry work and spending all night enchanting a single horseshoe had taken nearly forever since it kept failing. I could still hear the tink of metal on metal if I closed my eyes.

As I reached into the sparse fridge to make myself a daffodil sandwich I decided just to pick a class and be done with it. “I’ll pick Artificer then. At the very least it can’t hurt my already abysmal enchanting rate.”

[Artificer Class selected]
[Status screen]
[To access your status screen you simply need to say Status or think it with purpose.]
[Name: Moon Dancer]
[Level 1]
[Class: Artificer]
[Race Teir 1 Unicorn]
[Background: Enchanter]
[Status]
STR - 2 - You have the subpar strength of a Bookworm, Capable of lifting small objects.
DEX - 2 - Speed, what’s that? Can I eat it?
CON - 10 You may be slow and weak but long study binges have increased your endurance.
INT - 18 - You are one of the smartest students to have graduated from CSFGU.
WIS - 16 - Your problem-solving skills are second to none.
PER- 11 - You are skilled at finding small details and hidden things.
CHA - 2 - Is that your Face or your Flank, it’s hard to tell the difference.

...?

“I can’t tell if I should be proud or offended,” I say with a dual mind. On one hoof the compliments on my intelligence were really nice.

On the other hoof, "What the BUCK do you mean flank face. That’s really mean Shady".

[Sorry not sorry. Most of those were presets but their not inaccurate. Your physical abilities are absolutely dreadful. According to the logs, there have been days where you haven’t so much as left your desk let alone your house.]

Sputtering in indignation I said back with a glare “I Study! Enchanting is an ever-evolving art form and I need to constantly be learning to make better equipment.”

[Ture, Which is why your intelligence score is so high and your other stats aren’t that bad. Other than Charisma. Witch is just as abysmal as your physical stat’s.]

“Well, what do I need charisma for? I make stuff. And talking to ponies is HARD. I don’t want to have to talk to more people than I have to.”

While no new page popped up I did get the feeling of a raised eyebrow flash in my head. It was a bit disconcerting and worrying since that also meant that he had access to my mind. Was he able to also read my mind? Was he only not commenting on it to be polite.

[Yup]

[Don’t underestimate the power and utility of a high Charisma stat. Working on charisma can open far more doors than just about any other statistic. For your situation specifically, it would allow you to get argue for higher prices for your goods, See threw lies and deception, Including scammers. Allow you to find new customers more easily, then convince them to purchase a good enchantment. Being able to eloquently get your messages across to other academics for any research purposes. Along with that, you will have an easier time understanding and recognizing social que’s, avoiding many social landmines and pitfalls. At higher levels, you will be able to eloquently make arguments to even equestrian Parliament, if at any time they choose to force threw a bill or law that would make your life as a new Artificer harder. Eventually, A higher Carisma Score will also improve your looks allowing for more romantic options in your life as well as just a general sense of wellness and ……]

I balked at the sheer wall of text and information being dumped on me. I like to read more than the average mare but there's a difference between reading that and reading something that’s briskly criticizing you. It really didn’t feel very good to have my deficiencies laid out like that.

I’m a little ashamed to admit, even if just to myself, that I never thought of benign social like that. It always just seemed like a huge waste of time to me. Playing around with other foals and going to cafes to spend time together always seemed pointless when I could be studying something more interesting.

Looking over to a small and inconspicuous pile of papers on one of my desks I scrunched my face up in distaste. Far too many ignored invoices and bills went unpaid and washed her desk in a sea of red ink. Getting scammed out of her good work was always painful and depressing. It didn’t happen all that often but when it did it often threw everything off and just made life harder for her.

Perhaps Shady had a point. If she had just been a bit more sociable in her past, she would have learned the skills needed to segregate her customers better. See threw the lies and deceptions that in hindsight were obvious traps and scams.

[....Leading to even access to the subsocial skills of [frendship magic].....]

“OK, ok, You’ve made your point I Suck. I’m a Stupid shut-in who spent her whole life stuck in her books and barely makes ends meet in a job that people mainly use for the novelty as theirs is usually something better and cheaper being mass produced somewhere else.” I said with some vitriol and spite. I really didn’t like having my faults thrust into my face like that. Even if they are true.

[Glad to be of service. Tho I wouldn't call you stupid. In fact, with a little work in the right places, you could easily leverage your intellect into something formidable. I don’t mean to be mean but your logs indicate that you typically don’t respond well to subtle hints. So blatant insults and criticism seem to work best.]

“Are you my sister, Cause that is an awful lot of judgment?” I said with less spite this time. I was still far too tired from last night to argue, even with a supposed multiversal symbiotic entity that wants to grant me power. For some reason.

Gosh, I really just want to walk up my stairs and go to bed.

[Skills screen?]

“Huh, what skills DO I get?” I said, deflecting the annoyance and charisma talk for now. Can me a coward but I really wasn’t in the mood to be judged now.

[Skills Sheet]

[Magical Tinkering - Theive tool and Artisans tools requirement has been lifted due to Unicorn horn foci presence. You are able to give an object a SMALL magical property. Property lasts indefinitely. You are able to bestow magical properties to multiple objects as long as you have the mana to pay for it. ]

[The advanced sub-skill of Magical Tinkering [Enchanting] has been unlocked.]

[Enchanting- By caring runes imbued with your magic into an item you are able to imbue the item with magical abilities. Large chance or failure, Low mana cost, Mild to medium effects.]

[Spell Casting - You've studied the workings of magic and how to cast spells, channeling the magic through objects. To observers, you don't appear to be casting spells in a conventional way; you appear to produce wonders from mundane items and outlandish inventions.]

[Gamers Mind - Recognizes reality as a game to keep a calm mind. Immune to mental disorders. ]

[Gamers Body - This skill grants a body that allows the user to live the real world like a game. Grants a body that allows the user to live the real world like a game. (You receive no physical damage from attacks only pain for a few seconds and a loss of HP). After sleeping in a bed, it restores HP, MP and cures all status effects.]

[Unicorn magic - Due to the Unicorn race you have access to the Unicorn Magic system.]

I tiled my head as I read over my skill page, thoughts and ideas springing up on how to use them even as I discarded a dozen more. Ideas that i had previously thought of as to dangerous and impossible now seeing probable.
If what Shady was showing was true then….This opened a whole new realm of possibilities.
I didn’t particularly trust shady, he was shady after all. But I really liked these new powers and abilities. I would have to test them the first chance I got.

Still, I would have to…

‘Nock, nock, nock’

The nocking of the door derailed my train of thought, much to my annoyance. I contemplate just ignoring it so I didn’t have to deal with other ponies. But I have just been given a very compelling thesis on why socialization is important.

Almost feeling the smugness radiating from Shady I walk over to the door with just a hint of hesitation.

Undoing the lock with a quick flourish of my horn I open the door with a flourish to find….the most unexpected thing.

Next Chapter: Tinkle Shine Estimated time remaining: 14 Minutes