//------------------------------// // Little Things // Story: Mages of Etheria: The Infinity Matrix // by Nova Arc //------------------------------// The next day went on without much happening. Students were generally getting to know each other and were getting along fairly well with their teams... well, most of them, anyway. "I'm telling you, that's the best name." "Dude, we are not calling ourselves the Misfits. What kind of message are you trying to send?" "Um, an honest one?" Sunset Shimmer, Digit Weaver, Trixie Lulamoon, Amethyst Luster, Zesty Blitz, and Nox Moonrider had had three meetings already. And for three meetings, they had argued on what to call their team. Nox and Amethyst had especially been arguing on one name in particular. "Look, you said you weren't a team player, but maybe at least make an effort?" "I am." "Gah!" "Okay, let's all just calm the heck down." Digit was apparently now the voice of reason on this team, something Trixie seemed to have a problem with. Actually, she seemed to have a problem with the whole team. "Who made you team leader?" Trixie asked. "Um, I'm not. I'm just saying we need to calm down and figure this out." "What if we use the first letter of our first names and make an acronym?" Zest asked, hanging from his usual position. "That could work..." Digit though about it and found a problem. "... Except it’s kinda hard to make a reasonable acronym with five consonants and a vowel, don't you think?" "Oh yeah. Haha. Didn't think of that," Zest said, scratching his head. "Obviously." "Trixie, rude!" Amethyst said in a disapproving tone. "What, it's not like he's come up with any good names." "And you have?" Sunset looked at Digit, who was rubbing his temples. "It's gonna be a long week, huh?" "Oh yeah. Very." "Welcome to Basic Magic Plants! My name is Miss Roseluck!" On the third day, the class was introduced to Roseluck, another very... interesting teacher. She had a perky attitude and always wore bright colors. For example, today she wore a rose red dress, green sandals, and a bright red rose in her hair. On her arms were bright green vine-like armbands that extended from her elbow to her wrists. "So, let's get right into it. Who can tell me what plant this is?" She held up a blue flower with five long petals. "Miss Sparkle?" "The Poison Joke," Twilight answered. Never gonna forget that one ever again, she said, laughing quietly to herself. Her teammates had the same idea. "That's correct," Roseluck sang. "Who can tell me what this one is?" Next she pulled out a flower with bright yellow center, surrounded by orange and bright teal petals. Electricity arced around the flower. "Miss Applejack?" "That's a zap apple flower," said Applejack, standing up. "It's the third sign of the comin' o' zap apple season." "Correct again!" "Um, Digit?" Amethyst was shaking Digit, who had fallen asleep ten minutes into the class. "Hm?" Digit opened an eye to look at Sunset. "What's up?" "Um, class, that's what's up." "Meh, I'm not really a plant guy." "Won't this be important when we have a test to write?" "Hehe. I guess." He sat up and looked at her. "You know, sometimes you sound like Twilight." "I'm goin' to ignore that, but take it as a compliment," she said, turning back to face Roseluck. Next few hours went by like a typical school day: class, break, class, class, class, team meeting. Again, they argued on what to call themselves. Next, they had Physical Education. "ALRIGHT! LISTEN UP!" The class wasn't saw what scared them most; his voice or his figure. He had tanned skin, bright yellow eyes, and dark blue buzz-cut hair and a goatee. His bulging muscles made him look twice as intimidating when coupled with his chiseled eight-pack and barrel chest. He wore a gray sleeveless sweatshirt, a pair of blue military camouflage trousers and black boots. "MY NAME IS IRON WILL! I WILL BE YOUR GYM INSTRUCTOR!" Oh, and he tends to shout when he speaks. "Huh, I heard that he's a Minotaur," said Twilight. "Or was that just another false rumor?" "Oh, no," answered Fluttershy. "He is a Minotaur... well, half Minotaur." "That explains the physique." "Wonder which side of the family that comes from," asked Rainbow. "Either way, having a kid would be painful for one of the parents, or both, depending" she added, snickering. "Rainbow Dash, please!" Rarity turned slightly red at her friend’s lewd statement. "Have some decency and refrain from such lewd fprms of humor." "What?" Rainbow asked, smiling. "TODAY, I WANNA SEE WHAT EACH OF YOU IS MADE OF! SO GET ON THE TRACK, AND GIVE ME 30 LAPS!" "Oh what?!" was the reply from most of the class. "What was that?" Somehow, Iron Will sounded even scarier when he was calm than when he was shouting. This was proven when everyone immediately hit the track. At the final lap, Sunset and Twilight were jogging at the back, along with a group of others, including Fluttershy, amethyst, and Rarity. "So... how're things... going... with your team?" Twilight asked Sunset, struggling to breathe. "Could... be better." Sunset fared no better. "Rainbow's ahead... as usual?" "Yeah." Meanwhile, in the lead, Rainbow, Zest, Applejack, and Digit were fighting for first, four trails of rainbow, blue, red, and orange. Rainbow overtook Zest in the air, Digit was neck-to-neck with Applejack on the ground. "Come on slowpokes, at least try to keep up," Rainbow called out to the back. Zest smiled and began to inch forward. Then, they crossed the finish; Rainbow, then Zest, the Digit, then Applejack. "Hoowee!" Applejack leaned over to catch her breath. "That was some run. How'd you get so fast?" Applejack looked at Digit, who was being held upside down by Zest. "Practice... dedication... a bunch of bullies you aren't able to outrun... and another bunch of people that won't stop laughing at how slow you are." He gave a thumbs-up and he was released, landing on his feet with acrobatic precision. "Wow, ah always thought you were the popular type." "We all gotta start somewhere." "And yet, you're still slower than me," Zest added, resting on Digit's head. By the time everyone had finished, nobody could stand on their own. What happened next didn't make it any better. "Now," Iron Will said, his voice calm, but not scary this time, "I've tested your endurance. Now I want to test your strength. I need a volunteer." Applejack raised her hand. "What's your name?" "Applejack, coach." "Well Applejack, let's see what you've got." He went over to the corner of the room and brought a large punching bag. "This is a Pound Counter. It measures your total output power in your attack." He hung it up from a long chain that extended from the ceiling. "Go ahead." Applejack took her stance; legs apart, one in front of the other, arms by her side, head down. Then, she lunged at the sack and, in an explosive display of power, kicked it with such force, the resulting shockwave sent a few students staggering back a few inches. The bag flew off its hook and landed a good fifteen feet away, sand pouring from a rip in the material. Applejack smiled. Iron Will checked his tablet. "Congratulations, your hit power was... three thousand five hundred ninety-two." Everyone gasped. Then there was chattering. They could tell that the kick was strong, but with nothing to compare it too, they didn't know just how powerful. Iron Will face-palmed. "It means her hit has the same amount of force as a ten-meter-tall diamond golem." There was a collective, "Ooooh," from the room. "Okay, WHO’S NEXT?" Everyone took turns, but no one came even close to Applejack. The closest competitors were Rainbow with 3204, Pinkie, with 3289, and Digit with 3447, which wasn't enough to knock it off the hook, it was enough to punch a hole in the bag. Afterwards, they had Nature Studies. Their teacher was a dark-skinned woman with a light gray and white stripped Mohawk and deep cyan eyes. She wore a long grayish-purple skirt with a slit down the right side, a white halter top that exposed her midriff, and purple sandals. She had three white marks on each cheek and a series of white tattoos on her arms and legs. On her exposed stomach was a gray stylized spiral sun. "Good day, students. I am Zecora. In this class, you shall learn about flora and fauna." She moved over to her desk. "We will learn about the many forests in our land, and maybe someday, we will get to see them first-hand." She talked about the Everfree Forest and its unique eco system; the magical plants, the dangerous beasts, and even the way its natural magic energy can have various effects on various life forms. That was the final hour and a half of the day, after which everyone went home or to their dorms. On the fifth day, things got a little more interesting. More teams were finalizing their name changes and any other alterations they wanted. Some teams split up and some teams grew. Sunset was unsure about what would become of her team. "Five days and still no name." Everyone was getting a bit worried. "Come on, there has to be something we all have in common that we can work with." "Face it Sunny," Amethyst said, "We just ain't made to work together." "I don't believe that." Sunset thought for a while. According to Nox, everyone had some kind of problem, but from what she could tell, they had each found a way to get over it, especially considering that nobody was bringing up their past problems. Not a lot to go on. "Hey, where's Trixie?" Zest asked. "I haven't seen her since third period." "Me neither," said Amethyst. Suddenly, Trixie burst through the door. "Trixie has arrived," she announced, rolling her tongue at "arrived". "Speak of the devil..." said Zest. "And she shall appear," Amethyst finished with a smile. "Oh, shut it." "Or what, little girl?" "Or you'll face the wrath of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" "You wanna go, Trixie? Because I've got a lot of steam to blow off!" "Would you both knock it off?" Digit teleported between them before they could get close enough to start throwing punches. "We're on the same team here." "For now," Amethyst added as she walked back to the bleachers and went back to her phone. "Okay, there's been some pretty slow progress, so I have an idea for a good team building exercise." "Which is?" Sunset asked, her curiosity suddenly piqued. "A team project that could quite possibly speed up the naming process." "Again I ask, which is?" "A team sigil." Everyone stared at him. "That..." Amethyst attempted to argue, but nothing came to mind, "...is actually a pretty good idea." "Agreed," said Sunset. "Sounds like fun," added Zest. "Whatever," Nox added, blankly. "Fine," Trixie said, rather reluctantly. "Okay, let’s get started." Ten minutes later... "Okay, so maybe this is going to be a little bit harder than I thought." They had before them a massive canvas. Each of them took a side and drew about three sketches each of what they think their team sigil should be. However, to two people had any similar ideas. "Yeesh," was all Sunset could say as she saw the variety of sigils. "I hate to be the one to ask such a negative question," Amethyst said, "But do we have anything in common?" "We all have something terrible in our past." Again, they all looked at Nox. How could any one person be so gloomy? "Wow. Dude," Sunset said. "I'm pretty sure it's very well near impossible to depress Pinkie, but I think you can pull it off." "Just being honest." "Then the truth don't just hurt," Amethyst said, "It totally sucks." "Okay, new plan. Wait here." Digit left the room and headed down the hall. Meanwhile... Zecora had one of the largest classes in terms of the volume of work, so she was one of those teachers that stayed back in class an extra hour or so. Today was no exception. The only difference is that she had a visitor. "Come in." Professor Creed walked in. "Professor Creed, last of a dying breed." "Please Zecora," he said smiling. "How have you been?" "A little busy with work, but every job has a quirk. Are you here to discuss the issue I brought up with you?" "Yes. From what I can tell, the group's member's individual performances are outstanding, but they seem to have a problem working together. Some of them get along, but not all six at once." "Change is difficult, that we all know, but in time, closer will they grow." "True. I just fear they may fall apart before they even get that close." "Have faith, Professor. As you once said, 'Doubt is your only oppressor.'" Professor Creed smiled. "Zecora, your wisdom and enlightenment knows no bounds." He looked at his watch. "I'll be off then. Bye Zecora." "Where were you?" Sunset asked, as Digit walked through the door a few minutes later. "I think I found something to get us together. Now, it's a known fact that none of us can sit still... mostly," he added, looking at Nox, who shrugged. "So, what if we go on a hunt?" "Um... what?" Sunset ran the though through her head. "O... kay. Where's the treasure?" "Remember when a kangarat escaped the science lab last year? We're going to find it." "It might not even be in the school anymore." "Oh, it's here alright." "I'm in," said Amethyst. "Ain't like I got anything better to do right now." "Count me in," chimed Zest. "Whatever," Nox droned. "Why not," Sunset shrugged. They all looked at Trixie. "Fine. Yeesh." "Okay. Let's get going." They searched the whole school until the sun began to set... then kept searching. Amethyst walked around the back of the school. As she turned a corner, she bumped into Sunset. "Oh, sorry," they said in unison. "Any luck?" asked Sunset. "Nope," Amethyst replied. They walked together, checking the school parking lot. They searched each van and bus. "Hey, Sunny, is it okay if I call you that?" asked Amethyst. "Sure," Sunset replied. "What do you think of Trixie?" Sunset nearly slipped off the crate she was standing on in one of the delivery vans. "Wait, what?" she asked in shock. "Like, what do you think of her as a teammate?" "Oh," Sunset sighed in relief. "Wait," Amethyst said, "Did you think I meant...? OH HELL NO! I DO NOT SWING THAT WAY!" "I'm sorry," Sunset said, blushing. "It's just the whole issue with you two can be translated differently." "Let me translate clearly: I do not like Trixie." Then she calmed down. "Sorry. I kinda lost it there for a sec." "I should be the one apologizing for thinking the way I did. But what do you mean?" "Like, do you think she's the reason that we can't solidify this team?" "Not really. She can be a real pain, but I think she's just compensating for something else. But-" "Do you think I'm the reason?" Sunset stared at her blankly. Amethyst was popular and confident, but she was still human. Sunset had never expected to see this side of her. "Absolutely not. Why would you say something like that? You've actually been making an effort." "Yeah, well, I seem to have this curse where every time I'm in a group, I never seem to get along with them. Plus, I'm a bit of a trouble magnet, and that's putting it lightly." "Well you haven't gotten into any trouble and you get along pretty well with Digit and me." "Haven't gotten into any trouble yet. Besides, I've known Digit for a while, and you just seem like you could relate to the whole rejection story." Sunset raised an eyebrow. "No offense," she quickly added. "None taken. But honestly, I think we each have a part to play in the problem. The only reason we aren't a team yet is because we let little things get to us and it's breaking the bonds before they can even form. I learned that while I was with the Rainbooms during the Battle of the Bands." Amethyst smiled. "Smart and she can shred on a guitar. How is every boy in the school not on top of you right now?" "I guess their afraid I'd brainwash them and try to form my zombie army again." "Take your own advice, Sunny," Amethyst said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Its good advice." Sunset smiled and she smiled back. "Thanks. Now let's find that rat." "FOUND THE RAT!" The yell was followed by a red blur crashing to the ground behind the van they were in. "What? Where?" the two girls asked in unison. "On the school field. C'mon!" He darted off, the girls following close behind. Amethyst pulled out her phone. "Yo, Digit, Zest found the kangarat! It's at the school field. Sunset and I are headed there with him right now!" When they reached the field, they saw it... kind of. It was a light brown blur, streaking across the field. "Gotcha!" Zest shot towards the field where the creature was. Keyword, "was". He zipped across and missed, slamming into the wall at the other end while looking back to try spot the rodent. "Okay," he said, pulling away from the wall and trying to regain his balance, "This thing is going DOWN!" He shot across again, missed again, and crashed into the barricade behind the girls, who dived out of the way before they became shock absorbers. "WATCH IT!" Amethyst yelled. "This isn't working. It's too fast." "Back in class last year, Miss Zecora said that to catch these things, we need to try to predict their movements; find point 'A' and predict point 'B'." They looked up to see Digit standing in front of them, with Nox floating cross-legged behind him, his midnight blue wings stretched out to full length. "Sorry, we were looking for Trixie. She should be here right about..." He held up his finger and looked at his watch. In a flash of pale pink light, Trixie appeared at the top of the bleachers. "Trixie is here,” she announced. "And the rat is mine!" She shot a bolt of winding, pink energy at the creature, but missed. The rodent hopped at blinding speed towards Trixie. As it approached, Trixie backed away, firing more binding spells at it. "Eek! Stay away you rat!" She tripped over a step and fell, losing the grip on her wand. She kicked at the rodent, who kept coming. "No! Stay away! Shoo!" Then it landed on her lap. She shrieked so loudly, a mandrake would bury itself without trying to compete. "Hey boy!" Sunset waved her hands at the creature from across the field, gesturing for it to come over. "Over here. Come on, mama won't hurt you." As it hopped off of Trixie's lap, a streak of red zipped past her. "Point 'A'," Zest said, as he skidded to a halt with the kangarat in his hands, "Meet point flippin' 'B'!" He stared at it with venom and victory in his eyes, which faded in about five seconds. "Awww," he said, petting the furry creature, "You are troublesome, but you're just so adorable!" "I agree," Amethyst said, coming up behind him to scratch the kangarat's head. "They better not dissect him. Otherwise, there's gonna be a war!" "Well, this was nice. The lost now found for no price." The next day, Zecora stared at the cage containing a small fuzzy creature that resembled a mouse, but with long, kangaroo-like legs. "Good deeds come in every shape and size, but all good deeds deserve a prize." She looked around the classroom and smiled. After the class, she held back Sunset. "Someone in your team, or do I dream?" "Well, Zest caught it," Sunset replied. "I see..." Zecora moved to her desk and began writing on a slip of paper. "But Trixie was also a big help." Zecora stopped to look at her. "Really?" "Yeah. She helped keep the rodent still long enough for Zest to catch it." "I see." She kept writing. "Also, Amethyst helped keep it calm so it didn't run away again, Digit built the cage so it would be comfortable, and Nox helped feed it." "And you, Miss Shimmer?" "Not much, I just got its attention and helped Amethyst for a while." "Do you remember the first thing I said when I saw this creature in its little bed?" She gestured to the animal, which was asleep in said little bed. "Something about finding the lost without paying?" Sunset asked, unsure. "The other thing," Zecora replied, blankly. "About how good deeds come in many forms?" "Exactly." She handed Sunset six slips of paper. They were all folded and had the name of a member of her team. "Never sell yourself short, Miss Shimmer, or that light of yours will only get dimmer." "Thank you, Miss Zecora." "We are not calling ourselves the Kangarats!" It was now Nox versus Amethyst and Zest. "Aw, come on," Zest said, once again in his usual upside-down position. "Dude, that's the perfect mascot for our group." "If we were still in elementary school. Besides, how does that even work?" "It's small, but mighty," answered Amethyst. "Besides, it showed how well we can work together as a team." "Not all of us were involved." "Direct or indirect, it still counts." "However," Trixie interjected, "If Trixie hadn't held it down, you never would have caught it." "Held it down?" Amethyst pulled out her phone. "More like 'it stood still trying to understand why you were so scared of it'." "Excuse me?" Amethyst held up her phone. It showed a video of Trixie backing away from the kangarat. Then falling. Then screaming like a little girl. 'Ah! No! Stay away! Shoo! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!' Amethyst smiled. "That." "If anyone sees that video, Celestia help me I'll..." "You'll what?" Amethyst placed her finger on the send button on the screen. "Nonononono! Please!" Trixie was now on her knees, pleading. "Don't send that. I'll be ruined!" "Calm down." She closed the video, smiling. "What kind of person do you think I am? Yeesh." "Well, ahem, um..." Trixie said, getting up, "Trixie thanks you for not being a total bitch." "Yeah, well, you compensate for ten, so..." Amethyst replied, grinning. Then, Sunset walked through the door before they could go any further. "Hey Sunny." "Hi Amy. Have you seen Digit?" "Over here." Digit was standing on the wall... sideways. "Check it out. New dimension warping spell." "Nice. Oh, Miss Zecora said I should give these to each of you." She handed out the slips to their respective owners. Digit opened his. In his shock, he lost concentration and fell off the wall. "Omygoodness! Are you okay?" She ran to his side. "Do you know what this is?" he asked, excitement burning in his eyes. "It's a First Call Mission Slip." "What?" Sunset opened hers. "It is." "Woohoo!" Zest fly circles above them in excitement. "What is it exactly?" asked Amethyst. "This means..." Sunset started. Digit finished. "We can start taking high class assignments... next week." "Wait, don't we need to go through some kind of orientation?" Amethyst asked. "Not anymore," Digit replied, "And I don't know about you guys, but I don't intend to wait long." "So, what are you doing this weekend, Sunny?" As they left the school grounds, they talked about how they intended to spend the weekend. "I'm probably gonna hang with Twilight and the girls for a while," Sunset replied. "Not sure about anything else." "Ugh, you're depressing me, girl. What of a girl's night out, you and me?" "Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother or anything." "Hey, I'm asking you. It'll be fine." "Well, okay." Sunset turned to the guys. "What are you guys doing?" she asked. "I'm staying with my sister for the weekend," Digit replied. "Zest's sleeping over, but I'm still waiting for Nox to reply." Then a thought came to mind. "What if we all just hang out this weekend?" "High school boys and girls under the same roof?" Amethyst asked with concern. "Not sure that's a good idea." "Okay, first, my sis'll probably be there. Second, Nox isn't a problem and I can always reel in Zest." "Hey!" "Third, it'd be fun getting to know each other." "True. So, two became five. And Trixie?" Amethyst inquired. "What about her?" "Will she be there?" "Well yeah. She's part of the team. Oh, this is our stop." Digit and Zest branched off at the path leading to the boy's dorm. "Gotta get packing. Later." "Seeya girls," Zest said, waving. "Bye," Sunset and Amethyst replied. "Well, this'll be an interesting weekend," Sunset said as they headed to their dorm. "Yeah," Amethyst replied. "And a long, eventful one at that." "Wow. So you guys caught the kangarat and got a First Call slip? Things are looking up, huh?" Sunset had just finished telling a now pleased Twilight about her day. They stood in the corridor where their rooms were. "Yeah. It was kinda fun. We're planning to hang out tomorrow." "Oooooh, progress," Twilight said with wide eyes. "Well, good luck." "Thanks. Bye." She walked back to her room, where amethyst was sitting cross-legged on her bed, meditating. Trixie had already left. "I've gotta try that one of these days." "Clears the mind," Amethyst inhaled, "Calms the spirit." "Sounds like fun." Sunset got on her bed, assuming the same position. They each opened an eye, and began to laugh. "I think it's a great idea, son." "Mom, you know I don't get along well with others." "And yet, you haven't complained about them, nor them about you." "How am I supposed to trust them?" "Trust is earned. You once quoted a friend on this same topic. Something about taking a leap of faith?" "And look where that got me." "They aren't like them." "And you know this, how?" "Because you still attend team meetings don't you?" "I..." "Just give them a chance. The fact that you all have some past issue doesn't make you any less incompatible. In fact, it means your practically made for each other. And no, you are not misfits." "Fine. But I'm holding the 'I Told You So' card." "Fine by me. I doubt you'll get to use it." Digit stood in front of the mirror on his dorm room wall. He stared. "Well everything seems normal," he thought out loud. "No pain, no voices. That's good. He went back to packing. You okay? He heard a female voice. "Yeah." He replied. "Well, okay. I'm taking a cookie." "Don't get fat." "Not sure if that's possible." "Hey," Zest called from his end of the room, "Is this get-together a good idea? All things considered?" "Dude, you're not supposed to be the worried one," Digit replied smiling. "It'll be fine." "Haha. Yeah. You're right. What could happen?"