//------------------------------// // A Children's Book // Story: A Small Drop // by Glitch Hooves //------------------------------// Three Days Later. Twilight's visit was over. After recovering from her headache and working on two fully translated version of the book, she had to bid adieu to begin the real work. Of course, she also had to take the, 'Weapons,' Shimmer talked about. She was waiting by the portal mirror, and not a single student was in sight as Sunset Shimmer had said it was a student holiday. She had set down the bag of needles by the portal when she saw a rusty red, 'car,' pull up on the street the school overlooked. "Okay... that's a good sign," she said to herself. From one side of the, 'car,' a small door opened up and Sunset Shimmer walked out. On the other seat, which looked like it had a large wheel attached to it, was Applejack, and on the large part behind it, which Twilight could only assume was a cargo-hold, two small heads popped up simultaneously. One head belonged to the body of a newly discovered species from an entirely new world, and the other belonged to Sonata. Sunset has yet to read the translated variant as she had to spend most of the past three days trying to convince Applejack to let them use the pick-up again. Applejack smiled and waved at her from the, 'car,' but she didn't give any indication of actually leaving it. Sonata vaulted over the side railing while Squirt floated after her. She was so busy on taking notes on how he moved, that she didn't even notice Sunset's fingers snapping right beside her head. 'No assistance of the tail when levitating; possible sex organ? Or perhaps a vestigial organ? Maybe for balance? Perhaps a-' "Twilight!" a shout startled her from her thoughts. "Gahhh!" she yelped, stumbling backwards a few steps, but still keeping on two legs. She felt proud of that feat of balance. "Oh, uh, sorry about that," Sunset apologized. "We got the, uh, 'items,'," she said, putting a forced casual tone to the word, 'Items.' Sonata walked up beside her. "I wouldn't exactly call them just items," she said. Sunset made a motion for her to quiet down in a panicked tone, looking around to make sure no one else heard her. Squirt was hanging back just slightly behind Sonata's shoulders. Upon seeing who she was in front of her, his eyes were narrowed in suspicion at the human princess. Or she... or whatever gender it is. Twilight let out a small laugh. "They're in the... 'car,' right?" 'Why did they get rid of the T?! It'd be so much better if I could just say the T!' she screamed internally. "Yeah, come on, take a look," Sunset Shimmer said, leading Twilight to the, 'car.' 'It's pronounced Cart! C-A-R-T a vehicle used to carry large loads of supplies or ponies!' They were behind the vehicle when Sunset opened a small door behind it, showing off the large hold. To say that Twilight got an eyeful is an understatement. First thing she saw was a the skull of something that resembled a lizard, it's black pits for eyes staring right at her. She practically jumped back at the unnatural way it's remains were formed to just barely resemble a crossbow. It was that same feeling as staring at a predator. Or a pile of highly volatile weapons with no current understanding. That can wield the same effect too... "You still sure about this?" Sunset asked, looking at Twilight's nervous expression. She quickly changed her expression to be of a more serious tone. "Of course! It is my responsibility to make sure no one gets hurt by these again." she turned around to face Sonata and Shimmer. "Especially my friends," she said with a proud smile. "Ah'm right here, Twi!" a voice called from the front of the, 'car'. "Oh! And you too! Your important too! Heh...?" she turned back around. "So... how are we going to get these through the portal?" "You don't know?" Sonata and Sunset said in unison. "Well, we can't just drive the... 'car' through it, can we?" "Not on mah dead body!" a low, growling voice muttered from the front of the, 'car.' "We'll just carry them," Sunset answered. "We already did it once, isn't that right, Sonata?" "Yeah! We even managed outrun the police with all those things in the trunk." "YA DID WHAT!" Applejack exclaimed, overhearing the conversation. "I thought I told you not to tell her!" Sunset cried out. "But I didn't tell her! I told Twilight," Sonata defended. "Sunny! You and me are gonna have a long talk about respecting other people's property, ya understand?" Applejack said, a hint, no, more of a gallon of anger behind her voice. Sunset looked down shamefully. "I guess we can carry them out," Twilight suggested. "It's just-" "Just what?" Sonata asked. "Maybe you three could carry them?" she suggested sheepishly. "You're not gonna help?" Sunset asked. "I don't want to risk dropping them and setting them off on accident. And besides, you three have the most experience with these than anyone," she explained. "Count me out!" called Applejack. "Ah don't mess with a Rattlesnake with its head cut off, and ah definitely won't mess with that mess." "I guess it's just you and me, Sonata," Sunset said, starting by grabbing the spear from the back of the truck. Sonata reached for a discarded handle in the pile and pulled out the machete. "I can handle that one for you," Twilight offered. "Thanks," Sonata said happily, handing over the machete. Before she could drop the handle from her grasp, Squirt suddenly wrapped around Sonata's arm defensively and glared daggers at Twilight. Seemingly saying. 'I wouldn't do that!' This startled Twilight as she stumbled back again. Still keeping on her own two feet. 'On a roll!' "Eh... heh, heh. I guess I'll hold onto it," Sonata said sheepishly, continuing her walk to the portal. Twilight, feeling a little useless now, decided to try to carry her own weight this time. She looked over the edge of the, 'car,' to see if she could carry anything. The problem was, those two grabbed everything that Twilight knew she could handle. Everything else looked like it had a trigger of some kind, but then she spotted it. It was a small tid-bit that was buried in the rest, but it looked too familiar. It looked like a bow and arrow. "There we go," she said as she reached down for it. She grabbed the bow, making a great effort of not even breathing on anything else, and headed for the portal. Although she didn't really know how to hold the thing with fingers... or hooves, so she made this very uncomfortable looking mess holding the thing. The other two were already coming back for a new item from the truck when they spotted her with the bow. They gave a quick thanks before heading back to the, 'car.' She set the bow down at the foot of the mirror like the rest and observed the other items that were set here. There was the machete and the spear waiting by it. This would need to go quick, a batch of teens carrying suspicious looking materials onto school grounds isn't exactly the most welcoming sight, Twilight would assume After another few minutes, and a team effort by Sunset and Sonata on getting a large, green device the size of an actual person out of the car, they piled them in the most delicate pile they could manage at the foot of the portal. Twilight looked sheepishly at the mess. "I suppose I can handle it from here, thanks you guys," Twilight said. "So, after you get all this stuff through, what're you gonna do?" Sunset asked. "I suppose I'll have to study them in a very controlled environment, perhaps look for a clue as to how to clear the Everfree of their new arrivals while I'm at it," she said. "Maybe if I can, I could find a way to return them to where ever they came from, and these things too in the process." "How long is that gonna take?" Sonata asked. "Uh...? How long it'll take is anyone's guess at the moment. It could take days, months, maybe even years," she explained as she noticed Sonata's expression turn solemn. "But I promise, once I find a solution, I'll get straight to work on finding a way on getting you and your sisters home," she assured. "Promise?" "I promise," she assured once more, giving a warm smile. She was suddenly taken back when Sonata rushed her, giving her a hug. "Thank you!" she shrieked excitedly. Twilight swore she could hear a rib or two snap. She was about to return the show of affection when she noticed Squirt, poking out of her hair, and given his size, that was a feat by itself. He was giving her that same look, but this one was definitely more threatening. "Uh... yeah, no problem," she said shyly, trying to politely push her away. Not that easy when you just promised someone to get them home after a couple thousand years away. He appeared to be assuming a defensive... float? And was rearing his head back, ready to strike. Twilight closed her eyes, preparing for the inevitable smack. But it never came, she felt Sonata's arms loosen as she let go, but she did so a bit more forcefully than she had intended, accidentally sending Twilight stumbling away again. This time, she did fall. But it was definitely a better pay-off than a fractured skull. Because right where she was standing, not even two second ago, Squirt had already dashed forward, and was now looming over her with a confused expression. Using her time wisely, she shuffled away from him before getting back up. She patted away some of the dirt and dust that settled from the fall. "So I guess you'll be going now?" Sunset said, coming by her side. Sonata was walking back to the truck, waving a larger than life goodbye on her way. "I guess. It was good seeing you again, Sunny, and very good to see you helped pull someone out of bad situation," Twilight said. "Ahh, it was nothing, really. But still, thanks for helping out here, just let us know if you need anything else, alright?" "I'll be sure to give a call," she said. "Oh, and before you go; I need to tell you something." "What is it?" Sunset asked. "About that book... one of the pages I feel may be of interest, I want you to take a look once you get home, I already marked the page for you," she said. "What's it about?" Twilight appeared to glaze over the truck with her eyes quickly before turning back. "You'll see it when you read it. I just think this is something we may want to discuss... in private." "Alright, don't gotta tell me twice," Sunset said. She gave a quick wave goodbye and was heading back the pickup, hoping and praying none of those things will set off as a part of going through the portal. They were right there anyway, she'd be fine. She hoped. As she got into the car, she pulled in her seat belt and waited. She was surprised to see that a good ten seconds had passed and it still hadn't started. She turned around to ask Applejack about the holdup. Moment she turned her head, Applejack was giving her a glare of something fierce. "You and me are goin' to have a little talk 'bout, 'Personal Property,'" #### Using her magic, Twilight dried off the sweat that had accumulated on her fur. Levitating these things to the 'panic room' was easy, making sure they don't explode in a seconds notice was nerve-wracking. After she went through the portal, and after repeating the word Cart several times, she cleared out the Panic Room to make more space for the weapons. It was really just an empty storage room inside the castle at heart, but Spike decided to decree it the honor of, 'The Royal Panic Room.' She saved the cannon for last, from the description Sunset had given her, it uses a type of magic she hasn't seen before where a machine, a MACHINE can channel magic just like a unicorn, but just like a machine, it's more dangerous and effective, and this one especially seemed very volatile. She would have to make sure that one gets, 'special treatment.' The thing that scared her the most about it, though? She can feel the magic this thing was giving off. Tingling, and the air around was crisp. It felt... hungry. Not as much as black-magic, but there was something else about it that separated it. It just felt... unnatural She warned Spike later that day to no longer enter the panic room. Starting with metal compositions, she grabbed the machete and spear from the pile and began to examine them. Taking a sample of the machete blade's metal proved... interesting. It appeared resistant to her magic, but she still proved superior in grabbing a small chip of it. The handle was standard, a metal cylinder encased in... leather? Was that what Sunset called it? A type of material made from the hides of... animals. She shuddered slightly. Good to see this world has humans as well, or something that doesn't value the lives of animals and other beings if that skeleton was anything to go off of. The metal proved to be very powerful, even in the smaller form she managed to extract. The density was surprising as well, seems the only thing that can even hope to break this thing was magic or extreme heat above that of tungsten, the fact this thing has been forged into a perfect blade is amazing by itself. Levitating a small petri dish from a shelf nearby, she placed the sample inside, and a drop of preservative liquid for further study. Next was the spear. She decided to grab a sample of both the shaft and the head. Once again, it proved difficult grabbing even a small sample of both. The shaft was strange, an examination spell, designed to see its molecular build proved most peculiar. It was definitely wood, but it wasn't any she had ever seen. The molecular build made it so that anything hitting it on a flat surface, or perpendicular of it, would actually force it to strengthen in response. The only way you could break it was to hit it along the length of the shaft, and since a spear is held in a more a specific way, anything that makes contact with the side will almost assuredly bounce off. Putting the theory to the test, she levitated a small scalpel over. Positioning it over the shafts side, she bore down. Nothing; wouldn't even go a nano-meter, even with the amount of pressure she put on it with magic. She rotated the shaft so now it was parallel and below the scalpel. Digging it in, it took a little bit of effort, but it managed to dig in just slightly. The head had the same composition as the machete, but the design was different. It appeared to cave in at two different points in the spear head on either side. A design she hadn't seen; she decided to try and examine them. She pressed down on the spear to test durability, if it snapped, she could place it back together fairly easily. Pressing down on it with her magic, she came to the realization that it was the same case as the shaft. The more pressure she placed on it, the stronger it became, like glass in the ocean. Then she realized why there were those curves. They were snags. Should whatever the head stick to, it will only become more difficult to remove should the prey item struggle. It tears at the flesh to the point it either becomes mushy and easy to penetrate, or it snags itself in place where it's forcefully removed to ensure blood loss or removal of a limb. But that still doesn't change the fact the metal of the spear head was the same as the machete. Unknown. She sighed and looked back at the panic room. A plethora of unknown material she had to begin studying with no prior knowledge. She loved the idea of discovering a new... anything actually. She just didn't realize how hard it would be when in that situation. And that book she translated, as little information as it gave, had nothing on these things. "This is gonna be a long day..." Her doors burst open as a royal guardspony entered. #### Sunset returned home exhausted. After getting chewed out by Applejack in the longest scolding ever on record, she was forbidden from using her pick up again. 'Even if the fate of the world hangs the the balance!' She slumped into the couch, hoping to get some shut-eye. But just as she was about to close her eyes, she remembered that Twilight asked her to check out the book. Remembering it was in the bedroom, she begrudgingly got up, knowing if she didn't, she'd sleep on the couch. Once in, she saw the book on the nightstand. Grabbing it, she saw a bookmark deep inside it. Which wasn't really that deep considering it was only 27 pages, and one of them was ripped out... Twilight let her keep the original translated version while Twilight made a copy for herself. Regardless, she decided she had time to read over the entire thing, who knows? She might find something twilight overlooked. She opened the book, expecting a table of contents, but Instead she was met with the letter A straight away. She began to read. 'A is for Acobi. The goddess of oath and abandon. Watching her people being carried away in chains for perjury and other dishonest crimes, she bound herself in her own chains to bear the promises of all those around her. If you make a promise, the chastened maid will bind you with her, and she'll hold you to your word.' On the page was a drawing of a set of arms with chains wrapped around them. She looked to the page next to it. 'B is for Brusher. Caelondia's variant of the Ura warriors we once fought. They were trained to be better in every way, them and their pikes... something unstoppable.' "That sounds important," Sunset murmured as intuition struck her. Grabbing her pen, she drew a small star next too, 'Caelondia's.' There was a drawing of that spear that cut into her leg. It was emerging from a bush in full force. She turned the page. *Flip* 'C is for Core. A perfect bit of stone found deep underground. We don't know how it does it, but it keeps the city lights shining day and night. Is there anything it can't do?' It showed a drawing of a large gem and surrounding it were a multitude of buildings. 'D is for Dauncey. A well renowned Brusher, know for his tenacity and, 'effectiveness,' the infamous training camp was designed by him to train any young-bloods bold enough, or foolish enough to fight in the war alongside him. And his legacy lives on through it. May he rest in peace.' There was a man shaded in black holding a spear almost as long as him. *Flip* 'E is for Evacuation. In the case of an emergency, stay calm, leave your belongings, and make way to the nearest safe haven.' It showed what looked like a family leaving there home. 'F is for Foundation. A solid plot of land for building anything you can ever imagine. Even grand ideas start small.' A mound of dirt with a few bricks stacked on top of each other to form an incomplete wall. *Flip* 'G is for Garmuth. God of purpose and folly. The crippled duke traded his senses for all the wisdom in the world. He can help spread that knowledge, or plant the seeds of destruction with it. He teaches us that good intentions are nothing on their own.' There was a picture of a man in rags and a blindfold scolding a small child. 'H is for Hense. Goddess of pain and pleasure. Her scars are a result of the war she started against her sister, Micia, she stands for torment and respite. She bears the scars of all of us, teaching that that pain and pleasure, both go hand-in-hand, the veiled widow makes sure of it.' There was a woman in what looked like ragged robes. Her eyes alone had too many scratches and scars to count. She was clutching a thorny rose while liquid dripped from her hand. The way the eyes were drawn didn't sit well with Shimmer. *Flip* 'I is for In Case of Trouble. A famous song spread throughout the land. Dedicated to the pioneering spirit of Caelondia.' There was a drawing of a guitar being plucked by a disembodied hand. 'J is for Jevel. God of health and atrophy. He was tasked with building an impenetrable fortress, but at the cost of his youth. We all have the tower keepers strength in us, until that strength runs out.' There was drawing of a tower, one half had a beautiful young boy on the balcony, and the other had a disheveled and withering man *Flip* 'K is for kid. A guy or gal just like you. Don't be so eager to grow up, cause there ain't nothing a kid can't do.' There was a heartfelt drawing of a child and their family. 'L is for Lemaign. God of hope and despair. the mason king taught all of us the troubles of having a hopeful mind, and a pessimistic outlook. He knows that hope and despair are all in the mind.' There was a drawing of a burly man with a blind eye holding a large hammer. He was holding it as if he were about to strike it down on a nail. *Flip* 'M is for Micia. Our goddess of loss and longing. A stoic reminder of peace and war; we are all born from the lorn mother, and in the end, we all return to her.' Drawing of a woman with long hair,clean robes, and a hole in her chest. The spot where her heart should be was replaced by a metal cog. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be in mourning. 'N is for Nordy the Bird Boy. Who's always there to bring a smile to your face down at the Hanging Gardens, with the thanks to him and his feathered friends.' There was a drawing of a teenaged kid with a bunch of birds surrounding him; they appeared to be singing. *Flip* 'O is for Olak. Our young god of chance and whim. Born from Micia. The carefree son lives forever in the moment unhindered by the burden of time, the rest of us can only try.' It showed a child floating in the air with wild hair holding and blowing on a pinwheel. 'P is for Pyth. God of commotion and order. One of Caelondia's main idols, he taught us that anger leads to nothing but suffering. And that pure strength should be put to better use than violence. When the wakeful bull is calm, let's all do our part to keep him that way.' There was a drawing of a sleeping bull in heavy ink. *Flip* 'Q is for Queen Ann. The notorious Anklegator from the wilds; a beast even the gods feared at one point. She can even dig her way into rotten children's dreams.' The drawing showed a creature Sunset can only describe as a monster. It was a type of alligator with a large horn on its nose erupting from the ground with bones strewn all around it. The eyes... 'R is for Roathus. God of thirst and plenty, teaching his followers a lesson for taking his gifts for grant and their betrayal, he denied them the gift of water for several years. The gorging host reminds us to always know when we've had enough.' Drawing of a man with a literal river of tears flowing behind him. She was one page away from the one that was marked. She flipped the page. *Flip* 'S is for Siren.' She blinked rapidly and raised an eyebrow; rearing her head back in surprise. She didn't know what an appropriate reaction to this would appear like, so, after regaining herself, she just kept reading. 'A lot more similar than we thought...' a passing notion slipped by. 'Three of Hense's many daughters; born from her jealousy, their sole purpose was to bring misery to all of Micia's followers, but they were done away with by Olak. Be glad they ain't around no more to make you wriggle and writhe.' There was a drawing of three women, each one had fish like features such as a spinal dorsal fin and a long tail that dipped into the drawn water. They looked eerily similar to- She put down the book for a moment. Looking towards the Cell-Book on the nightstand, she considered picking it up right now and writing to Twilight but decided against it in favor of finishing the book. She picked it back up, sighed, and returned to the same page. She made sure to leave a corner folded just in case. 'T is for Trigger. The armies sharpest shooters. Founded at the beginning of the Caelondion-Ura War. Take pride in Caelondia's mounted soldiers, they risk it all to keep us safe.' It showed a drawing of a man wearing a stetson and holding one of the weapons they discovered in the alleyway. *Flip* 'U is for Ura. Our pale neighbors to the east, whose homes are underground. They were enamored with us at first before the Caelodian-Ura War. Every day we learn to live in harmony. ' There was a drawing of a man and woman, each clad in the same stylized robes as, 'Hense,' but they had no scars. 'V is for Vigil. An act of remembrance. The sacrifices of our forefathers gave us a new beginning here in Caelondia.' There was a drawing of a large hand holding that of a child's. *Flip* 'W is for Windbag. A small family of subterranean dwellers. They have three stages of life, the Squirt; their sort of larval stage, Gasfellas'; a meaner older brother of sorts, and Scumbags: old lumpy thing that love to eat garbage and sidle about. They tend to their mines and we stay up here.' There were three drawings here. One, which was an almost exact replica of Squirt. Another one which showed what looked like a ghost wearing a ragged hood and had large, muscular arms. and the last being this giant round... thing. It looked like it was being held together by pieces of rope and had a large tail following behind it with an assortment of holes around its body. "So that's what you are, eh?" Sunset murmured staring back at stage one. She couldn't help but chuckle when she realized the coincidence of the names. She kept reading, but not before folding the corner of the page. Just in case. 'X is for... nothing. Strangest letter in the mix, but even the strangest letters have its uses, cause without it, we wouldn't have a mailbox.' There was a picture of a mailbox with a bird on top and a letter in its beak. *Flip* 'Y is for Yudrig. God of impulse and bravery. Faced with unending strife, the mighty steed overcame it with strength to spare. Each time the morning stallion stamps his hoof, somebody out their makes their mind.' There was a mighty horse clad in armor and scars on its muzzle. It was stepping on the very top of a stone at the tip of a mountain. Sunset chuckled slightly. If she were in Equestria, this stallion would be considered quite a looker. 'And Z is for Zulwood. A tough old fruit whose gourd makes great target practice. Just remember two things, don't pick em' up, and don't eat em'.' There was a picture of a round and spiked object Sunset dared not to call a fruit with a bulls-eye symbol painted on it. The last page was ripped out so Twilight didn't include it. She closed the book and immediately grabbed for the Cell-Book. She reached for a pen and started to write. 'I just read the page you marked,' she wrote. She put the book down, expecting a reply to come within a couple minutes or so. Come to her surprise when it shook back to life nearly immediately. 'Sunny? Is that you?' 'Yeah? Who else could it be?' 'It's been so long out here...' 'It's been a few hours? Is everything alright?' 'I knew it was gonna be hard, researching unknown material from another world, but I didn't think it'd be THIS hard!' 'Is everything alright back home?' 'The plants grew even more while I was away, some cracks started to form on the barrier and we couldn't repair it, so I had to make an entirely new one, and now I'm just exhausted.' 'Twilight? Get some rest, I can say first hand you earned it.' "I can't!' "And why's that?' "There's so much I have to get done, and so little time, a lot more than just everypony is depending on me now. It feels like... every-THING is depending on the fact that I do this right.' "Get some rest. You need your head in the game.' 'I know, I know, but it's not soo easy wh' The writing suddenly stopped. ... 'Hello?' The page started to get dark and wet with something. Sunset chuckled. She wrote down one more message underneath the growing stain before closing the book. 'Good night, Twilight.'