Today was Re-Shelving day at the library and Twilight Sparkle had just finished re-shelving all the books. She took a step back and let out a self-satisfied sigh as she gazed them over to double-check whether or not she missed anything. "Nope. Everything seems to be in order." she chirped as Spike came into the room cooing over a gem stone he'd just found. "Oh, hello, Spike! What have you got there?" she asked, showing interest in what her little buddy was up to. Spike looked up at her from his stone and looked for a moment before acknowledging she was talking to him. "Oh! Um...I just found this gem lying around while I was helping Rarity search for more gem stones. This is the strangest one I've seen and was kind of saving it. Would be a shame to eat it before finding out what kind it is, though." Twilight chuckled and took a few steps closer to get a better look at it. "Um...Spike?" she asked, cocking her head to the side as she leaned in and examine it further. "Yeah?" Spike asked, wondering what she could possibly have to tell him about the stone he found. "This isn't a gem stone." she finally said.

The "gem" appeared to be some sort of device crystallized by some peculiar spell.

It was hours later and Twilight was going through all the books she'd just re-shelved, and couldn't find anything that looked like what Spike had found. What it appeared to be confounded her. It was sitting on her desk as Spike sat nearby on the stairs, swaying his little dragon feet to and fro. "Found anything yet?" He asked, as he watched another book fly by.

"No no no no no." Twilight muttered. "There has to exist some sort of technology like that in at least one of these books. And I'm also curious as to what could have crystallized it like that." She groaned a frustrated groan and slumped to the floor before whining about the shelves of books she'd just disheveled.

Spike walked over and patted his disgruntled pony friend on the back. "It's okay, Twi. We can maybe ask around, see if anypony knows what it might be. Maybe get some lunch while we're out. You need a break." Twilight sighed in defeat and nodded. She hadn't really eaten since that morning and it was past lunch, so she was actually kinda hungry. And who knew? Maybe Spike was onto something about asking other ponies about the strange crystallized device.

Twilight and Spike trotted through Ponyville, stopping everypony they passed and asked them about the strange object.

"No. Sorry, Twilight. Never seen anything like it before." Miss Cheerilee said with a slow shake of her head. "But I wish you luck on finding out where it came from."

Twilight sighed and tucked the object back into her sack with her magic and nodded farewell to Cheerilee as she headed off to the Cakes' bakery.

Before Twilight and Spike could enter the bakery Pinkie Pie came bounding through the door screeching and laughing and hopping circles around them. "You seem awfully cheerful today, Pinkie." Twilight said, watching her friend bounce around. "I'm always cheerful!" the pink earth pony exclaimed as she came to a stop. "I haven't seen you all day! How long did it take you to re-shelve today?" Twilight once again used her magic to open her sack and remove the strange crystallized object. "Actually something came up. Have you by any chance seen anything like this before?"

Pinkie squinted her eyes at it. "It looks like-" her eyes shot wide open and she gasped.

"That looks like the thingy someone was in the bakery looking for earlier!" Twilight gasped as well and Pinkie Pie continued "I mean I didn't see who was asking because I was playing with the twins but Mrs. Cake said he was an unusual looking fellow and the thing she described looked just like that! All round and black and covered in buttons with funny symbols on them!"

Twilight's face lit up with excitement "Do you think Mrs. Cake might know where this stranger may have gone?"

Pinkie Pie, who was more than up for a bit of adventure and returning lost items, rushed inside. Spike and Twilight exchanged glances and entered the bakery after her. Mrs. Cake was standing before Pinkie and Twilight approached her. "Excuse me Mrs. Cake, but Pinkie was just telling me you saw who was looking for this?" She held out the object once more for Mrs. Cake to see and Mrs. Cake nodded slowly. "I did." Twilight sighed in relief. She was getting closer to finding out what this thing was. "Do you know which direction he went?" the purple unicorn inquired hopefully.

Mrs. Cake nodded and glanced to the side. "He headed towards Sweet Apple Acres."

Twilight thanked her and nudged Spike onto her back. "Come one, Pinkie. Maybe Applejack has a lead for us."

A bushel of apples tumbled from the treetops as Applejack's hind hooves slammed into the tree trunk. They landed neatly into Applejack's bucket and she gave a satisfactory grin. "That should about do it." Applejack heaved the bucket onto her back and made her way back to the farm when she saw Pinkie and Twilight waiting for her up ahead. "Hey, gals! What are you up to?"

Twilight moved to take the bucket of apples from Applejack and carry them the rest of the way. "Oh, we just came to maybe ask you if you'd seen a strange creature come through here and ask about a strange object?" Applejack stopped and looked at her friend. "Well yeah, actually. I was going to find you and ask you about it when I finished workin'." Twilight set the apples down and panted. It was harder work than she thought carrying those apples.

Spike reached for one of the apples only to be swatted by Applejack's tail. "No."

Spiked sighed and set the apple back into the bucket.

"So we're all on some mission to find out what this thing is, now?" Applejack asked as she trotted alongside Twilight and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie shouted "YES!" rather excitedly.

"Though I don't see why it's got to be such a big deal." Spike interjected. Twilight looked back at Spike and shrugged the best a trotting pony could shrug. "Well this could be a big discovery. This is very different technology than anyone in Ponyville- Neigh. Possibly even all of Equestria- has ever seen before. It could change things. Wouldn't it be great to be the first ones in Equestria to find out what it is?" Twilight's enthusiasm was showing a little- no, a lot. This could be the discovery of a century and she was determined to learn all about it. Just then a scream split the calm of the Ponyville streets, alarming Twilight and her friends. "That sounded like Rarity!" Spike exclaimed in horror. "We've got to go help her!"

Spike started running ahead to Rarity's boutique and the others galloped along behind to catch up.

Rarity was screaming and tip-toeing frantically on top of one of her stools when they arrived and Spike rushed to her side. "Rarity! Rarity what's wrong?"

She shrieked one last time before calming down and looking around, cautiously.

"I was sorting through the gems Spikey Wikey and I gathered when out of nowhere this big gross slimy green creature came at me and EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The fabulously groomed unicorn was still traumatized by her encounter and it took Twilight a whopping 10-15 minutes just to get her to breathe normally again.

When Rarity came around again , Twilight asked "So about this…slimy green thing?"

Rarity shook her head slowly, as if it was a tragic memory she was loathe to recall. "He came in and asked me about my gems and he was just so gross I thought he was going to take all my precious gem stones and kidnap me as well!" At this Spike huffed and stuck his chest out. "Whoever did this is going to have to answer to me!"

"Calm down, you two. I think this…thing Rarity saw might be after this-" Twilight said as she pulled out the strange object "And knew about it's crystallized state. Which is why he must have asked about the gems. Maybe he thought this thing was mixed up with them because of the condition it is in."

Rarity gave a "harumph!"

"So Rarity, did you see which way he went?" Twilight asked. "Yes." Rarity replied. "He started towards the Everfree Forest when I started screaming. I probably startled him as much as he startled me. Wait- You aren't seriously thinking of going?" Rarity asked when she saw Applejack already heading for the door. "Of course!" Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced along behind Applejack. Twilight laughed and got up to walk out with them. "Well we are trying to find out what this thing is, and that creature you scared away just might have the answers we need."

"Well I'm not going." Rarity stated as she planted her butt firmly onto the ground. Applejack turned her head to face her and smiled "Well you don't have to come. It's not like we need the whole gang. We just wanna ask a few questions is all." Twilight nodded in agreement and added "Besides, if it would make you feel uncomfortable then we won't force you."

Rarity smiled at her friends. "Thanks for understanding."

As they headed out the door, Spike stayed back. "Guys? I think I'll stay here with Rarity in case that thing comes back." Twilight chuckled and continued on. "Alright Spike. You two take care."

Twilight, Pinkie, and Applejack stood outside the Everfree Forest and they were each hit with a wicked chill down their spines. "Well, girls. You think this creature might be from these woods?" Twilight asked. "I don't know, but now I ain't so sure I'd want to meet him if'n he was." Applejack added. Pinkie began prancing forward, obviously not as phased by the dark atmosphere as her friends. Applejack and Twilight exchanged glances before following after.

"Hello?" Twilight called out into the dark woods as they moved deeper in. "Whoever you are, green thing, we have the device you're looking for. Could you tell us what it is, maybe? Hello?"

Applejack looked behind some nearby bushes. "Show yourself, please."

The bushes began rustling and Applejack jumped lightly in surprise. "Hey! Come out of there!" she demanded as she leaned forward towards the bush.

"BOO!"

Pinkie jumped out of the bushes and scared Applejack into toppling over backwards. Pinkie snorted and began rolling around laughing. "Oh, Applejack! The look on your face!"

Twilight gave her a stern look. "Pinkie, don't scare us like that."

"Heehee Sorry. I just couldn't resist"

Applejack got up and chuckled "It's alright. You got me real good, Pinkie."

Close behind a dark figure lurked in the shadows.

"How deep into this forest do you think we have to go before we find who, or what, we're looking for, Twilight?" Applejack asked as Twilight stopped to use her horn as a light source as it got darker the further into the forest they trekked. "I'm not sure, Applejack. But I'm getting this sinking feeling that maybe it didn't come this far in."

"Guys, am I the only one who feels like we're being followed?" Pinkie chimed in, her voice low and full of caution.

"Now that you mention it…" Twilight said as she looked over at her friend. "I do, too."

Before Applejack could give a 'me three', a strange sound echoed from the trees around them.

"Gero gero gero gero"

Twilight jumped and backed into a small circle with Applejack and Pinkie. "Wh-Who goes there?" she asked, her voice shaking with fear. She'd never heard anything in the forest make that sound, before.

The voice spoke again.

"Gero gero gero. Ah! Thank you! You've found my Kero Ball. I've been looking everywhere for it."

"Kero Ball?" Applejack wondered aloud as Twilight realized what the voice meant and gasped as she pulled out the strange crystallized object from her sack.

"Yes, that." the voice confirmed as a small green creature emerged from the shadows in front of them. And he looked surprisingly un-menacing.

In fact he kind of looked like a, well…a frog.

"My goodness he's so cute!" Pinkie squealed as Twilight cautiously stepped forward with the Kero Ball towards the frog.

"Who are you? And what is this 'Kero Ball'?"

"Gero gero" the frog mused before giving the purple unicorn the answers she so desired.

"I am Sergeant Keroro of the Keron army from planet Keron; Leader of the Keroro Platoon. And that Kero ball is our greatest weapon."

"What?" the three ponies gasped in unison at the last thing he said. "W-Weapon?" Twilight stammered. "What do you plan on doing with it?"

Keroro scratched his head and shrugged. "Well, I didn't think I was going to have to explain what exactly we're doing until later, since this chapter was supposed to end in a cliffhanger right there. But I guess the next chapter won't make as much sense If we leave it like that."

"So, uh…Keroro?" Applejack piped up in the middle of the Keronian's 4th wall breach, "Were you by any chance the feller that was following us through the forest?"

"Who, me? No. I just now found you guys."

Twilight Sparkle felt a cold, foreboding chill run down her spine and glanced at Pinkie and Applejack. Pinkie didn't seem to get what that implied but Twilight could tell Applejack was realizing it, too. So Twilight spoke up to break the awkward chill of silence "Okay, well. Let's just get out of here. We found who we were looking for so let's get back to the library and we can discuss this Kero ball and…whether or not it would be a good idea to find a way to revert it back to it's normal state." Pinkie and Applejack nodded, and Keroro, too, as anyplace that possibly had some comics he could read sounded way better than standing out in a boring old forest.

Twilight nodded and lead everyone back into Ponyville and to her library home.