I sat and fearfully waited for the girls to come back down. Though the light glittering off the castle's many facets was hypnotic, my nerves stayed wound tight. I flinched as the shield flickered, briefly showing the shaded snowy landscape past the empire's borders. I shivered and returned to my vigil. Weird, it looks like the reflections are shining more on certain letters. Almost in sequence? I squinted. Huh. Wonder what "Etyoushecomestog" means...
"NO! Wait, wait!" I heard a high-pitched voice call out before a pink hoof hooked itself around my barrel and lifted me up. In a blink of an eye, a pink crystal expanse flashed past and I was dropped onto the palace's throne room's crystal floor between Rarity and Fluttershy. "I know, Leo!" Pinkie yelled out from behind me.
I blurred away from the pink mare, dropping out of my move behind Rainbow. <<How the fuck did I get here!>>
"Pinkie." Rainbow nodded at said mare.
<<No, I got that! How did she reach down and pull me up through the fucking castle?!>> I insisted.
Rainbow just shrugged. "It's Pinkie."
<<That's not an answer!>>
"Don't worry, big brother," Twilight reassured Shining, "I am really good at this sort of thing."
"I see that Leo's grown up." Cadance chuckled.
"Oh, that reminds me!" Twilight turned to rummage through her saddlebags. "Spike, can you send a letter down to Moondancer? She'll need to know about Leo, and that I will not be able to give her more details because of the situation up here." She finally pulled out a length of parchment and a quill, rapidly scratching out her letter.
I took the opportunity to look around the throne room. The purple crystal throne and curtains went well with the otherwise bright crystal walls, and I was glad to see that the room was free of any Unown. The small light blue sauropod with flamboyant eyebrows was unexpected, though. I gave it a shy little wave before focusing back on the mares.
"Alright, everypony." Twilight gathered everyone's attention, even Pinkie's. She floated a small scroll in front of each mare. "Everyone spread out and start asking these questions. The answers we get back should help us narrow down our search. Let's regroup under the palace in about four hours. Spike, you come with me, and Leo can go with Rainbow. Let's go!"
Rainbow reached out to put me on her back, but instead of the scruff of my neck, she touched my barrel. Blushing, she chuckled and nervously rubbed the back of her head. "Let's, uh, lets go, Leo!"
<<Right!>> I followed her down the stairs. I waited until Fluttershy wasn't nearby before speaking up. <<To be fair, I did almost try to jump up onto your back before I remembered.>>
"Geez, that's going to take some getting used to. You're not so little anymore." Rainbow opened the outer door and held it open for me.
<<Are you calling me fat?>> I sniffed, pointing my nose up into the air.
She just snorted. "Like a whale."
<<Well, I never!>> I harrumphed, a small smile breaking through my façade. <<So, how do you want to do this?>>
"Like I always do: Awesomely!" Rainbow struck a pose.
<<So, just brashly going up and loudly demanding answers?>> I arced an eyebrow at her.
"Nope!" My mare corrected me. "I'm going to stop the first pony I see and ask them about the Empire's defenses and not let them leave until they answer!"
<<So just brashly going up and demanding answers.>> I repeated.
"Well, do you know of any other way?" Rainbow let out a foggy sigh. "And don't just ask 'What would the other's do'. Fluttershy's not going to be able to even work up the nerve to ask anypony, Pinkie is going to be Pinkie..."
<<Which may or may not work.>>
Rainbow nodded. "... And Rarity's going to focus on her fancy fashion stuff and not get anything done. Twilight's going to be an egghead and take too long, and Applejack..." She paused in thought. "She might actually get something out of somepony."
<<So, what do you have that they don't?>> I asked
"My awesomeness!"
I bumped into her side. <<You've got me, smartass. A naturalized summon. And, oh look, right over there.>> I waved a paw at a group of Carbink. <<More summons! That means that there's likely a place where summoners gather! That can be our place to start.>>
"Hmmm." Rainbow squinted in thought. "Can you talk to these ones?"
<<Let me check.>> I casually walked up to the Carbink. <<How's it going, my fellow summons?>>
<<:Wha-? Um, I don't, I can't... I don't understand you?:>>
<<Right...>> I drew the word out and just as casually walked back to Rainbow. <<Welp, that was a bust.>>
"Just great." Rainbow rolled her eyes. She flagged down the next crystal pony that she saw. "Hey! Ya know where the summoners hang out? I'm from out of town, and I wanna see what's up around here." I sat down beside her with a sigh.
"Oh, um..." The stallion looked around. "I don't think it's there anymore... King Sombra saw to that..."
Rainbow tilted her head in confusion. "But, then... What's with all of those?" She waved a hoof at the Carbink.
"Oh, them?" The pony shrugged. "Everypony knows how to summon them, and King Sombra never saw a reason to get rid of them, so..." His eyes seemed to clear a little. "If you really want to know more, I think Root Ball might be able to help you? He was trying to teach a new generation of summoners. I think." He frowned, looking away in thought. He shrugged before looking back at us. "He always has his Torideps near him, but he lives near where the Circle was." He pointed off down the street before he continued on his way.
"Alright, thanks!" She waved at him as she went on his way. We got a few steps away before Rainbow started to turn back. "Shoot, we forgot to ask him the questions!"
I froze her tail to the ground before she could take off after him. <<Settle down, Rainbow. These ponies have been traumatized enough already. Besides, this Root Ball guy sounds like he would know more anyways, we can just ask the questions to him.>>
"You're right." Rainbow sighed. She frowned down at the ice clump before staring at me. "... Really?"
I chuckled as she broke the clump with a hoof. <<Well, you do tend to fly off without thinking, and I'm not about to put your tail hair in my mouth.>>
"Whatever, let's just go."