//------------------------------//
// Rock Farm Rules 
// Story: Equestrian Eeveelution. 
// by Symphonicdysonince 
//------------------------------//

As I neared the palace, I saw Rainbow slowly arc down to land between Twilight and a distracted Rarity. I timed myself to drop out of my move so that I would stop beside her. As the world returned to a more normal speed, I heard Rainbow begin to speak.

"Leo and I didn't get..." Rainbow trailed off as I slid past, paws furiously pushing to stop myself. I ended up lightly thumping into one of the palace's pillars. "You okay, Leo?"

<<Just peachy.>> I peeled my face off of the crystal. <<This stuff is too smooth for sudden stops. How you ponies aren't slipping around with your hooves, I'll never know.>>

"Maybe it has to do with the trail of ice you were making?" Rainbow pointed out said melting trail of ice.

<<... Stupid new biology...>> I grumbled as I rejoined the group properly. <<Anyways, you were telling Twilight about what we found?>>

"Oh, right!" Rainbow nodded. "Well, we didn't get too much. But we did find out that Sombrero destroyed the local summoner's circle, and that the guards from the outpost near here are here with a summoner from down south. They're looking for a crystal pony called Root Ball, who might be an old summoner. What about you guys?"

"Oh," Rarity finally returned to the present, "I didn't find anything, I'm afraid."

Fluttershy joined us at that point, sporting a very serious look on her face. Then she reached up into her mane and unzipped herself. I froze a patch of ground around me and Rainbow in shock, as the Fluttershy costume fell away to reveal a Pinkie Pie. "My cover has been blown!" She loudly whispered into Twilight's ear, Spike wisely backing away. "I repeat, my cover has been blown!"

"Oookay?" Twilight drew the word out as Pinkie zipped off to Arceus knows where.

"M'sorry, Twilight." Applejack called out as she joined the group with Fluttershy in tow. "These crystal ponies seem to have some sorta collective amnesia or somethin'. Only thin' Ah was able ta get outta 'em was somethin' about a library."

"Oh yeah!" Rainbow nodded at me. "Wasn't it near the Summoner's Circle? Leo and I were just there!"

"Why didn't you say you were near a library?" Twilight giddily asked.

<<You'd think the massive hole in the ground would've been important, but no...>> Rainbow chuckled at my snark.

Twilight eagerly led us through the city until the library came into view. We had managed to find Pinkie on our way, rescuing a Carbink from her attentions. Rainbow and I pointed out the Summoner's Crater as we passed it. I managed to slip through the herd while everyone briefly marveled over the griffin statues. I smiled while I cracked the door open, poked my head in, then leaned back out and closed the door.

<<Alright, listen up!>> I turned to the mares and waited until Rainbow and Fluttershy shushed everyone. <<There's going to be a rule I'm going to need to insist on while we're in the library: Do not, under any circumstance, poke at the glyphs. They are alive, and will not like it. That means you, Pinkie!>>

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Pinkie made the motions while looking me in the eye, "I will not bug the Unown."

I stared at her, but Rainbow voiced my thoughts. "How do you know about them?!"

The party mare shrugged. "They would show up every now and then around the rock farm. You don't live out there for very long without learning about the Golden Rule for dealing with them: Ignore them and go about your day."

"... Really?" Applejack asked.

"Hmmhm!" Pinkie hummed. "Since you'll only really see one or two of them at a time, they really can't do anything. Although, there is the Second Golden Rule, but that one only applies if there's a lot of them surrounding you..."

"A-and what's that?" Fluttershy stammered.

Pinkie gained an uncharacteristically serious look on her face. "Stand still, stay silent, and hope they go away."

<<Just...>> I squeaked. Swallowing thickly, I tried again. <<Let's just use the first rule.>> I turned and pushed the door open. Although some were clearly carvings decorating the shelves and moldings, the walls were practically covered with Unown. We'll never get anything done otherwise.

I stepped off to the side, giving nervous looks around me. Rainbow froze in the doorway, her wings popping open in a fight-or-flight response, and had to have Applejack push her out of the way. Pinkie, the last to enter, also briefly paused. I could even see her force her panicked expression off her face and attempt to ignore the Unown swarm. So focused was I on the… the Library of Unown, that I completely missed Twilight's nerdgasm and the less than helpful exchange she had with the librarian.

"C'mon Leo..." Rainbow muttered, hooking a shivering hoof around me. "We're going to start looking over there."

<<O-okay.>> I focused on her prismic tail. <<Let's just find this mystery book and get out of here...>> We followed Twilight until she found a few titles that looked promising, and asked each of us to pick a shelf and start looking.

"You're still a slow reader, right?" Rainbow asked me. I nodded. "Alright, how about you get started with the books down here?" She pointed at the bottom bookshelf.

"Ah'm thinkin' Ah might have a better idea." Applejack drawled. "Ya stand at th' top o' this here ladder, Leo makes us a big ol' trail o' ice, an' Ah buck it down the shelves. Ya pull the books down as we check 'em over, move down a shelf an' do it again."

I shrugged at Rainbow. <<Eh, I got no problem with that. You?>>

"Nope." Rainbow flew up to her post. "Ready when you are, Leo!"

I nodded. <<Just tell AJ to get ready to kick quickly, the ice'll melt fast!>> I took several deep breaths, then filled my lungs as much as I could. I bolted down the shelves, exhaling frigid air as I went. I was shortly followed by the ladder, its clatter soon drowned out by the thudding of books hitting the floor. As I staggered to a stop, Rainbow leapt from the ladder and began stacking the books for us to go through.

I slowly began going through the nearest stack. I flipped open the top book and read through the first few pages before flicking it off to the side. By the time I had done that with the next couple of books, Rainbow and Applejack had rejoined us.

"You know you can just read the backs, right?" Rainbow asked me. I stared at her, raised an eyebrow, and failed to flip the next book over with my paws. I had not broken eye contact the entire time. "So use your mouth."

<<My mouth, which is short and stubby compared to your snout? That mouth?>>

"Er..."

<<Just, please stack them up with the back's facing up, please.>>

"Fair."

Applejack finished off my stack and pushed the pile out into the middle of the aisle. I shrugged, figuring we'd clean up later, and got ready for another death sprint. It took us another hour of doing this before Applejack voiced what almost everyone was thinking.

"Anyone else startin' ta think tha' this is a lost cause?"

"YES!" Twilight shouted from the next aisle over. We all quickly gathered around her, Rainbow and I casting glances at the Unown as we went. "'History of the Crystal Empire.' I just hope it has the answers we need..." Twilight opened the book, and I turned away. With how slow I read, I knew that my time would be better served trying to clean up the mess we made before we left.