I tracked Rainbow down outside the weather station. <<You were looking for me?>>
"Oh, hey!" Rainbow smiled at me. "I was just about to come find you! You wanna go to Canterlot?"
I tilted my head. <<Why the sudden vacation? You just got back from Dodge?>>
"Yeah, a vacation, just the two of us...."
I squinted. <<If it's a vacation, why did your smile slip?>>
Rainbow dropped her smile completely. "I can't get any thing past you anymore, can I?" Rainbow leaned down to pick me up, while I balanced on my hind legs to make it easier. "That scroll I sent you to Spike with? It was a letter to Princess Luna. Spike gave me her reply just five minutes ago. She wants us to go meet her, tonight, said it couldn't wait." She flew us to the train station. I carefully climbed and placed myself just below her wings, just like we had practiced. We only slowed our mad blitz once the station was in view.
We glided around to the ticket booth. "I need a ticket for Canterlot, and I need a carry on pass for Leo here."
"Forty bits, please." Rainbow passed over a sheet of parchment. "One moment." The stallion turned, comparing the parchment to one hanging on a clip board. With a nod, he began filling out a form. Turning back to us, he pointed to a couple of lines on twin papers before handing them and a quill out to Rainbow. "Sign here and here. Don't lose your copy. If anything happens on our end, we can use that to verify things."
"Got it." Rainbow groaned. Taking the paper, I smack her upside the head. "What?!"
<<Place nice with the guy, he's just doing his job.>> I bowed as best I could to the ticket master. <<I'll keep an eye on it.>>
"Heh," he chuckled, "your pup'll need this tag. If you could, please..." Rainbow leaned forward to let the stallion to clip the tag to my collar. Once we had our ticket, it was only a grueling twenty minutes wait for the train.
The train pulled into Canterlot in the late evening. I hopped onto Rainbow's back as we left the train car. Together, we flew towards the castle. I was taking every opportunity to see the sights that I had missed during my first visit, now that the stupid snow was gone.
For once, Rainbow wasn't rocketing around. I assumed it was due to her lack of familiarity with the locale. Great for me, as I didn't need to worry about messing up her slipstream as I looked around. I gazed in awe at the clock towers we passed, the local shops closing up for the day, the flash of pink as it darted down an alleyway, the bright signs of the night clubs as the overnight crews began their shifts and the night life came alive.
Wait.... I looked back over my shoulder. That bakery's selling three donuts for ten bits?!
"That's robbery!"
I know! I shook my head, turning to watch the palace get closer. Rainbow slowed to a crawl as she approached the gates and hoofed one of the Night Guards a new slip of parchment. With a gruff command, he ordered us to follow him through the castle. I didn't pay attention to the path, I was focusing too much on the decor. I swear, many of the statues lining the halls were just an excuse away from moving.
We were left outside a pair of large doors as the sun and moon finally switched places in the sky. The antechamber we were in gained a few more ponies, nobles my cynical mind assumed were attempting to curry favor. The nobles all looked down their snouts at Rainbow and I, disgust apparent on their faces, as if our presence offended them personally. Soon enough, a new guard entered the room from the double doors. She moved and placed herself beside Rainbow and I.
"Attention, everypony!" The guardsmare firmly declared. "I regret to inform everypony that Night Court has been canceled for tonight, as an urgent matter has come to the Princess' attention. You will have to bring your grievances or proposals tomorrow."
I didn't miss the grumbling that the nobles made as they got up to leave. Rainbow sighed. "Ya heard the mare." she started to stand. "C'mon, Leo."
The guard flicked a wing out. "Sorry, ma'am." She murmured, deliberately standing in Rainbow's way. "You're the 'urgent matter'."
"Okay..." Rainbow had the presence of mind to act as if she was just waiting for the guard to move. With a yawn, I curled up between her wings.
The nobles left in that kind of huff that only three year olds could get away with. The last stallion to leave had his nose raised so high, I was surprised he wasn't walking on the tips of his hooves.
"This way, please." The guardsmare opened the courtroom doors once all the nobles had flounced out. She waited for us to pass her before she closed the door.
Luna sat on her throne at the far end of the room. She rose with a flick of her horn, cushions floating over from the hidden alcoves to join us in the carpet. "Good evening." Luna motioned to one of the cushions. "Please, sit." She waited for us to comply. "One moment, please. I need my translator."
"Translator?" Rainbow looked at me. "For who?"
I saw a black cloud with golden highlights flow in from an open window. Twin glows of red focused in on us. The fog condensed into a familiar black canine with golden rings <<For Leo.>> Abes gave a slight smirk.
<<That, was, AWESOME!!>> I started hopping around Abes as I crowed. <<I can't believe it, you learned Teleport!>>
<<No I haven't.>> Abes sighed. <<This is just a bastardization Luna created. It's called a Shadowport. Anyways, this is an important meeting, so please pay attention>>
<<That was still amazing.>> I smiled, trying to get my mirth under control. <<So, what's with the summons, Princess?>>
"Tell me, Rainbow." Luna addressed the prismic mare. "How have you been sleeping lately."
"Not well." Rainbow admitted. "I've been waking up tired, like I didn't sleep properly, and I have't been able to remember my dreams for about a week now."
<<Wait.>> I frowned. <<Isn't that roughly when...>>
<<Yup.>>
"Could you please lean forward?" Luna requested. She carefully parted Rainbow's mane, searching. With a slight grunt, she held Rainbow in her aura and lifted Abes to see. "Do you see what I do?"
<<Not quite sure. Wait....>> Abes squinted before leaning closer to Rainbow. <<Is that what I think it is?>>
"So you see it too." Luna placed Abes back on his seat as she released Rainbow, letting her sit up straight. "Interesting."
Rainbow looked between the two beings of the night. "... I'm so confused here." She pointed at the Umbreon. "You can understand him?"
Luna nodded and distractedly replied. "Only Abes. And I only have theories on that, at the moment." She focused back on us. "About a week ago, I had placed a sigil upon Leo here to seal her dreams. It seems that it has rebounded and marked itself on you as well."
"Oh, okay." Rainbow blinked, her mind latching onto the parts important to her. "So, can you remove it from me?"
I jumped to my own conclusions. I curled up on myself with a pained whimper. <<What if it goes after Rainbow....>> I felt someone pull me into a hug. I focused through misty eyes to look into Rainbow's worried magenta ones.
"I'm afraid I don't want to risk removing your sigil, Rainbow." Luna apologized. "There is a matter that needs to be resolved first." She focused on me. "And, I would know if it had been affecting her as well." Luna fluffed a cushion before sighing. "You might as well sit down, Rainbow Dash. There is much that I will need to explain."
Finally! We will learn the secret behind the colored text in the story.
Wait, when did Rainbow learn to understand Leo?
9043367
I second this question. Is their connection getting more uh intense, that isn't the right word but yeah?
9043367
It happened when we weren't looking.
9043367
9043378
You can tell by the red text that they were both speaking "loyalty" at that part.
9043387
Except the red was broken, which either means the seal is blocking the bond, or their bond is growing strong enough to trancend needing the Element as a bridge.
Not sure which since the context is unclear on how much Rainbow actually understood Leo.
The former possibly makes sense, but if it's the latter then I'm pretty sure neither is consciously aware that they're successfully communicating with one another on some level yet.
Just like what Professor Oak said. The closer one gets to their Pokémon, the heart makes a connection and a better understanding is made. One will feel in their heart what their Pokémon is saying, but not really. The general idea of what is being said. Rainbow is growing closer to Leo and they knew at that moment something was wrong and was able to understand each other in that moment. Like Ash and his own Pokémon, like Pikachu for one. And the elements is a factor in this too I think.
looks like i was right after all ; well at least we can finally get to the bottom of this
9043394
I thought it was established earlier that Luna and Abes were communicating through their mutual connection to the moon.
1337 word count, bra
9043585
On the front page of the fic at the bottom is a link to a gdoc where you find ALL the information about the Eevees and their evolutions.
9043521
It was, but we're talking about this passage here:
This is before they're in Canterlot where Abes can help Luna translate for them, and it's unclear if Rainbow Dash actually understands what Leo is saying on some subconscious level, or if she's just making an educated guess based on Leo's body language, hence my either/or guess.
9043481
9043527
It's actually probably more accurate to classify them as biologically stable chimera. Solely on appearances, though, they more closely resemble Tanuki with oversized ears, which isn't a species native to Equestria, and as Twilight isn't a Biology Major, she wouldn't necessarily have an Encyclopedic knowledge of the world's fauna off the top of her head
9043585
Most everything known and a few things guessed about the Eevees can be found here.
9043827
I was expecting him/her to become a Jolteon. You know, since she/he's bonded with Rainbow Dash.
9043892
We all know who's gonna be the Sylveon though, lol
Cliffhanger :P
Such Hurt
9043890
Gah! Don't hurt me! That's a byproduct of my faulty research, and I'm too
lazystubborn to fix it at this point.Transition chapter is transition chapter. Always happy to see this pop up in my updates though!
9043923
Yea. Connor.
9044018
Carbs are in grains, fruits, and other plant structures. So things like pasta, bread, berries, fibrous plants, and things made with such things are high in fiber and carbohydrates. Fish contain proteins and healthy fats. The common one is Omega 3 which is good for your brain. Proteins are good for muscle growth though, carbs are used for energy/energy replacement.
9044223
Yeah, I learned that well after I had first wrote the fish bit. Ultimately, it's such a minor detail (in my mind) that I figured I could hand wave it as "it's Equestria, shit's magic there" as opposed to going back and changing it.
Shit, I'm caught up now. Guess I just have to wait for the next update then...
9043890
And Omega 3 & 6, don't forget.
I will continue ...
Word Choice Error: sights
Word Choice Error: slipstream
Word Choice Error / Nitpick: hoofed - they don' got no hands
Tense Error: ordered
Tense Error: seems
Welcome to capitalism! If they could convince us to pay for oxygen, they would!
9578663
*literally the plot of the more modern Lorax*
O by Lunas tits now it get hairy... Lets hope they both are not in some kind of mortal danger...
Looks like RD is the key to Leo's dreams.