Early in the morning Cipher went out and about on his village rounds.
He posted couple of letters when Rainbow Dash came flying toward him. Cipher called out “Morning Rainbow, how was Bridle City?”
Yesterday the Council of Friendship and all the Princesses travelled to Bridle City Port, where Celestia chose to hold the Summer Sun Celebration. Unlike the last two years nothing truly terrible happened. No ancient foe suddenly appearing, no vines appearing from the ground and snatching the Royal Sisters.
The only point of interest from the Equestria Daily report came in the form of the teenage colt Ten Bits being awards the Clover Cross, the highest award for bravery outside of combat, awarded to him for almost sacrificing his life to push a smouldering tanker of cider out of the city, however he ended up blinded by the explosion. Unlike the Pink Heart, which Twilight specifically invented for the occasion after the Secret Invasion by Chrysalis.
Rainbow landed and grinned “It was awesome, me and Wonderbolts really wowed the crowd. And Ten Bits looked cool with Blake and my old sunglasses.”
Blake, the colt’s guide dog used to be one of the animals Fluttershy took care of, Cipher saw the Rottweiler a couple of times and Riolu made some conversation with him, but not the most sociable dog, but when Ten Bits came to Ponyville to recuperate the Rottweiler immediately wanted to be the colt’s guide dog.
As for the sunglasses Rainbow gave him her spare pair, her main pair were given to her by Soarin of the Wonderbolts as welcoming present.
Rainbow took to the air “Can’t spend all day with you, I got practice.” And she flew off.
Cipher chuckled and continued his way along the quiet street.
He reached the High Street to got to the Post Office, when he heard voices. One he recognised as Scootaloo and the other he assumed to be her father Chrome Blade of the Everfree Guard, Cipher didn’t see much of him as when he came across an Everfree Guard it would usually be Dauntless Doo.
And now something which he didn’t expect, Scootaloo signing, along with her father, a simple little chorus “Let’s go fly a kite… Up to the highest height… Let’s go fly a kite and send it soaring… Up through the atmosphere… Up where the air is clear… Oh, let’s go-o-o fly a kite!”
Chrome saw Cipher and stopped. Scootaloo smiled standing next to his with a kite in her hoof.
Cipher grinned “I didn’t know you sang Scootaloo, I thought you didn’t like that stuff?”
“Well, I did try to it for a talent contest, didn’t work out as we planned, but it wasn’t that terrible. But that song,” she glanced at her father and grinned “we used to sing it when we went kite flying,” she sighed “before Mom,” she lowered her head.
Chrome wrapped his leg around her.
Cipher raised an eye “Kite flying?”
Scootaloo looked at him amazed “You don’t know about kite flying?”, Cipher shook his head “We never did anything like that in the hive, it was all work to please Her Tragedy.”
Scootaloo then started explaining kite flying then her face faltered and she glanced at her tiny wings “Mom made me this kite. I don’t know if I’ll ever fly, but flying a kite gives me the feeling off.”
Chrome smiled and started singing “With a few bits for paper and string… You can have your own set of wings… With your hooves on the ground you’re a bird in flight… With your hoof holding tight… To the string of kite.”, the two of them sang the chorus as they walked off.
Cipher smiled ‘That’s so sweet. I wonder it Rainbow Dash knows? Maybe I should tell Fluttershy when I see her next.’ He then walked onwards to the Post Office.
On the way, he passed Nurse Redheart heading for the hospital. She smiled and waved at him “Morning Cipher.”
“Morning Nurse Redheart, no post for you today, but do say hello to Comet Tail for me.”, she smiled and nodded then resumed her walk to work. Comet Tail, a Unicorn Wizard, happened to be in a causal relationship with the Nurse, partly out of the many times he ended up injuring himself because of his spells, but it did appear the pair did care for each other.
Cipher entered the Post Office and as usual saw Muffins at the desk, beside her a pile of letters and parcels ready to be believed to the outer areas of Ponyville. However, her current predicament caused Cipher to laugh “You look busy.”
The Pegasus mare held in her hooves and over her wings tangled up loops of strings “Hello Cipher, give me a minute will you, until I’ve sorted this out.” She pulled at a loop to try and get it to unravel through, but then it caught on another loop and threatened to turn into a knot, her noise scrunched up and she frowned angrily “Oh, drat this string.” She started picking at the loops getting more frustrated.
Cipher walked up to the counter “Now they Muffins, you just want to take it slowly. Once you find the end…”
“Ha,” Muffins said, “that’s easier said than done.”
“Well it must have an end.”, she rolled her eyes, although they went in different direction “Now he tells me.” She held it out and Cipher frowned “Dear me, it does look a mess.” His magic took hold of the pile of post “Well, I’d better be on my way with this lot.” He chuckled and turned to the door “Good luck.”
“Bye.” Muffins called as the door opened and shut, then she started muttering to herself “I wonder if I could cut it into small pieces?”
Outside Cipher shut the back door to his cart and then hoped onto the front, “Right Riolu, ready for off?”, the Jakhowl looked up a little bored having waited for a long time, he nodded his answer. Cipher charged his magic and the cart slowly rolled. “Never mind about the wait Riolu, maybe they’ll be some rabbits in Windy’s fields, then you can have a good run.”
They speed out of the town and along the winding lanes.
The something caught Cipher’s attention “Hold tight Riolu.” He pulled on the reins to put the brakes on the magic and they stopped. He climbed out of the cart and expected the unusual thing across the road, a piece of string. ‘Whatever can that be doing there?’ He thought, he then chuckled ‘I hope it’s not a part of Muffin’s tangle.’ He picked up string with his magic an inspected the length, very long from the looks of it ‘I’d better wind this up before any-pony else gets caught in it.’ He started looping it and went to one side of the road, the string went over the wall and in the field sat the little ball at the end.
Riolu walked up to have a look, then put his paws into the loop. Cipher chuckled “I should have known you’d want to play.” He started winding the string over the ball end and thought about Riolu’s behaviour.
Though canine in appearance and having a love of bones and chasing rabbits, he could also have a few cat-like mannerisms, especially when he found a piece of string, both Cipher and Fluttershy found it very amusing and cute to find Riolu tangled up in a length of string. And Twilight found interesting for her study of the Jakhowl, of course in her notes she wrote could be an individual thing since Riolu is the only case study. Twilight did send word to Princess Celestia about this and how Cipher found Riolu in the Buffalo Reservations, but no word of any developments can back.
Of course, not every-pony found it so likeable. After making a special toy mouse for her own Persian cat Opalescence, or Opal for short, so she wouldn’t mess up Rarity’s threads, the Fashionista would not allow any risk and so barred Riolu from entering, any of her boutiques, be it Carousel in Ponyville, Canterlot Carousel, “Rarity for You” in Manehatten, and any future shops she opens.
Now this raises the question of why a Changeling would need to go into a clothes shop since his own illusion magic could allow him to assume a suit. Well, Cipher assumed he could make an illusionary suit from himself if he needed it, but he didn’t imagine he would be going to the Grand Galloping Gala anytime soon, few knew his Changeling royalty status and given the reputation of Changelings outside of the Royal Family and its inner circles well, it would cause a real fuss if not chaos, and since the Gala for the last two years ended up a mess Cipher did not want to be the cause of a mess at the Gala, when it did happen.
But Cipher returned to the string he wound. He reached the wall on the other side and the string just continued on “I think we’d better see where it goes to. I mean look.” He pointed out to the field as the string snake across it and into the next “It must be a very long piece of string,” he chuckled “maybe we’ll get an answer to that age-old question. Just like the question which came first, the chicken or the egg?”
Cipher never really understood the point of that as an example of a causality dilemma. As Petunia Paleo pointed out, the dinosaurs laid eggs, and modern biological studies of birds caused many to believe birds are in fact descended from dinosaurs, so in truth there existed eggs long before the first chicken ever hatched. And anyone who asked the question “Which came first: the chicken or the egg?” must have scrambled their brains.
Cipher flew over the wall and slowly made his way up and down the hilly fields “I feel like a yo-yo doing this, I even have the string. Come on Riolu it looks like being a long walk.”
After crossing another field or to they found a scarecrow in the middle of one of them hold the string for Cipher, more correctly the string wrapped and tangled around the scarecrow, much like how the string Muffins tried to sort out wrapped around her.
The scarecrow consisted of a massive ragdoll body with an old pair of overalls with a turnip head with a battered top hat, hay mane and tail. Cipher walked up and stared at it.
Per Twilight’s information, the Corvid family of birds, including crows are the most intelligent of birds, but how could something so intelligent mistake something like this for an actual pony? It’s not even put up so it looks fearsome, like with its hooves up ready for a round of boxing, no it’s head is slumped so he looks like he’s asleep and strung up on a cross, which if he understood the Silver Enlightenment right, from Flash and Twilight, is supposed to be the worst death imaginable.
As Cipher began unravelling the string he ended up spinning it around and the pole ploughed across the ground a couple of hooves like a spinning top, causing the top hat to fall off. But thankfully by the change in position it meant the string came lose a whole lot easier. Cipher wound the ball up and magically put the hat back in place “Sorry to leave you like this, but I must go. Take care turnip-head.” He chuckled and continued his quest, his hooves dug into the ground ‘My goodness, this field is muddy.’
He came to a wall. Riolu sat on it waiting for him. Cipher looked over the wall and gawked “How long is this piece of string?” He pulled at it and found it tightened being stuck on something, he sighed “Over we go.” He jumped and landed in a wild field full of thorny prickle plants, luckily given his tough hide he only got scratched and not poked. He continued through the wilderness and looked about ‘I’ve lost Riolu again.’ He soon reached the end of the thorns and found the Jakhowl sitting on a bunch of rocks at the top of the hill of the field. Cipher looked at him “Now Riolu, don’t go disappearing again, you’ll make me all worried.”, Riolu nodded and jumped off the rocks.
Cipher remained at the top of the hill taking a couple of breaths, all this walking. Most Changeling could fly as expertly as the average Pegasus pony, however since Cipher previous position in the court of Queen Chrysalis kept him confined and grounded he couldn’t fly for very long, plus as previously stated Changeling wing could tear if put to strenuous use. So, Cipher usually stayed on the ground only doing quick jumping flights.
He sat on the rock Riolu previously occupied and looked out at the scenery. He could see most of Ponyville, the Castle of Friendship sticking out, a good amount of the Everfree Forest with a small glimpse of the ruined spire of the Castle of the Two Sisters. Why did Celestia and Luna build their first castle there?
Maybe it started out as a small temple or something like it to protect the Tree of Harmony but the Royal Sisters under the guidance of Star Swirl the Breaded built the castle.
Cipher could ask Twilight about it, maybe the Journal the Royal Sister kept in their time there would shed some light on the matter. But right now, Cipher needed to get the string sort out. He got off the rock and made his way down the hill. He entered some undergrowth of bushes and tree ‘How much further does this string go?’, further it turned out as the Changeling emerged from the shrubbery and into a fill of grazing sheep.
He noticed a gate she instead of clambering over he simply opened the gate, stepped through it and shut it quickly so the sheep didn’t run away, though some would be able to, they stood on the string, it wrapped around their legs, and some of their faces, one even looked about to chew it.
Cipher started to pull and make his way, but the sheep kept on moving, and getting further tangled, Cipher start to grow frustrated “Can you all stand still for a minute while I sort this out?” He started to move as nimbly as he could to get through and not scare the sheep into moving further and cause more tangles.
Finally, he made it out of the woollen army and he glanced back “Bye-bye sheep.” He chuckled before continuing to wind the ball, he hummed as he did so. He reached a broken wall, the string went through the gap and up another hill to a tall tree where it finally disappeared into the leaves and branches, he looked up ‘Well, there must be something special at the end of a very long piece of string. Whatever can it be?’
Then he heard some sobbing, and the sound of fast fluttering wings.
Cipher peered around and his eyes widened.
Scootaloo, with a face mixed with sadness, frustration and determination jumped at the tree and beat her wings at a speed to rival a mosquito. Every time she landed she gave a groan and a sob.
Cipher walked up and asked “What are you doing here? And where’s your father? And why the long face?”
She pointed up the tree “It my kite. The one Mom made. It stuck at the top of the tree. Dad’s gone for help. But,” she jumped and hooved, before slumping onto the ground “I’ve tried to get it down.”
Cipher pulled at the string, but wherever the kite rested, it would not move, he hummed “It seems well and truly stuck.”
A whistle sounded from the road nearby, the two turned around.
Doctor Time Turner’s Lorry rounded a corner. A tall ladder on the back and Chrome Blade in the passenger side of the cab. The Lorry stopped and the two got out. Time Turner started to grumble “I hope this doesn’t take too long, I’ve got to fix the roof on Comet Tail’s study before the frost gets to his test tubes.” Chrome Blade put the top of the ladder on his back “It’s only a kite Time.” He turned back “Hello Cipher.” He called to the Changeling.
They two manoeuvred the ladder over the wall. Clambering over the wall to do so, Time Turner laughed “Climbing walls, reminds me when I was young.” He stuck his head through one of the spaces between the rungs of the ladder, and the two walked up the hill, Chrome glanced back “I could never have done this by myself Time.”
The doctor laughed “Not with a ladder like this, no definitely couldn’t.”
Once at the tree they lifted the ladder up and put it up against the tree.
Time Turner looked up “Now then, who’s going up.”, Scootaloo rushed up “It’s my kite.”, Chrome put a hoof in front of her daughter “It’s dangerous for a filly like you Scoots.”, Time Turner looked about ready to say something, but Scootaloo shook his head.
Cipher inched and whispered “What’s Scootaloo been up to?”
“She’s been ziplining and bungie jumping.”, Cipher glanced at the filly then looked to the pair of Earth Ponies “Aren’t either of you going up the ladder?”
Time Tuner shook his head “I could never climb tree, as a colt I feared for my life when there was only eighteen inches between my dangling back legs and the ground. The phrase no head for heights goes further with me, I’ve got no legs, hooves or eyes for them.”
Cipher narrowed his eyes “Then why are you going to fix a roof?”
“Oh, houses and roofs I’m fine with, that's a job to do, climbing tree is for fun, I can’t help but get unnerved by being at height with no real reason.”
Cipher turned to Chrome, he looked away and frowned “Don’t tell Dauntless, but I suffer terribly from vertigo.”, Cipher blinked “But you married and fathered a Pegasus?”
“All of that happened firmly on the ground.”
Cipher sighed “Well, looks like it’s up to me.” He gave the ball of string too Scootaloo and walked up to the ladder “I’ll soon deal with this never fear.”, he put his back hooves on the first rung and started up, his wing covers and wings sprouted out from his back to give him stability.
Time Turner and Chrome held the ladder, and Turner murmured “Steady as you go.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Cipher said, “This is going to be one long climb with such a tall tree.”, he reached the top and poked his head through the branches, he looked around, then he blinked and smirk “There’s the kite. And Riolu as well.”
The Jakhowl sat on the branch with the kite. He swung his feet about.
Cipher fluttered his wing and lightly flew onto the branch “How did you get here Riolu?”, the Jakhowl shrugged.
“Come on Riolu,” he reached to his animal companion “do be shy.” His hoof brushed against the kite and the flying toy fell off the branch. Cipher called down “Look out below!”
Scootaloo jumped “I got it, I got it!” she caught it “Yay! It’s alright. Thanks Cipher.”
The Changeling smiled down then turned to Chrome and the doctor “That’s the kite taken care of. But Riolu’s stuck up here now.”
Time Turner called up “I have to be getting along, if something bad happens to Comet Tail’s study Nurse Redheart will never forgive me.”
Cipher sighed and inched to the ladder and climbed down it. He stopped midway and glanced at the branch “Riolu got up the tree on his own, so I hope he can get down the way he went up.” When he reached the bottom, Chrome spoke “You don’t need to bother about Riolu.”
Cipher turned seeing the Jakhowl sitting on the wall beside the Everfree Guard. The Changeling blinked “Good grief, has that pup got wing?”
Chrome turned to his daughter “Come on Scoots, we’d better get home before it gets dark.”, she nodded and the two walked away.
Cipher called to them “And keep a go hold on that kite! Next time you want to fly it, try asking Starlight where the best area is.”
Time Turner began to move the ladder. Cipher came to his side “Hang on Doc, I’ll give you a hoof.”, the doctor nodded “Are you ready Cipher?”, the Changeling nodded, Time Turner lowered the ladder’s top end to him, Turner slung his end onto his shoulder and Cipher did the same “Okay Doc, back to the Lorry.”, and the two walked down the hill. At the wall the doctor climbed over and twisted the ladder so the flat side would runner on the top of said wall “Give it a push Cipher.”, the Changeling did so and when he reached the wall he called “Over to you Doc.”, Time Turner lifted the ladder “Okay, now leave it to me.”
The doctor put the ladder back onto the back of the Lorry and climbed into the cab.
“Thanks Doc, good luck with fixing the roof.”, Time Turner nodded “Bye Cipher.” He pulled the regulator and the Lorry trundled away.
Cipher watched him go then looked to his side, and found Riolu there “Hello,” the Changeling said “have you popped up again? You get everywhere, don’t you Riolu? I’m going to see Princess Twilight about this when we’ve finished delivering the letters, speaking of which we should find the cart.” He walked over a nearby gate and opened it. He went into the next field and started his rambling again, only with a piece of string to guide him.
All the fields looked alike, especially to one who spent most of his, as previously stated, short life spent indoors in a series of caverns, which kept changing, So Cipher didn’t know which way to go, and Riolu disappeared again.
After trudging through some undergrowth, he peered over a brush and smiled ‘There’s some-ponies I know.’ He walked out and went up to the stile, Miss Cheerilee and Big McIntosh stood by it while admiring the scenery. Cheerilee heard hoof-steps turned and smiled “Hello Cipher.”, Big Mac turned to look “Morning.”, Cheerilee spoke next “We’re just out for a little walk. Are you looking for your cart?”
Cipher rubbed the back of his neck “Well yes, I was just wondering.” He explained about Scootaloo and the kite and about his little odyssey with the kite string. Cheerilee giggled and pointed “It’s three fields that way.”
“Yep.”
“Turn left at the boggy part.”
“Yep.”
“And you’ll be there in no time.”
“Yep.”
“Thanks.” And Cipher started walking.
It seemed much further than what Cheerilee said, but eventually he reached another wall, and a gate, which lead to the road, one Cipher knew, he trudged down it and rounded a bend and smiled “Ah, there’s the cart, safe and sound.”
He walked up and checked the back, all the letter and parcel remained where he put them. When he closed the doors, another thought struck him ‘Where’s Riolu? I can’t leave without him.’ He walked up to the front and stopped, then he smirked and chuckled ‘I should have guessed.’
Riolu lay fast asleep on the passenger side of the cart seat. Cipher could understand why, all the walking he did nearly tried him out, imagine what it would do to something only two foot tall. Cipher carefully and quietly got onto the cart ‘We’d better get the post delivered, we’ve wasted enough time today.”, he charged his horn and lightly flicked the reins. The cart slowly rolled along the lane. ‘Who am I going to explain this?’
Twilight noted down the stuff Cipher told her about Riolu “Able to climb and descend trees effortlessly, and apparently faster than a pony going up a ladder and has some form of natural sense direction.” She looked.
Cipher sipped his tea while Riolu chew on one of his bones. The Princess cleared her throat, Cipher looked up, “Do you know how Riolu got to the tree and back to cart without you?”
Cipher shook his head “Not a clue. The way he effortlessly navigated the fields while I mucked about with the string, the scarecrow and the sheep, well it’s almost like he felt Scootaloo’s sadness like a beacon and went as the crow flies, then somehow located the van while I went from field to field until running to Cheerilee and Big Mac.”
Twilight narrowed her eyes “Weird.” She looked at her previous notes, the climbing tree part matched the similarity to cats, but this natural sense of direction, maybe Jakhowls possessed a highly-developed hippocampus, the part of the brain to do with navigation and spatial awareness, rats can easily navigate mazes and of course, Fluttershy kept a couple of homing pigeons. As for knowing where to find Scootaloo, he did seem to have developed ears like a canine, maybe he heard her and followed the sound.
But one of the biggest mystery about this Jakhowl, the appendages coming off his eye mask, see could only think they acted as a part of a bodily temperature control system. But the thing with his paws when he first met her, and apparently new every-pony he meets, caused those appendages to float. Maybe it connected to some form of magic. But she couldn’t really tell, no magical glow appeared, and she couldn’t sense any magical signature.
And of course, the biggest surprise, how he managed to physically hurt Discord, a real mystery.