The EK

by Magi Tail Welkin

Changeling the Heights

Time came for the post to be on its way in Ponyville. Cipher left the Post Office very cheerful. The other day he and Fluttershy made their relationship official, at least to themselves and their closest friends, although Fluttershy still need to tell her family and Discord.

Cipher post the parcels into the cart and climbed onto the driver’s seat “Time to get a move on Riolu.” He started the cart up, ever since Time Turner replaced the battery crystal with spark plug the start-up took longer. Cipher didn’t like the delay however small.

With the official decree, it meant the Ponyville Post Office became the Head Office of the Royal Everfree Mail, as well as the main sorting office. Now letters coming and going across the borders need to be signed off for transfers as well as rubber stamped before being transported. Of course, this addition of red tape meant Muffins could get a little extra pay.

Before he left the town, Cipher stopped at the Castle of Friendship to see the Reverend Farthing. Spike let in him and escorted him through the castle. Cipher only came to the Castle ever in Fluttershy’s invitation or to deliver the post, he did start familiarising the corridors and turns but he agreed with Starlight, they should be signpost about.

Riolu meanwhile got escorted to Twilight’s study for another session of Jakhowl studying.

Cipher knocked on the door of the Reverend’s chambers, the Vicarage Wing as Twilight and Flash, perhaps in slight joking, referred to it.

The door opened and Farthing looked up at smiled “Hello Cipher. I’m so glad you’re here in such good time.”

“Morning Reverend.”, Farthing looked down “Dear me, what a rush.”

“What’s the hurry?”

“Oh, do come in. I’m sure you can help.”

Inside his chamber, Cipher looked around, Farthing never allowed him inside before. A king-sized bed with silk. Silver Enlightenment Iconography.

A few framed pictures of roughly fifteen stallions and mares, Cipher looked closely, a coat of arms underneath the pictures, black and red with a crown and the word ‘Crown’s House, Theological College, Fillydelphia’, below the coat of arms a Pegasopolis motto, ‘Video caelos apertos.’ Which per Twilight translates to ‘I see the heavens opened’, part of the speech the Silver Enlightened preacher appointed by the Twelve Apostles after the Holy Spirit descend on them. Crown’s speech got rejected, even by the future Inquirer of Bridle. Cipher didn’t quite understand the Silver Enlightenment, not enough to believe in it, nor did he believe in religion, but he humoured Twilight, Flash and the Reverend.

On the table below the window rested a portable altarpiece, blank but close by sat a piece of paper with a drawing. Twilight kneeling on one side with Flash beside her and a few other figures, the other side a Unicorn mare hold an infant Earth Pony foal, and the outlines of other figures.

The Reverend walked over to another table and with his magic pulled a seat up “This hurry is all to do with Miss Cheerilee and the Major, and at the last minutes, very unlike them, their giving a film show, all about, oh, what did the Major say? Something about flying.”

Cipher frowned, he took a piece of paper from the pile, identical to the one the Reverend held “It say here’s there’s going to be a surprise arrival.”

A whistling sounded and the Reverend turned to another room in the chamber “That’s the kettle, care for a cup of tea Cipher.”
“Oh, yes please.”

While they had the tea, the Reverend told him “Bring Fluttershy, as many ponies as you can, the thing is, there’s not much time to tell ponies.”, Cipher lifted his cup “Oh, don’t worry I’ll tell every-pony, I see most folks on my round.” He took a sip.

Farthing stirred his tea “That’s very kind Cipher, if you could give them a leaflet as well. Parcel Post is printing them out.”, Cipher nodded “Well, I need to go back through High Street to get to my first call today. I’ll stop by and see how he’s doing.” He put the cup down “Thanks for the tea. Bye.”

He left the Vicarage Wing and went in search of Riolu.

He went down to Twilight’s study and laboratory where the bizarre mirror. He found Riolu sitting meditating in the middle with his odd colander like helmet on his head. The appendages on his head floated.

Cipher went to Twilight at the readout. There can off readings of normal. No magical registered. Twilight hummed, she didn’t take the unknown as a challenge like a couple of years ago, when she tried to figure out the Pinkie Sense, and since becoming Silver Enlightened she understood the true nature of God cannot be fully understood.

But here with Riolu, she couldn’t help but wonder, what could this ability of Riolu’s be?

The reading suddenly spiked and Riolu barked happily, Twilight turned as Cipher walked in “Sorry Twilight, it’s just I need to get going on my rounds and I’d prefer it if Riolu were with me.”

Twilight sighed “Of course, on progress today sadly.”

Cipher took off the head gear from the pup before asking “Do you know what the Major and Cheerilee are planning?”

She shook her head “Only they it’s a film show, I offered the entrance hall for their use. I’d don’t quite know what the Major intends, the film is meant to be about flying, I’d think that more Rainbow Dash’s department.”

“Well, maybe the Major knows a Pegasus for his time in the Royal Guard and the films are from the Pegasus, maybe this Pegasus is the surprise arrival.”

“Could be. I’ll have to ask Flash if he knows of any ex-military Pegasi who were filmmakers.”, Cipher tilted his head “No that I think about I think we may be barking up the wrong tree.”, he felt a small nudge and a growl “Sorry Riolu,” he turned back to a confused Twilight, “He doesn’t like that phrase, makes canines appear stupid apparently.”, Twilight still looked confused but didn’t question it, just another oddity of a Jakhowl pup.

Cipher and Riolu walked back to the cart. Cipher couldn’t help wondering what this surprise arrival the leaflet advertised. Would the Major dress up in something? He did talk with Rarity and Flash about a proper ceremonial uniform for the Everfree Guard. Maybe Doctor Time Turner got around the making the Reservists’ troop transport, or maybe the Major got a staff chariot or a luxury carriage. Perhaps Parcel would know about these things.

He parked outside the printer’s shop. However, he couldn’t hear the press working. Perhaps Parcel finished with the leaflets. He knocked and enter “Morning Parcel.”

Parcel looked up “Hello Cipher, you came just in time.” He tightened a nut. Before him a small rotary beam engine sitting atop a large wooden box base with lot of gauges on there. Small being a relative term, smaller than some of the over beam engines in the world, but still large enough to take up an entire wall of the shop. On the flywheel, a large gear, which meshed with a small one, the crack attached to the smaller gear ended with a horseshoe magnet and above them, two pieces of iron wrapped with wire.

“What’s this?” Cipher said walking up.

“This is something I had Time Turner. Bennie, she’s based on water pump engines, but in this case, she’s going to generate electricity.” He pointed to the electric motor which dives the printing press, “My battery crystal ran out the other day. And I’ve got orders to fill, so I can’t wait to connect the shop to the dam generators upriver just yet. So, Time Turner built Bennie as a temporary electric generator.”
“Doesn’t the dam us turbines? How does Bennie work?”

“Well, Time Turner told me electrically by moving a magnet over copper wire.” He pointed to the flywheel “She’ll spin the magnet to generate the current so I can power the electric motor.”

Cipher tilted his head “Couldn’t you have just gotten a small steam engine to power the press?”

“There would be coal dust to near the press. With Binnie, I can keep the boiler and the firebox as far as possible. Let’s get her going.” He started moving the two levers and the beam started inching, and the ammeters and voltmeters started to register. After a few goes the engine started moving on her own and soon the flywheel and the magnet spun like made.

Parcel turned to Cipher “We’ve until we get enough charge in the battery. Before we can start the motor.”

Cipher sat back and watched, true eat into this time, but something about pony technology really interested him. For Changeling, they did things by hoof, no machines, they could do tough work due to their exoskeletons, but he understood ponies did have the magical stone of Her Tragedy’s throne to help them develop into what the Changelings became. So, it made perfect sense to make a heavy-duty machine to do the work.

As Cipher watch he imagined a more massive version of this machine pumping gallons upon gallons of water. And a song appeared in his head ‘Steam driven beam engine pumping away… With a kick and a clack and a gurgle-gurgle-bump… Pumping up water by night and by day… With a kick and a clack and a gurgle-gurgle-bump…

‘Flywheel spinning around and around… Drawing up water from deep in the ground… Wheel turning, coal burning, steam driven beam engine… With a kick and a clack and a gurgle-gurgle-bump…’

Parcel looked at the charge in the battery and nodded “That should be enough to get printing.” He walked over to the board with his order “Now, what to do first?”

“Parcel?” Cipher explained about the need for the leaflets. Parcel nodded, he went to the motor, pressed the start button, the press whirred into life. He assembled the type based on the leaflet the Major gave him. Readied his sheets of paper and put the ink onto the plate.

Cipher helped him so the job could get done faster. With what Parcel told him to do Cipher needed to use his hooves instead of his magic.
They tested the roller, it went over the ink collecting some of it and rolled over the type putting the ink over the letters, added some more ink to the pad. Moved the tables into place. Slipped one sheet onto the platen. Pushed a lever down, a gear slipped into place and the started to rhythm of the press. Roller up and down. Platen into the type and out. Parcel quickly moved the printed sheet as the roller came down again.

At the end, Cipher, slightly mucky with ink took the pile of leaflets to the cart. Riolu thought Cipher needed a wash. Perhaps a good licking would do, then he saw the stickiness of the ink and thought not. Cipher started the plugs and they rolled away, down the High Street, out onto a winding road and around it to the right, up and over a hill.

North-Eastern Windmill, next stop. Cipher turned into the yard.

The sails turned with their odd sounds signifying a grinding day for the Millers.

Windy and Dotty stood next to their cart. Windy load bags of flour onto into while Dotty stood guard with a pitchfork. Windy slung another bag onto the cart and then turned around, he spotted Cipher and smiled “Hello Cipher.”, Dotty smiled “Morning Cipher.”

“Morning every-pony.”, Windy looked Cipher over, still with the black printer’s ink on him “A mucky one if you ask me. I wish you told up you were sweeping chimneys in your spare time, we’ve got a couple that need doing.”, Dotty giggled but spoke “Don’t you listen to him Cipher, but we’ve got plenty of hot water if you’d like a wash.”

Cipher smiled but shook his head “No thanks Dotty, there isn’t the time, I’m a bit late as it is, and what with all this post to deliver, and these leaflets about the Major’s film show to give out.” Cipher passed over the post and a couple leaflets. Windy took the post and Dotty took the leaflets and read them, she smiled “Oh yes we’ll come alright.”, the Windy chuckled “So long as we don’t get mucky faces like yours Cipher.”, and Dotty giggled again.

Cipher walked back to the cart laughing “Oh, there’s no chance of that happening. Bye.”

“Cheerio.” They both said.

As Cipher rolled out the yard a chicken jumped out of the way. Cipher then went down a hill, followed the round around to the right and onto Time Turner’s.

The doctor sorted out some planks of wood outside his workshop when Cipher arrived. He walked up to the cart as Cipher arrived “Hello Cipher.”

“Hello Time,” Cipher said and passed him one of the leaflets and a letter. Time Turner read it out “A film show?” He continued reading on “I’ve always been interested in flying, I’ll defiantly be there.” Then he turned to Cipher and looked at the ink on him “But what have you been up to Cipher? Tried to mend the cart again?”

Cipher sighed “Oh, it’s a long story, and I haven’t go time to stop.” He started the cart again “Anyway I’ll see you at the film show. Bye.” And he rolled way.

Cipher next stop would be the last for the day. He rolled back into the village and stopped at a lone semi-detached house. Both houses included workshops and storeroom, the one of the left belonged the Sentry family, North, Fortune and First Base, Flash lived in the Castle of Friendship. The house on the right belonged to the best builder and decorator in Ponyville. A Pegasus stallion named Copperfield. An old friend of Fortune. Copperfield sat in his front garden asleep. A pale-yellow coat with a brown mane, highlighted by two paint streaks of dark and pale purple.

Cipher stopped at the garden gate and narrowed his eyes. Fresh wet paint glinted in the sunlight. Copperfield did not like wasting materials, so whenever he has paint left over he paints the gate. Every-pony knows this and steers clear of Copperfield’s gate, expect for some reason the Post-stallions.

Cipher got caught out by this a couple of times when he started, but he learnt to always open Copperfield’s gate with his magic. Parcel Post on the other hoof having no magic, always ended up with paint on his hoof and the letters delivered after Copperfield became very hard to put down. Muffins when see delivered the post in between Parcel and Cipher got around this be flying over the gate. Cipher did this usually as well, but whenever Copperfield sat asleep or distracted he would use the gate like a doorbell for the garden.

Cipher stepped into the garden and shut the gate. Copperfield jumped awake, then sighed “Oh, it you.”

“Cipher, I’ve got you post.” Cipher passed them over and then the leaflet “I wonder if this may interest you.”, Copperfield looked up again and read it, he hummed and turned back to his front door. Just the reaction Cipher expected, Copperfield seemed more a thinker than a talker, or so Fortune said, when she first talked to Cipher on this matter, saying “You’d surprised how deep Copperfield thinks.”, Cipher responded by say “He doesn’t let much of it out then?”, she agreed, Copperfield couldn’t have a decent conversation to save his life. Just before Copperfield went inside he turned back and said, “Mind the gate.”

Cipher gave a small nodded “And a good day to you too Copperfield.” He fluttered over the gate.

“Watch out Cipher!” said young voice, it sounded like First Base. Something hit Cipher in the head. He shook himself, thank goodness for his exoskeleton. He looked down to the ground and found the broken half of a shield. He looked up to the garden of the Sentry house. First Base came running up in a suit of armour, with a lance strapped to the side. He looked guilty “Sorry Cipher.” He took his helmet off “Me and Aura were playing.”

An Earth Pony Filly with a lavender coat, devoid of a cutie mark, a turquoise mane and light turquoise eyes dressed equally in armour with another lance, and the other half of the shield in her hoof.

Cipher blinked “Jousting?” he exclaimed “Why are you two jousting at your age? And where did you get the armour?”

“Well,” First said, looking a little embarrassed, then Aura spoke up “Mr Sir Lionheart gave it to him as a present.”

“Flash’s mentor gave a minor all the stuff of a Royal Guard member?” He fluttered over the gate “I’m going to speak with you father about this.”

“No!” First said, “not now, Mom’s got day upstairs for something, private.”

“Oh, I see,” Cipher flew over the gate again “then I’ll speak to Flash.”

Riolu walked up and handed the broken bit of shield over to Aura, she took it and nodded “Thank you.” When hoof and paw meet, there came small discharge of blue energy passed between them. It looked like magic, but to Cipher it felt deeper and somehow more mysterious than magic.

Aura smiled and patted Riolu, who looked wide-eyed, before she and First went back to the garden. Cipher tapped Riolu on the shoulder “Let’s go and talk to Twilight and Flash about this.”, the Jakhowl nodded but then bark and pointed to the ink on his body. Cipher looked at himself and sighed “Okay maybe a bath first.”, Riolu chuckled and they rode back home.

Cipher entered the house and found Fluttershy inside, he blinked “Fluttershy? You don’t usually come down today, or most days in fact.”
She regressed into her mane “While, I,” she looked up and squeaked “Oh my, what happened to you?”, Cipher explained about the ink. She nodded “Then,” she blushed “let me help you.”, Cipher blinked and stepped back “Fluttershy you don’t have to.”

Riolu nudged Cipher forward. Fluttershy took his hoof “I, insist. Come on.” She dragged him into the bathroom.

She turned the taps and readied the soap, she turned around to a shaking Cipher “Well? Aren’t you going to get in?”

“But Fluttershy, you’re here, and I’ll be…”, they both blushed but Fluttershy spoke “I’d like to stay and help you wash, but if you don’t.” She began to walk to the door.

Cipher took her hoof “Wait,” she looked to him. Cipher gulped and spoke “I know this sounds bizarre but, can you,” his blush deepened “join me?”, her blush deepened to “Join, join you? In the…” her eyes darted to the bath. Cipher nodded “Changelings usually bath communally, not sure why since Her Tragedy raised up to hate each, but love her, our individual plunder of love for her glory. You wouldn’t believe the fights that would occur in the bathhouses. Even me of my position bathed with my colleagues.”

“Your position?”, Cipher blinked “Oh, I didn’t tell you, did I?”, he then explained to her about being one of Chrysalis’s harem. Fluttershy squeaked and blushed heavily. Cipher hugged and give her a small kiss “You know you’re very cute when you’re embarrassed. All I was saying was that I’m used to having company in my bath. I won’t force you.”

She smiled and rubbed her cheek against him “I don’t mind.” She blushed at her boldness. Next moment she found herself in the air and gently lowered into the bath, followed by Cipher himself. Fluttershy covered herself in the bubbles as she watched Cipher washed the ink of his hide. Her breathing deepened as she observed the water running down his body, up close she couldn’t help but admire his size, the second largest Changeling she knew of, Chrysalis and Thorax both tied as first, Cipher roughly match Big Mac in size, true Bulk Bicep did far outsized Applejack’s brother, and though a friend to him due to their time together in the Ponyville Equestria Games Flight Team, she could help but fine Bulk’s appearance bit grotesques and overdone, he’d pushed himself way too far. Big Mac and Cipher on the other hoof looked just right for strong stallions, Big Mac being a full-blown workhouse and Cipher as she now, rather embarrassingly understood, a, possible, sex god, among the Changelings.

She blushed again and closed the gap between them and took sponge “Here let me.” She took hold of his water body and began scrubbing the ink of him. He hummed and leaned into her, the water from his body dripped onto hers making her coat and mane cling to her skin, showing off the outline of her body. She bit her lip as she felt his hoof travel up her back. Less than a week ago, they acknowledged their love for each other and now Cipher seemed to be turning more intermate, she didn’t truly mind though, it just caused her more excitement than she needed now. She quickly looked over his body and nodded “Okay, the ink off.” She climbed the bath and shaking slightly she grabbed and towel.

Cipher sighed and got out. More causally he took another towel and they dried themselves. Fluttershy stole glances at him, amazed at his calm attitude she felt weak at the knee, he impressed her “How can you be so, okay with this?”

“I’m used to it. But,” he paused and shivered “if we ever do get to,” he blushed “that point, I, unsure, how I’ll act.”

She tilted her head as she wrapped her mane in the towel.

Cipher shut his eyes and shuddered “All my experience with it was with, her,” his gritted his teeth “Her Tragedy.” His back legs shut together and winced “Rough, too fast and she just wouldn’t stop.”

Flutter blushed hard and used her wings to hide herself “How, long did you go through this?”, Cipher shrugged “We don’t have clock or calendars in the Changeling Kingdom, or at least until King Thorax introduced them, but I know was hatched after the Wedding Invasion.”

“Cadance and Shinning Armour’s wedding?” She exclaimed “You’re, you’re less than two year’s old!”

He nodded “I wouldn’t be surprised that Riolu is older than me. We developed similarities to insects so it shouldn’t surprise you we develop like insects too.”

“Metamorphosis?”

He nodded “During Her Tragedy’s reign we grew like grasshoppers and cockroaches.”

“And dragonflies.” Fluttershy nodded. Cipher looked to his wings and smiled “I guess so. We started off as grubs and we would moult our exoskeletons and grow before the shell hardens. Then we grew wings, small thin wings, I never liked them, I just had this feeling of incompleteness, but Her Tragedy kept on saying we were fully grown Changelings.”

“Then Thorax and Starlight showed you things could be different?”

“I think our previous for must have been the final stage before a cocoon stage, and this form might actually be our proper adult form, our butterfly fly stage perhaps. Before we must have still been children, ignorant and dependent on our mother, who feed us with misinformation and built herself into a demi-god in a cult of personality.”

“But,” she blushed and came nearer “why are you, so big?”

He shrugged “Maybe I was a large grub, and Her Tragedy feed me and my colleagues more so we’d grow larger still.” He sighed “Just thinking about what she did to us, all of us, make me sad and ashamed to be a Changeling.”

“No,” Fluttershy said firmly “you shouldn’t be ashamed of what you are. I was never a great flyer like Rainbow Dash, only in an emergency will I do something on her level. I used to be so afraid at flying and performing in front of other ponies, sometimes I still am, but I’m not ashamed. Cipher, you’re no longer under the hoof of Chrysalis, you’ve got a great mind, magic more develop than any other Changeling, a,” she smiled and blushed “big and strong body.” She took his hooves into hers “And the stallion I love. So please don’t be sad.” She leaned closer and closed her eyes.

Cipher blinked, then smiled and leaned down.

Their lips touch. Fluttershy gave a small pleased hum. Cipher took a breath and felt the deep love power him, his tongue slipped across his lips and accidently brushed hers. She squeaked and opened her eyes and stared into his deep passion filled orbs she hummed again and leaned herself into him. Cipher took this as a sigh to deepen the kiss, she eagerly allowed him and their tongues danced around each other, his caressed each part of her mouth, slid across her teeth. Fluttershy moaned into his mouth before she pushed into.

Cipher needed to lean back and sit down to keep her against him as her tongue slid across the much smaller fangs in his mouth.

The more he breathed the more of her love his consumed. He lost his sense of time, he started feeling lightheaded and he fell onto his back with her sprawled over his front.

Their kissing continued for several minutes. Until Cipher’s lips parted with hers and his head touched the ground. Fluttershy looked down and found him asleep but smiling with blushing red face ‘He must have passed out. Like taking too much cider.’ She giggled ‘Twilight will want to know about this.’

There came knock on the door. Fluttershy opened it to find a bored Riolu. She cooed “Come here Riolu. Let’s get Cipher into bed then you can help me with at the cottage.”, Riolu gave a bark and saluted, Fluttershy bit her lip at his adorableness.

They got Cipher into his bed and she wrote a note and placed it beside his bed so when he woke up he would know where to go.

---

After waking, Cipher read the letter but decided to go and sort out some other matters before calling on Fluttershy and Riolu.

He went to the Castle of Friendship and told Flash about First Base and the jousting, Flash immediately went to a word with is little brother. Cipher reminded Flash about the film show and he said he’d tell his parents, no doubt they would bring Helmet Listener and Foggy Dew, if not all their friends from Huntersfield.

Then Cipher spoke to Twilight about the energy he witnessed between Riolu and Aura.

Twilight recalled Aura being the filly Rainbow Dash saved from the well before the Mysterious Mare Do Well business, and seeing her among the foals, First Base included who came to watch the CMC while she taught them. And come to think of it seem saw a filly virtually identical to Aura in Starlight’s old village, only with a duller coat and mane, although it could have simply been the dull atmosphere of the village.

But if something happened between her and Riolu it may have a connection to the mysterious of the Jakhowl. She would need to speak with her a preferably her parents, perhaps they knew a thing or two.

After Cipher went away she arranged to meet with Aura and her family.

Aura arrived in the afternoon with a Unicorn mare with a pink coat, a dark heliotrope mane and tail with moderate heliotrope eyes. Her cutie mark, a flame behind a symbol of a circle with an arrow sprouting forth from the circumference. The mare looked to be at least ten years older than Twilight. Two crows flew in through the window and landed at the mare’s hooves.

Starlight blinked in surprise when the mare walked in “Miss Heart?”, Twilight turned to her former student and she explained “Burning Heart, she lived in the village me and Sunburst grew up in.”

Heart turned to Starlight “I heard you got yourself into trouble.”, Starlight looked down. Heart just looked with narrow and cold eyes. Then she turned to Twilight “So, what’s this about?”

Twilight blinked at Burning Heart’s blunt attitude. Twilight explained about the blue energy.

Heart’s eye widened and looked down to Aura “I didn’t expect you to develop your powers that fast.” She smirked and rubbed the filly’s mane “Your old stallion would have been proud.” She then looked up to the others in the room “Before you ask, no, I’m not referring to my husband, I’ve never been one for relationships, and before you ask I’m Aura’s godmother and her legal guardian. And on her powers, she’s called Aura for a reason.”

Starlight narrowed her eyes as thought “Aura? I’m remember, Meadowbrook mentioning something about that in her supplementary notes on the eight enchanted items.”

A hoof hit the ground and every-pony turned to a wide-eyed Flash “Of course, Sir High Mountain.”

“Flash?” Twilight asked.

“Sir High Mountain was a Royal Knight from the east, around the same area Meadowbrook came from. He was a part of the Royal Knight the same time as the Brigadier. His notes were very minimal but he said High Mountain could read minds, sense emotions, even for a distance, navigate perfectly while blindfolded, and create barriers and attack moves out of blue energy called aura.”

Heart nodded “It’s different from magic.”

Twilight blinked “So that’s why I’ve not been able to detect anything from Riolu? It’s not magic?”

“No, it’s more kin to willpower. Aura is the energy of the essence of every living creature. Spirit energy it sometime called.”

“Spirit?” Flash asked, “Like as in the soul?”, Heart nodded “That’s how Riolu could hurt Discord, he’s not a physical being, but a spiritual one, “Spirit of Chaos” remember.”

“So Riolu can use aura?”, Heart nodded “Jakhowls are natural users, any being can by aura sensitive, and trained to use it. Aura’s father Valiant chose me as her godmother because I could find out how could train her to control her powers.” She sighed “I’ll have to start on that. Sorry but we can’t stay here all day.” And the two quickly left.

Twilight turned to Starlight and to two nodded. Flash smirked “Let me guess, you two are going to the library?”

“Yes.” They both said and Twilight continued “Could you bring Sir Defender Warden’s notes as a reference.”, Flash nodded and walked out of the Castle.

---

The day of the film show came. Spike and Time Turner set up the projector, making sure they did not have the trouble Spike did when he tried to work a film projector for the Cloudsdale water presentation. Miss Cheerilee escorted the foals down to the fort of the entrance halls, the only fully public part of the Castle, to explore it you needed Twilight’s permission.

The Reverend looked worried as Cipher arrived. As the Changeling approached Farthing asked, “Have you seen the Major Cipher?”

“Missing is he Reverend?”

“Did I tell you about the surprise?”

“I think you did mention it.”

“Yes, the Major promised there would be a surprise. But oh dear, he late.”

“I see, I’ll go up to Kimblewick Hall and see if he needs a hoof with anything. I won’t be.” And he got back onto the driver’s seat and quickly rolled away.

---

At Kimblewick Hall the scaffolding from the repair still stood, as Copperfield convinced the Major of some possible improvements.
Speak of the Major, Cipher couldn’t see any sign of him. Cipher rang the doorbell and waited at the door. Then a voice called from somewhere.

“Help! Attention! You down there.”, Cipher looked around it sounded like it came from the scaffolding he walked over “Hello?”

“Cipher!”, the Changeling looked up “Who’s that on the roof?” he called.

The Major waved from the basket of a hot air balloon “My jolly old anchor rope gotten mixed up with the chimneys, Porter’s taken ill today, so be a good fellow and climb up to see if you can cast me off.”

Cipher gulped and back up “You want me to go up there?”, like looked higher than anything he’d climb up before, and since he usually pent all his time on the ground he did know if he possessed a good head for heights. But he sighed knowing every-pony going to the film show depended on the Major arriving, so he climbed up but grumbled ‘Why is it I always get these jobs?’, he reached the top and asked to top question on his mind “What are you doing up here Major? In that basket thing?”

“There’s no time for ideal chat fellow. Catch hold of that rope.”, Cipher looked down to see a rope wrapped around a chimney with a sandbag tied to the end. The Changeling shook his head “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” He inched onto the triangular thatch of the hall roof. He pulled at one loop and pulled it over the chimney then the next.

“Hurry up that fellow.” The Major called “I’m late as it is!”, Cipher got the late loop over, then everything happened at once. The wind caught the balloon and the Major pulled at the burner and the balloon started moving. Cipher in his panic grabbed onto the basket, his wing fluttered frantically and his hind legs kicked about frightened as they dangled in the air.

The Major meanwhile acted oblivious as he checked the sandbags over. “Sorry Cipher,” he said, “can’t stop, just hang on for dear life.”

“I am.”

“I thought you could fly?”

“Only in short burst or low to the ground, my old position in the hive meant I was usually confined in Her Tragedy’s chambers.”, the Major nodded and gave Cipher a hoof in.

Once firmly in the basket Cipher looked about “There’s the Town Hall,” he then chuckled “and the Post Office.”, then he frowned “Major? There’s a tree coming.”

“Don’t worry I see it. I’ll give her a blast.” He pulled on the burnings and they just crested the canopy of the tree. As they approached the Castle of Friendship the Major pulled on another cord and let the hot air out and they descended.

Miss Cheerilee and the Reverend couldn’t believe their eyes, Farthing chuckled “What a surprise indeed. Cipher and Major Green Field dropping from the skies.”

The balloon landed with a bump. The Major tied the balloon to a nearby tree as he explained the mishap with the chimney and Cipher’s rescue. An owl popped out and raised an eyebrow before going back to into the tree to sleep.

The Reverend looked at the balloon amazed “I would have never guessed Major that you were an expect in hot air balloon.”

“We used them for reconnaissance in the Fifth Regiment of Hoof. I’ll tell you more during the film show.”

The went inside and the Major walked to the screen “Hello every-pony, nice to see so many of you here today. I decided to share my adventures travelling by hot air balloon. I’ve been to several places around the world. Okay Spike!”

The dragon nodded and started the projector.

Cipher looked about the room. The more military minded of the audience sat interested as did Twilight, and Pinkie Pie who loved everything to do with balloons and an Earth Pony mare called Cherry Berry, but a couple of the audience started to fall asleep. Cipher listened with interest and on reflection he kind enjoyed the slow and quite drift of hot air balloons, it must be how the clouds felt. But he decided he would stay on the ground as often as possible.