The EK

by Magi Tail Welkin

Fixing a Hole

Down in the Ponyville Schoolhouse Miss Cheerilee showed the colts and fillies in class a model volcano. “Just think children, of all that rock bubbling and bursting underground.”

“You’d get your hooves hot.” Spoke up Dinky Doo.

“No, you wouldn’t.” First Base replied “You could wear boots.”

Miss Cheerilee giggled “It was a long time before boots were invented First.” She opened the model up showing the insides. At the bottom, brighter colours like yellow representing the hot rock layers then darker and larger layers going up, the spout of the volcano consisted of black rock and going up the middle a line of red. Cheerilee continued “The volcanos made our lovely Everfree hills long before any ponies existed never mind boots. Great holes in the ground with rock oozing out like toffee.”

A colt named Lickety Spilt looked up “Did you say toffee? I like toffee.”

Cheerilee giggled “I said it was like toffee, because it was all oozing. And I happened so long ago it was even before the dinosaurs came.”

Petunia Paleo looked up surprised at this. She specialised in, as she correctly pointed out to her parents, palaeontology, the study of ancient fossils, she’d already made a name for herself after digging up a complete skull of a rare dinosaur right in the family backyard.

Cheerilee finished “You can all do a lovely picture when your next here, for open day.”

The bell rang and Cheerilee smiled “But it’s home time now.”

Quickly the children took out from under their desk, their notebooks and textbooks, pencils and paper.

As they filed out of the school Cipher walked up, the foals greeting him and he did likewise. He stepped into the schoolhouse “Afternoon Cheerilee.”, his next-door neighbour smiled “Good afternoon Cipher, come for some lessons?”, the Changeling nodded, then he glanced back at the foals “I’ve wanted to ask this for a little while. Why is it you have different foals in class on different days?”

“Oh, well, because of the large number of foals in Ponyville we can’t have all of them together, also, I give my student days when they are meant to focus on either getting or perfecting the special talent of their cutie marks.” She smiled “The Cutie Mark Crusaders are among the most prolific in that assigned task.”

Cipher grinned and nodded “Oh, I know about those three. Twilight’s been try to convince them to try and get me a cutie mark, I mean I can understand why, her sources say Changelings share a common ancestor with both Crystal and Equestrian Ponies, and both groups have cutie marks, not to mention Zecora says Zebras get them to, but not Donkeys or Mules, or so Cranky keeps on saying.”

Cheerilee giggled “Well I’ll wish them good luck. So, anything you wish to know about specifically?”

“No, I’ve leave this one-to-one in your capable hooves.”, she nodded and pulled out a book “Let me see, what did we do last time.”, she glanced up and saw Cipher examining the model, she grinned “Do you want to learn about volcanos?”

Cipher shrugged “It definitely looks interesting.”, the teacher smiled.

---

The next morning it seemed very quiet in the village, apart from the trundle of wheels from Cipher’s cart as he steered it through the narrow streets wide enough for it. He and Riolu already finished with the letters of the village itself and now they went to the Post Office to collect the letters of the outlaying homes.

As he approached the Post Office he spotted Parcel Post quickly exiting and galloping away.

When he entered the Post Office, Muffins stood at the counter sorting the letter, but she looked very concerned. Cipher walked up “What was Parcel doing here?”, the previous Post-stallion usually stayed at home taking care of his bees.

Muffins sighed “Oh dear, well, Parcel came here on the request of Dauntless, to give Captain Sentry, Princess Twilight and Mayor Mare urgent news, but he decided to tell me so I could tell you.” She paused and scratched her head “Are you follow?”

Cipher nodded and do Muffins continued “It seems there’s a great big hole in the middle of the road, near the North-Eastern Windmill.

Dauntless says it’s big enough to swallow a cow!”

Cipher gave an annoyed smile, as he worked with Muffins every day, Sundays excepted, he quickly got to know how her husband, Dauntless Doo of the Everfree Guard, acted “I know what that means. Road closed, diversions, cone and bollards all over the place. How does he think I’m going to get through with all these letters and parcels? I wish you would speak to him about this, the slightest bit of trouble and he closes half of Ponyville. Talking about holes in the ground, Cheerilee taught me a bit about volcanos and earthquakes.”

Muffins giggled “Yeah, Dinky told us about them too last night. But I don’t think it’s something like that, it’s just a hole in the road.”

Cipher chuckled to levitated the letters and parcels “We’ll manage somehow, bye for now.” He opened the door with a hoof and Muffins called back “Bye Cipher.”, he shut the door and walked to the cart. He put the post into the back of the cart and shut the back doors, then went to the front and talked to Riolu “I wonder if dinosaurs got letters?” he clambered up and chuckled “And what did dinosaur dogs look like?”, he started the cart up and flicked the reins “A bet they eat some huge bones, hey Riolu?”

They headed out of through the village and towards the Windmill, usually his first stop on his cart rounds.

On the way, the met Windy Miller, the pony who owned and operated the North-Eastern Windmill, out with his cart of flour bags and boxes of eggs.

Cipher stopped to talk “What do you think about this hole in the road Windy?”

Windy frowned “What hole? I’ve seen none. I’ve been delivering the eggs and flour since early morning.”

“There’s a great big hole just outside your Windmill, Dauntless Doo’s shut the road off.”

“Oh dear,” said Windy “How I am going to get home? I’d best be off.” He started walking again “Cheerio.”

“Bye.” And Cipher started on his way again.

He turned on a country lane and went over a bridge to the other side of Ponyville. Stopped at a junction, both he and Riolu checked if anything came from either side of the road, making sure nothing did he turned right. They kept a careful look out, just in case any new hole appeared and no-pony reported yet.

He stopped at another junction ready to go left to the Windmill, he looked to the left and sighed “Oh dear.”

Before him stood a barrier of cones and poles with a circular sign, an arrow on it pointed right, below it a rectangular sign saying “Diversion.” Cipher read out “So we can’t go our usual way. Well, must follow the signs I suppose. I know Dauntless and his diversions.” He steered the cart right and muttered “Every time it ends up me going to long way around.” He continued straight for a short while.

He reached another junction and stop surprised “Oh no.” He said looking at the barrier and arrow “Not another. And it’s going back the other way.” He steered left then after a shorter drive stopped again “What more diversions?”, the arrow this time pointed right, Cipher scoffed “They’re everywhere!”

Going along the third re-route Cipher started to really think about the right way from here to the Windmill, he remembered his usual route, and Muffins told him to have an alternative route just in case, but twice now he got forced to abandon the alternative ways, and now if he didn’t concentrate he would be lost.

He stopped “Here we go again,” now the sign told him to go left, he groaned a look to Riolu, the Jakhowl looked equally annoyed, “This is awful,” he turned the cart and continued his little rant “I’m getting dizzy having to go right and then left, then right again.”

He reached another junction, thankfully with no diversions visible ‘I should go straight on to get to Windmill,’ Cipher thought, however no road straight ahead existed, just fields, ‘Maybe if I go left. But I can’t’, the left road lead not the North-Eastern Windmill, but to the White Apple Farm, and no road from there went to the Windmill, go too far along there and you end up in the Diamond Dog Fields.

‘I could go right here.’, he followed this road but in the back of his head he felt an arising sense of Déjà vu.

Another diversion made him stop. Cipher looked around at the alternative route and blink then gave a sad smile “I’ve just spotted where we are Riolu. We’re right back where we started.”, the Jakhowl gave a small growl and slapped his paw onto his face.

The sound of trotting caught their attention and they looked back. Windy came up behind them. Cipher climbed down and motioned him to stop, when Windy did stop Cipher spoke “Don’t follow me, I’m lost.” He pointed to the sign “If you follow these signs you just go around in a big circle.”

Windy grimaced and shook his head “No, I can’t be bothered with all that. I have to get home and get me lunch.” He unhooked himself from his yoke and trudged up to the barrier “Let’s just shift this clutter out of the way.” He picked up the arrow sign and put it against the wall. Then he took down one of the pipes forming the barrier, and kicked a couple cones away, “No problem.” He reattached himself and pulled his wagon up the closed road.

Cipher got onto his cart and quickly followed. A barrier place just outside the yard of the North-Eastern Windmill stood. Windy went to have a look.

He joined Windy at the barrier and looked down. Windy blinked “Is this what all the fuss is about? It doesn’t look much to me.”, Cipher snorted in both annoyance and amazement “I used to have bigger holes in my legs,” he paused and looked at Windy meekly “before Thorax became King of course.”

Windy nodded and looked a back at the hole “A baby one.”, the hole, less than a foot in diameter at its widest and only couple of inches deep. And yet four hazard cones surrounded it.

The door the house built into the windmill opened and a Royal Guard Unicorn, levitating a cup of tea and saucer, walked out “Now then, now then. What going on there.”

Windy turned to see the approaching Unicorn “Look out here comes trouble. Dauntless Doo.”

“Come on lads,” Dauntless said stopping before them “you know this road’s closed, you must have seen the signs. I’m going to have to take your names and addresses. Can you hold my tea?”

Cipher took hold of the cup and saucer with his magic but then spoke “Don’t be daft Doo. We’re already at Windy’s address and I’m employed by your Mrs.”

Dauntless still pulled out his notebook and pencil with his magic “Never mind that. We have to do it properly.” He scribbled down some notes before looking at them “Now, how do you spell proceeding.” He looked at the at the pencil “You haven’t got a pencil sharper on you by any chance?”

Windy’s wife, Dotty Miller, born in Trottingham, walked out with tray on her back “Here we are, a nice fresh cup of tea.”

Cipher smiled and levitated it “Oh thanks Dotty. Just what we need.”

“Dotty?” Windy asked “Have got something to sharpen Dauntless’s pencil? Hang on,” he grabbed the notebook “Cipher if you could just hold this.”, Cipher did so, now carrying two cups of tea and a notebook. Dotty offered to carry them on her tray.

Windy turned to the Guard “And then Dauntless, pass your pencil to Dotty.”, Dauntless put the pencil on the tray. Dotty looked confused “But I’ve got nothing to sharpen pencils with.”, Windy looked at her “I thought you said…”

“All I did was bring out the tea.”

Meanwhile Cipher took his cup back and took a sip, he looked at Dauntless “I think there are two Es in proceeding, but is it a C or an S.”, he’d yet to master spelling in the Equestrian Alphabet.

Dauntless looked around “Has any-pony seen my notebook?”

Windy turned to the house “Let’s go home Dot.” And the two windmill ponies went inside.

Cipher chuckled and looked to Dauntless “I think it’s going around in circles like me and my cart.”

“Talking about that you’ve given me an idea. Now then, if we made everything go through Windy’s yard instead, we could probably…”, Cipher pretended to listen as he sipped his tea.

---

When Cipher called upon Rarity, she acted very strangely. She, with the help of Spike tapped the ground of her garden area and the area surrounding Carousel Boutique.

Spike heard the hoof-steps and looked up, and smiled “Oh, morning Cipher.”, the Changeling smiled back at the Hero of the Changeling, and King Thorax’s first true friend “Good morning Spike,” he turned to Rarity “Good morning Miss Rarity.” He pulled out a couple of letter while observing the fashionista still prodding the ground “You haven’t lost something, have you?”

Rarity looked at him with slight disapproval, she accepted Cipher as part of Ponyville and after talking with several ponies, like Twilight, Fluttershy and Cheerilee she trusted the Changeling as quite the gentle-colt, but sometimes he could be quite ignorant and rude. “Certainly not.” She said “I just talking precautions, holes you know, appearing without warning. Dauntless Doo told me all about it.”

Cipher chuckled “Oh I wouldn’t let it bother you Miss Rarity. It’s only a small hole in the road.” He gave her the letters “Bye for now.” He walked back to the cart when he felt a tap on his hoof, he turned seeing Spike standing beside him “What do you mean a small hole in the road?”

Cipher explained about Dauntless’s over-exaggeration, and then about the three-ring circus he made of the diversions. Spike facepalmed “Oh come on!” He sighed “That sounds like him. I’ll go talk to Twilight and Flash.”

Cipher nodded and returned to the cart.

---

After doing a few more stops, and taking a lot longer to do so, he reached Time Turner’s shop and workshop.

Time Turner currently loaded the Lorry, his steam-powered cart. Then he heard a bell inside his shop ring and went inside.

Cipher followed.

Time Turner looked walked about his shop. Clocks of every shape and size stood or hung from the wall, all ticking at an exact rhythm and him prefect sync, expect for those the doctor stood at “You’ve stopped?”, he wounded the mantelpiece clock up, then turned to another “And you’re running fast.”, he moved the minute hand back, the scowled at them “Really the minute my backs turned you start playing tricks.”

Cipher cleared his throat. Time Turner turned around “Oh, hello Cipher, running a bit late, aren’t you?”

Cipher nodded and looked about “But your clocks aren’t, however do you manage to keep them going.”

“Oh, it can be a challenge, but I’m up for a challenge.” He looked around the shop and start to sing “Clocks are like ponies… Clocks are like you and me… Each has its own personality… Big clocks, small clocks… Grandfather tall clocks… Cuckoo clocks, hall clocks… Mantelpiece and wall clocks… Clocks for the schoolroom… The kitchen and the nursery… Alarm clock to waken us… Urging punctuality… All of them chiming or whirring or clicking or cuckooing or ringing… Or tick-tock ticking…”, all the clocks reached the hour and chimed, Cipher held his ears.
Time Turner didn’t seem phased at all, he merely paused before starting the chorus again “Clocks are like ponies… Clocks are like you and me… Each has its own personality…”, he sighed and looked to Cipher “Was there something you wanted?”

Cipher nodded and put the letters and the parcel on the counter “Sorry I’m a bit later today. It’s this, blooming, hole in the road. I’ve had to go all around Ponyville to get here.”

Time Turner grinned “Thanks for reminding me.” He rushed out the door. Cipher followed.

A cuckoo clock started going on the blink and the bird fell off its perch. Time Turner returned to the door “You’ll just have to wait.”

The doctor returned to the Lorry and pushed one of the sides of the flatbed up, locked it into place and turned back “Just leave this to me, I’ll have that hole filled in no time.”, Cipher flew up slightly to look at what the Lorry carried. Time Turner explained “A bag of cement, a bit of gravel and some tar, that’ll sort it out. All leftovers from when the park pathway got repaved, I knew it would come in handy one day.”

“Brilliant.” Cipher said grinning. He returned to the cart and drove off to finish his rounds.

---

After delivering all the letters and parcels Cipher headed back to the Post Office.

He crested over a hill and decided to check how things went at the North-Eastern Windmill.

A whole new set of signs stood in the road, leading into a field, and through Windy’s yard. And in the yard stood Time Turner’s Lorry with the tail open.

Cipher climbed out the cart and looked about the yard. Riolu meanwhile headed for the kitchen.

Windy walked out from behind the Lorry looking both glum and annoyed “It’s like town square here.” He said “So many ponies with their carts passing through the yard. My poor hens, that’s if you can find them, poor things, they’ll not lay for a fortnight.”

A fast trotting and the clatter of wheels sounded, Windy sighed “Here comes another. Oh,” he recognised the cart and who sat in it as it got pulled along “It’s Filthy Rich.”

“Good morning,” the wealth business owner, a grey amber Earth Pony in a blue suit collar, with white shirt and red tie, called as they passed by. Cipher liked Filthy Rich, or Rich as he preferred, ever since buying Riolu’s basket from his shop Barnyard Bargains to two would be very polite, Rich knew Cipher as an occasional customer and one of the few ponies to know about Cipher’s position in the Changeling hive as a potential heir of King Thorax, and Cipher treated Rich like a casual friend, much like every-pony else, except for Fluttershy, she was truly Cipher’s best pony friend, they understood each other as introverts, and Sundays became their tea days.

Windy turned to Cipher “See what I mean Cipher? It’s terrible.”, Cipher sighed and patted Windy on the shoulder “You’ll be alright,” he said, “as soon as the Doc get that hole filled in.”

Not far from the yard Dauntless Doo directed the traffic. Behind him Time Turner with a trowel in his hoof smoothed the edges of tar of the newly filled in hole. Done he put the tool into the bucket of tar place out of the way.

“Come on,” Dauntless called “slowly as you go. Careful now.”, Filth Rich’s cart passed and once clear gathered speed and disappeared down the road.

“Tea’s made!” called Dotty from the kitchen door “And fresh biscuits. Straight from the oven.”

Time Turner smiled as he walked past Cipher and Windy “Just what I need, we’ll have a nice break while we wait for the tar to set.”, Cipher and Windy nodded and headed for the kitchen. Time Turner raised his hoof to his mouth and shouted “Are you coming for your tea Mr Doo? Mind the tar, will you?”

But something seemed to be keeping Dauntless. As the trio reached the door they heard a shout “Hey don’t leave me! Come back, help!”

Cipher turned back to the yard “Did I hear some-pony call for help? Sounds like Dauntless.”

Windy sighed “He’s not looking for his notebook, is he?”

Time Turner narrowed his eyes and tapped his hoof on his chin “He’s not gone and stepped in it, has he?”, the doctor and Cipher walked to where they left Dauntless and the hole. There they found Dauntless standing with all four of his Royal Guard armour horseshoes stuck in the tar. Time Turner pointed “What are you doing to my nice new tar?”, when Dauntless tried to pull himself out the doctor chuckled “Fast setting stuff that, a new kind you know.”

Cipher chuckled as well “You’ll have to take your horseshoes off and leave them in charge.”, the two knelt and undid them.

“Come on Dauntless.” Time Turner said “Off with your shoe. Don’t be shy”, first they pulled his forelegs out, Time Turner gave to command “One, two and lift.”, with the combination of Time Turners, while less than average Earth Pony strength, but still above average strength across all ponies, and Cipher magic they lifted Dauntless out of his shoes and held him in the air.

Windy came up behind with a wheel barrow “Time for a bit of farm transport.” He said, and both Cipher and Time Turner dumped Dauntless into the barrow.

As Windy slowly wheeled Dauntless toward the kitchen he yelled “Steady on. My shoes. What’s Captain Sentry going to say when he sees me undressed.”, Windy spoke next “Stay still or I’ll tip you over.”

Dauntless crossed his forelegs “Very undignified this, I’ll never live it down.”

Cipher meanwhile found a large piece of card and a large crayon. “I think we’ll need a new warning sign.” He wrote something on it and then placed it beside the hole and the lone standing shoe “There,” he read it out “Danger, Royal Guard Horseshoes.” He chuckled ‘Every-pony should see that.' He turned to the Windmill and walked to the kitchen door ‘I hope Dotty’s left some tea hot.’

---

Flash and Twilight landed just outside the Windmill yard and saw Cipher’s cart and Time Turner’s Lorry still parked in the yard.

Spike jumped down from Twilight’s back. They started looking around the yard when Spike call them over. He found the shoes stuck in the tar. Twilight read the sign and she narrowed her eyes “Is some-pony making a joke?”, but Flash laughed “If they are I actually think that’s pretty funning.” He sighed and turned to the house “But still we’ve got business to do. No doubt there in the house.”

She nodded “But we’d better be quick, he Dauntless’s shoes are ruined then we’ll have to order new ones before we go to the Summer Sun Celebration, we’re not going to be able to get those off the tar without damaging them.”

Flash nodded and they went to the door. Knocked. It open and before them stood a surprised Windy Miller, he bowed his head and motioned them inside “Dotty made tea and cookies, if you want some.”

Twilight smiled “That’s very kind of you Miller.”, they entered the kitchen and Dauntless reacted immediately. He virtually jumped out of his chair and saluted. Flash nodded. Dauntless gulp, when Flash Sentry nodded instead of saluted it meant trouble, probably for you.

Twilight took a cup from Dotty and sipped it. She then put it down and spoke “Spike told us about what you did with the signposts.” She narrowed her eyes, we’ve already suffered one military fool, I don’t want the Everfree Kingdom having its own.”

“Princess, that Bluenose thought he was in charge and thought he could do as he liked. I was airing of the safe side of things. You never know what a hole like that could do to a cart.”

Flash sighed “Maybe you should have reported it actual size instead of turning Ponyville into hysterics, and disrupting the post and almost blocking Windy Miller from his own home. Rarity roped Spike into checking for hole out the Boutique. And all because of a simple pothole, and thanks to your carelessness you’ve ruined a pair of Horseshoe, that’ll be coming out of your pay Doo.”

“Yes, sir.”

Flash narrowed his eyes “Go home Doo, your dismissed for the day.”

“Yes, sir.” And he walked out.

Cipher took a sip of his tea “Let’s hope that’s knocked some sense into Dauntless. Hopefully he won’t me a mountain out of a molehill.”
Time Turner shushed him “Don’t give him any ideas.”

Twilight looked to the him “Actually Doctor Time Turner, I could help but notice your, Lorry, was it?”, he nodded “Yes, my best invention thus far. It’s been very useful.” He took another sip “In fact, Major Field has asked me to use it as a transport vehicle for the Platoon, although he said if it proves too small I should build another to be kept on the Kimblewick Estate.”

Flash then spoke “Just make sure when you’re in the town to be responsible with your parking.”, the doctor nodded “Oh I’ve tried to. After that traffic jam, I’ve made sure to measure the gap between the Lorry and whatever may be parked in between.”

Cipher looked to him “Didn’t you say Miss Heartstrings gave you the idea for the name?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow “So the Lorry is something relating to Humans?”

The doctor shrugged “I’m not sure, I only partly listened while I repaired Bon Bon’s alarm clock, she told said something about these big and heavy vehicles used to haul goods called Lorries, so I thought about the idea and designed it.”

Twilight nodded “Can I have a look at it?”, Time Turner’s eyes widened slightly “Of course, just follow me.”, they got up and walked outside.

Cipher finished his tea and got up himself “I need to get back to the Post Office. Bye all.”

Dotty waved and said, “Bye Cipher.”

The Changeling walked out, climb on the cart, with a sleep Jakhowl beside him and after starting it, rolled on to the road and head back to Ponyville.

Comments

[Banshee531]

8168937 How do I know so much about Britain?

Would have though that was easy. I'M BRITISH!

I thought you all knew. I would have thought how I spell things would be a give away.

[Godslittleprincess]

8169636 I think going to college messed with my radar.

Before college:
Spells "color" as "colour": British

After college:
Spells "color" as "colour": Anglophile, English major, English professor, studied abroad, possibly a hipster
Spells "sulfur" as "sulphur": British
Uses words like "pram" or "lorry"; calls fries chips; calls fish sticks fish fingers; calls dessert pudding; calls cookies biscuits; has most if not all of his or her characters drink a lot of tea: Definitely British

Although, now that I think about it. I knew there was something weird about Springer's tea addiction.

[Banshee531]

8170404 Hey! The tea thing was added by AandWguy, not me. I hate tea.

[Godslittleprincess]

8170646 You're a British guy who hates tea? That's just like being an American who hates coffee. Oh, wait. "looks in mirror"

Kidding aside though, I really do hate coffee. I only drink it when I'm tired and need something caffeinated and terrible tasting to wake me up. Oddly enough, I love tea, but then again, I'm Asian.

[Magi Tail Welkin]

8170646
8171263

Could both of you not continue this conversation in the comments section of my story?

It feels like spam.... And I don't want a sudden invasion by Vikings.