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Summary


A young unicorn wakes up in a forest. He finds his way to Canterlot, unable to remember his past. All he knows is his name. He is then found by Twilight Velvet and Night Light and brought into their home, being raised alongside Twilight Sparkle. One day, when the two are studying under Celestia, Twilight comes across a book that foretells Nightmare Moon’s return.

The two head to Ponyville to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration. But, the two are also keeping an eye out for Nightmare Moon.

And, well, we know how the story goes.

While Cipher Ravenlight isn’t one of the Elements, he still accompanies Twilight and her friends in the hopes of finding something about his past, whether or not it’s good or bad,

(note, this is not a sibling or romantic relationship between the OC and Twilight. They merely see each other as friends)

Title: Chapter 1

At first, there was only darkness. It was calm. Peaceful, even. There was no sound. Only silence. Devoid of life, it felt empty. Nothing could disturb the never ending shadows. There was a presence, though. One that could not be seen within the darkness. Or, perhaps, it was the darkness. The darkness slept, content with knowing that nothing could pierce through it.

It was eternal, afterall. There would always be darkness.

But then, it twitched, as if reacting to something.

Something had finally pierced the thick veil.

In the distance, light seeped through, slowly at first. Then, as more cracks appeared, it began gushing. The cracks grew bigger and bigger, until finally, the light itself exploded with a thunderous noise. Bright and loud, the darkness tried to draw away, but was soon caught in the blast.


The unicorn colt’s eyes flung themselves open, and he shot up with a startled yelp, his body in a panic, his heart racing. The dream had long since dissipated, and he had forgotten it entirely.

He looked around, scared and confused, with a million questions forming in his head.

Where am I?
Who am I?
What am I?

The colt did his best to think, to try to remember something, but he could only find an answer to one of his questions.

Cipher Ravenlight, a voice whispered. He looked around, searching for the voice, but there was nothing among the trees that could have spoken to him, so he concluded that it was in his head.

He thought over the word for a moment. Cipher Ravenlight? A name? Yeah, that has to be his name. It felt foreign to him, but anything was better than nothing, right?

Cipher Ravenlight looked around again to get a better look at his surroundings. The trees, as he noticed earlier, stood tall, and seemed to be a little twisted in nature, no pun intended. They nearly covered the sky, which was dotted with tiny white lights.

Stars, the voice reminded him. Those are stars.

Stars? He stared passed the leaves in awe. The stars were pretty. The more he looked, the more he noticed a bigger, much brighter star. He smiled, standing up.

Go left.

He did as the voice said, turning left and walking in the given direction. Thorns snagged on his coat, mane, and tail as he walked through the dense foliage, loose leaves and twigs sticking to his mane and tail. At one point, a low hanging branch he shoved out of the way came swinging back at him, hitting him squarely in the face. “Oof!” he cried as he fell on his rump, clutching his face with his front hooves. Tears began to gather in the corners of his eyes, his face stinging with pain.

Keep going.

Nodding, he got back up, ducking as he passed the offending branch. Cipher noticed that as he kept walking, the foliage lessened in density. He still had a ways to go, and his hooves were beginning to feel sore from walking.

“My hooves hurt…,” he complained, slowing down. He even began to feel tired. He had lost track of how much time he had spent walking, too.

You’re almost out, don’t worry.

And the voice did not lie. He looked straight ahead, noticing an opening. He picked up the pace, ignoring the pain.

Soon, he exited the forest, and he had a clear view of the big star. It was shining brightly, illuminating everything in a soft glow. He looked up, staring in wonder at the big star.

It was shining in a bright, white and greyish light. On its surface, it had a peculiar pattern, like that of a unicorn. Was this star special?

The more he stared at it, the more he felt that it was staring back at him.

Moon, the voice spoke again. He smiled, staring at the moon. “It’s pretty,” he said aloud to no one in particular.

Then, he looked straight ahead. In the distance, he saw what looked to be a city clinging to a cliff.

You must go there, the voice said. Without hesitation, he began trotting towards the city. The sounds of crickets softly chirping felt calming, and the soft breeze gently blew a couple loose leaves off a nearby tree. He paused, admiring the quiet of the night.

When he got in range of the city, the crickets were quieter, and less in number and song, and the moon was being lowered from the sky, the stars following it.

“Do I have to go there?” he asked the voice. With the sun barely peeking over the horizon, he felt anxious.

Yes.

Well, there was his answer. Steeling himself, he made his way to the city, following a long set of tracks to get there. In the dark, he was hard to be seen, and evaded the sights of anypony that happened to be at the station.

When he reached the city gate, he found a group of ponies he could trail behind, avoiding the guards. He didn’t know why they intimidated him. Perhaps that was how they were meant to appear to outsiders.

When he was inside the city, Cipher broke off from the group undetected. He was intimidated yet again, this time by the sheer size of the city. It towered above him. He chalked it up to him being small and young, and the city would most likely be a bit smaller when he was older.

As he walked some more, he would glance around, looking at the many buildings that decorated both sides of the street. Some had a sweet smell lingering around their doors, while others had a nice glow to them. Some had food, some had plants, others had dresses and such. He assumed that the buildings without display sections were actual homes.

I wish I had a place to stay.

He continued staring across the street, unaware of a door opening in front of him. “Ack!” he cried out as he hit the side of his head against the door, and he stumbled back, disorientated a little.

“Oh, goodness! I’m sorry about that!”

The voice sounded concerned, and genuinely apologetic. He looked up and was met with a light grey unicorn with a purple and light grey mane and tail. He shook his head, and attempted to wave it off, “It’s alright. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

She smiled, “Well, we all make mistakes sometimes. What were you doing up so late?”

He hoped the unicorn paid him no mind and let him go on his way, but she stayed. “Oh, how did you get all these scratches?” she asked, leaning down to get a better look at him.

Oh, that. He had completely forgotten about the minor scrapes, and they started to sting a little, the soreness returning to his legs.

The unicorn held the door open, “Come on, let’s get those cleaned up. Then we’ll go find your parents. They must be worried sick!”

He froze for a moment, unsure of what to tell her, but the unicorn was already ushering him inside the building.

“Don’t worry. Once you’re cleaned up and fed, we’ll go out and find them, alright?”

He didn’t have a chance to respond as the door closed behind them, and he was inside the unicorn’s home.

“No no, I’ll be fine. I don’t need any help,” he tried to refuse her help, but she simply smiled, “Nonsense! It just isn’t right to not help someone who’s lost.”

So, he gave up on refusing help. The voice in his head wasn’t speaking anymore, so, really, he had to trust his own instinct. And right now, it said to trust her.

She sat him down at the table, then left him by himself for a little bit to search for first aid. “Night Light!” she called across the house. “I’m helping this young colt out. Why don’t you come down and meet him?”

Another voice responded, “I’ll be right there!”

The sound of hooves walking across the floor could be heard, along with a smaller set of them.

“I wanna meet him!” a smaller voice rang out.

“Me, too!” a voice older than the smaller one, but younger than the first one, chimed in.

Within seconds, a small, purple unicorn and a white unicorn entered the room, with the purple one running up to him. He flinched, startled by how fast she had approached him. The white unicorn had approached him, but was doing so in a way that wasn’t as fast as the other one.

A blue unicorn entered behind them, keeping his distance, “Now, don’t crowd him!”

Their presence still felt strange to him, and he shied away a little.

“Hello!” the little one greeted, face beaming. Cipher hesitated, before replying, “Um… hi?”

He felt scared, being in a place that was unfamiliar to him, with unfamiliar unicorns. However, the best he could do right now was play along.

“What’s your name? Where did you come from?”

“I-I’m Cipher Ravenlight.” I think, he added silently.

The little unicorn gasped, “I’m Twilight Sparkle!”

The white unicorn held a hoof out, “I’m Shining Armor.”

Cipher stared at the outstretched hoof, then shakily reached out his own.

“Twilight! Shining Armor! I still need to clean his cuts!”

“Sorry, mom!” they shouted in unison, and Cipher flinched at the sudden raise in volume. No one noticed. Twilight Velvet re-entered the room, holding a brush and a red box with a white plus on it, laying both out on the table and opening it.

“Now,” she spoke gently, “let’s take a look.” She took one of his hooves, studying it. He winced a little, but it didn’t hurt as bad as it did earlier.

“The cuts aren’t deep. However, I am going to have to clean them so they don’t get infected.”

He nodded, closing his eyes as she began to clean the cuts. It took a little bit, but after they were cleaned, he was covered in bandaids. She then grabbed the brush in her mouth, “And now for those leaves and twigs.”

That process wasn’t as painful, save for the knots.

Once that was done, Velvet invited Night Light to the table, while telling their children to play.

“Alright, Cipher, we’ll need to know who your parents are so we can take you back home.”

Again, he hesitated. But he knew he had to tell them. It wouldn’t be right to lie.

“I… I don’t know.”

The room went quiet. Quiet enough you could hear a pin drop. “You don’t know?” Night Light asked, skeptical. Cipher shrugged, “I don’t know. I just woke up in a forest and walked here. I don’t remember anything else.”

The couple shared a look between each other, and Cipher felt scared. “I-I’m not in trouble, am I?”

They both shook their heads. “Cipher, it’s alright if you don’t remember. Someday, you might, and your parents might be looking for you.”

Night Light nodded, “Until then, we’ll look after you. First, we need to let other people know we found you. Your parents will find out, and then they’ll bring you back home.”

Cipher sat there for a moment, thinking. Maybe his parents would come back for him.

He nodded, “Yeah, that sounds good.”

For the next week, the family, while attending to their usual business, would also watch over Cipher while they searched for his parents. There were flyers with a picture of Cipher on them, asking for his parents to show up, and that they had found him. He had even heard some pegasi had taken the flyers to a place called Ponyville.

But there was no luck in the search for his parents.

In the second week, they went ahead and started teaching him. He learned about Canterlot and the surrounding cities and towns, though it felt like basic knowledge. They even helped him with learning magic. Slowly he began to learn how to lift things with his magic, starting with smaller objects like pebbles.

Of course, he wasn’t as talented as Twilight Sparkle, who seemed to be very capable of performing it. Her parents even said that it was considered a gift. But, Cipher would try his best, not wanting to be left behind.

So, he found a small rock to practice on, bringing it inside. He had the window open to let the air in. When he aimed his horn at the rock, a nearby bird cawed, and he briefly looked out the window to see a raven watching him from the tree it sat in.

It looked strange, almost out of place. The longer he looked at it, the more details he could see. Its feathers appeared to be coated in some sort of liquid, which dripped off its feathers occasionally. The liquid that fell off would evaporate before it ever hit the ground, leaving no trace.

The two stared at each other, only for Cipher to feel nervous and break eye contact, focusing on the rock again. He charged his magic once he cleared his mind, and he imagined the rock turning into another object.

His mind went back to the raven, and the spell went through. The rock began to change shape before him, and he stared in awe. When the rock was done changing, he trotted over to get a closer look.

“It’s… a feather?”

Instead of seeing a raven, there was only a feather of the bird. It still held its lifeless rock-like composition, unmoving. It looked like a normal feather, if one ignored the frozen, rocky formation of a liquid dripping on the tip of it.

Well, it’s better than nothing.

He picked up the rock with his magic, bringing it into the house.

“Mr. Night Light,” he called, being as polite as possible. He didn’t view them as his parents, but rather as his caretakers, so he did his best to be formal. The blue unicorn walked in, “Yes, Cipher?”

Cipher levitated the feather-shaped rock over to him, “Um, I made this with magic.” Drooping his head, he sighed, “It didn’t work as well as I wanted it to.”

Night Light inspected the rock, looking it over once, twice, even three times.

“Well, you certainly didn’t use your hooves,” he remarked. “It looks like something only an expert stone carver could pull off!”

Cipher beamed, “Really?”

“Yup!”

Then, at that moment, the rock-feather reverted back to its original state, startling both of them. The two shared a look between each other, then began chuckling.

“Well, we’ll see if we can get you and Twilight enrolled at the School for Gifted Unicorns. The two of you have amazing talents in magic!”

A loud gasp sounded from across the room, “Cipher’s coming, too!?”

Twilight ran over, nearly tackling Cipher with a hug.

Cipher couldn’t help but smile, being surrounded by ponies who cared.

Better practice your magic, the voice in his head suggested. He made a mental note to find more rocks to practice on. But, for now, that could wait.

He wasn’t being left behind. He wasn’t alone.

Strangely, he felt at peace, however temporary that peace may be.

Title: Chapter 2

Author's Note: I sincerely apologize if anyone is out of character.

Cipher walked through a strange forest. The trees looked as though they could jump out at any moment, so he made sure to be extremely quiet while traversing the strange woods. The fog messed with his vision, making it harder to see.

“Where am I?” he asked aloud, looking around.

An unknown bird’s call answered him, and he turned around. Looking up at the tree, he saw a strange bird perched on a branch. Or, perhaps, the same bird he saw a couple days ago.

The raven sat there, staring at him, its eyes now glowing a bright yellow, as opposed to when its eyes were normal. It cawed at him again, flying off the branch and onto the ground in front of him. It hopped a couple steps towards him before standing still. The dark liquid still dripped off its body, with the droplets being absorbed into the ground. It opened its beak again, as if to speak.

“Good morning!”

He blinked. Why did it speak in Twilight’s voice?

Maybe-


“Cipher! Wake up!”

The grey unicorn groaned, turning in the bed with his back towards the foal who was at the side of it, the dream he was having drifting away from memory. “Five more minutes,” he pleaded, half asleep. There was no verbal response, and the room was quiet once more.

Finally, he thought. Peace and qui-

Until the thought was interrupted by Twilight Sparkle jumping on the bed. “Wake up! Cadance is coming over!”

“Okay, okay! I’m up,” he hastily told her as he sat up. Rubbing his eyes, he asked, “Wait, who’s Cadance?”

The purple unicorn paused in her jumping and audibly gasped, confusing Cipher. “You don’t know who Cadance is?”

He shook his head, and the bouncing resumed, “She’s the greatest foal-sitter in the history of foal-sitters!”

“Oh,” he replied. “What’s a foal-sitter?”

“Foal-sitters watch after colts and foals when their parents are away!”

“So a caretaker?”

“Yup!”

“Huh,” he said, thinking. Well, if Twilight trusts this Cadance, maybe I can, too.

“Well, since Cadance sounds nice, judging on your reaction, I’ll go ahead and get ready.”

Of course, he wasn’t going to admit to anyone he was nervous, seeing he was going to meet someone new.

Following Twilight out of the room, a lovely aroma filled the air. “Pancakes?” he asked, and Twilight nodded, “We made a whooole bunch!”

Cipher absolutely loved pancakes. There was just something about them that made him happy, regardless of the day he was having. He bounced down the stairs haphazardly, nearly tripping when he landed on the floor. He rushed to the table, sitting down hastily.

“Someone’s excited,” Night Light remarked.

Cipher replied, beaming, “I’d never turn down pancakes!”

The stallion chuckled, levitating a plate of pancakes to the table with his magic. “I’m assuming Twilight already told you about the foal-sitter?” he asked. The colt paused, then nodded nervously.

“I know she said Cadance was the greatest foal-sitter, but…”

“But what?”

“Never mind,” he said. “It’s nothing.”

He didn’t need to look at the stallion to know that he might’ve been concerned about the statement, but he didn’t seem to ask about it, and he was thankful for it. Soon, the rest of the family joined the table, and the pancakes were served.

Cipher took a large bite out of his pancakes, scarfing it down near-instantly.

“Cipher, slow down! Enjoy your breakfast.”

He swallowed his bite, protesting, “But I’m hungry!”

Then, he took another large bite, cheeks puffed like a chipmunk. This made the family chuckle, making Cipher feel a little embarrassed. He quickly chewed the bite before swallowing, then took a drink of the orange juice to wash it down.

“Seriously, though. These pancakes are the best!”

Velvet smiled, “Why, thank you, Cipher! I’m glad you enjoy them.”

Soon, everyone had finished their breakfast, and Twilight and Cipher sat in one room, waiting for Cadance. Shining Armor had already left for school, and Twilight’s parents were patiently waiting with them.

“What’s Cadance like?” he asked Twilight. The filly beamed, “She’s kind, caring, and pretty!”

He blinked, “So… pretty much an alright pony?”

Before he got an answer, there was a knock on the door, and he nearly jumped. “Oh! That must be her,” Velvet said, trotting to the door. She opened it, sounding happy, “Cadance! Glad you could make it!”

“Me too! I wouldn’t want to miss out on foal-sitting my favorite filly!”

Twilight immediately bounced off her seat and ran to the door, shouting, “Cadance!” Cadance herself was still hidden by the door, so Cipher had to crane his neck to see. All he saw through the window was pink. She moved, and all he saw was Twilight doing a strange dance.

“Sunshine, sunshine. Ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!”

“What was that?” he asked, finding it bizarre. Twilight stood up, then gestured for Cadance to follow.

“C’mon!” she said. “I want you to meet my new friend!”

That was when he saw Cadance for himself. Twilight didn’t lie when she said she was pretty. Of course, pretty wasn’t the right word. She had a pink coat of fur, and her mane and tail were a mix of violet, rose, and gold. As for her cutie mark, it was a blue, crystal heart surrounded by a golden pattern. What confused him were the additions of wings and a horn. Was she a unicorn? Was she a pegasus?

When she spotted him, she smiled, “Oh, hello! You must be Cipher Ravenlight. I’m Cadance.”

“H-hi,” he stammered. Looking at her again, her wings and horn, he didn’t want to be rude, but…

“Wh-what are you?”

The room fell quiet.

I asked the wrong question, didn’t I? He asked silently.

It’s fine, don’t worry, the voice replied.

Cadance walked over to him, and he felt himself begin to tremble slightly. “You’ve never seen an alicorn?” she asked. He shook his head, “None that I can remember.”

He expected her to get mad at her. He had no idea why she would be mad at him, considering he was still learning. “It’s alright. Mrs. Sparkle told me a little about you.”

“Really?” he asked, dumbfounded.

“Really.”

Velvet seemed to smile at the interaction, before heading towards the door, “Well, we’re off. Have fun, you three! Don’t cause any trouble!”

“We won’t!” all three of them chimed, and with that, the door closed, and the trio were left to their own devices.

“So, what do we want to do first?”

Twilight ran off to her room, leaving the two alone. A few moments later, she came back with crayons and at least three pieces of paper, “Drawing!”

Well, that could be fun.

So, the three had sat at the table, papers and crayons scattered across the table, with Twilight already drawing, using her magic to hold the crayon. Cipher stared at his piece of paper, holding his crayon with his own magic.

There were so many things he could draw, and yet he couldn’t choose.

Clouds! No, Twilight and her family! No, no, then that would exclude me. Uh…

“Having trouble, Cipher?”

He looked up at Cadance, nodding his head. “I don’t know what to draw. There’s so much I want to draw!”

Cipher huffed, clearly stuck. This was supposed to be fun, and yet, it was starting to feel frustrating. Cadance shared a look with Twilight, “Well, how about we start with something that sticks out to you?”

“Sticks out?”

“Yes. Sometimes there’s a specific object or place that you have a sort of connection with.”

Blinking, he looked back at the paper, “Well, I kinda like nighttime. The stars and moon are pretty.”

Quickly snagging a navy blue crayon and a yellow crayon, he began drawing in the paper. It wasn’t going to be perfect, he knew that much, but at least he finally had somewhere to start.

And by the time he was done, he held the drawing out, feeling proud. At the same time, Twilight had revealed her drawing; Ms. Smarty Pants. The drawings had earned them a smile from Cadance, who was clapping her hooves.

“Both of your drawings are amazing,” she complimented them both. “Why don’t we hold onto them so we can show your parents when they come back?” Eagerly, the two nodded, and Cadance took the drawings and placed them on the kitchen counter. When she came back, she smiled, “Why don’t we go get some ice cream?”

Twilight’s reaction was immediate, and she started bouncing around, chanting, “Ice cream!”

Cipher, however, looked confused, “Ice cream?”

It was the same as when Twilight woke him up. She gasped as she dropped everything that she was doing, “You’ve never had ice cream!?” He shook his head, answering, “I don’t think I have.”

And that was how he suddenly found himself in an ice cream parlor, looking at all of the flavors of ice cream that were displayed in front of him.

“Which one would you like?” Cadance asked him, and he shrugged. They all looked good, and he just couldn’t choose. He couldn’t just have a scoop of every flavor, he’d get a stomach ache. Peanut butter sounded nice, but so did cookie dough. Maybe he could try chocolate?

“There’s too many choices,” he pouted in frustration. His first time trying ice cream, and he couldn’t choose a single flavor. He felt a hoof gently lay on his shoulder, and he looked back up at Cadance.

“How about we do it this way?” she offered, and, with her magic, manifested some sort of wheel that one would find on a gameshow of some sort, or a carnival. On the ends, the various flavors of ice cream that the shop carried had been scribbled on. Cipher couldn’t help but feel excited again, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

He watched as Cadance spun the wheel, the names blurring and the colors blending. He almost felt mesmerized by it, but it eventually began losing its speed and slowing down. Then, it finally came to a stop, and he could see the chosen flavor.

“Strawberry?” he asked, glancing back at the ice cream display. “Yeah, that sounds good!” The colt turned to the pony running the parlor, a brown and white pinto unicorn with a curly brown and white mane and tail. Her cutie mark looked like an ice cream cone, the ice cream having two scoops; one brown and one white, with the brown scoop on the bottom, and the white on top, covered in a dark brown liquid, and with a cherry on top.

“Excuse me, may I have a scoop of strawberry, please?”

The unicorn nodded with a smile, “Of course!” In an instant, she was already levitating a cone and an ice cream scoop close to the display, using the utensil to get a scoop of the strawberry ice cream and placing it carefully on the cone. She then levitated it to Cipher with her magic, and he grabbed the ice cream cone with his own magic.

“Thank you!” he said, full of delight. He watched as Cadance and Twilight both got their ice cream cones, noticing that they both got the same flavor as him. Cadance gave the unicorn some bits, then, they all walked outside to sit at one of the tables.

“Wait,” he asked, confused. “Why did you get the same flavor as me?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be fair if we all got different flavors,” Cadance told him. Twilight chipped in, “Yeah! It’s also fun to try something new!”

“Really?” Cipher queried, and the two nodded. He smiled, “That’s so nice of you. Thanks.”

He felt happy that the two cared for him, but, at the same time, sad. Not because they were helping him, but because he wished his parents, whoever they were, could be with him to enjoy the moment.

“Are you okay, Cipher?”

He blinked, looking at Cadance, nodding, “Yeah, I’m okay. How do I eat ice cream again?”

He would feel a little embarrassed when they chuckled, but nonetheless, they helped. “You lick the ice cream! Just don’t let it melt, otherwise you’ll get messy,” Twilight told him.

Cipher stared at his ice cream before taking a careful lick. He wasn’t sure why he was cautious, but he found the caution was unneeded when the flavor exploded in his mouth. It was cold, but sweet nonetheless, and his eyes widened. He took a moment, making sure he savored what little he got, then he went straight to eating the ice cream at a somewhat fast pace.

“Cipher, slow down! You’re going to get a-” Cadance suddenly pleaded, but it was too late. His head started to hurt for several seconds, and he nearly dropped his ice cream as he placed a hoof on his forehead.

“-brain freeze.”

When the pain dissipated, he looked back at his ice cream, unsure. “It’s not going to do it again, is it?” Cadance shook her head, “As long as you don’t eat it all at once.” Reassured, he resumed eating his ice cream, albeit at a slower pace. This time, he didn’t get a brain freeze, and the ice cream didn’t melt. Once it was gone, he copied Cadance and Twilight, eating the cone afterwards.

“Well, I think today has been wonderful. We should get you two back home.”

They nodded their heads in agreement, hopping off the chairs and following Cadance.

“Um, Cadance?” he asked. “How did you get your cutie mark?”

“Well, that’s a long story, but I can shorten it. To simply put it, I enjoyed showing love and compassion to everypony and making them happy. Then one day, my cutie mark appeared.”

“Whoa, that’s so cool! I wonder when I’ll get my cutie mark.”

“Probably soon. Most fillies and colts get theirs around your age. Sometimes sooner, sometimes later.”

His eyes widened at the prospect of receiving a cutie mark, “Really?”

Cadance nodded, and he started bouncing as they made their way back. Soon they had arrived back to the house, and just in time, as Twilight’s parents were just coming back from their errands. “You’re back!” Twilight exclaimed, and she rushed over to greet them. Cipher almost did the same, but stayed behind. They were her parents, afterall. It was when he felt an encouraging nudge from Cadance that he decided he would run to them, too.

“Well, you two look happy. I take it that today went well for you two?” Twilight Velvet asked. The two nodded enthusiastically.

“I tried ice cream for the first time, and it was really good!” Cipher said, bouncing in place. Twilight responded, “Yeah, and before that, we made drawings!”

Her parents chuckled at the positive energy both of them were radiating, opening the door to let everyone inside.

At the end of the day, Cipher forgot about why he was afraid of Cadance. She was the best foalsitter he had ever met, and he would remember her kindness and compassion for the rest of his life.

Title: Chapter 3

Quote from truCrystalBorf

I might’ve gone a bit overboard with this one, since the chapter has over 2000 words. I originally was going to do things differently, but I figured that Cipher would not earn his cutie mark until some time after the exam. However, I will get around to his cutie mark story at around the point when the episode, The Cutie Mark Chronicles, takes place. So, with that being said, Chapter 4 will start us off with Friendship is Magic when I get started on it. I apologize if anyone is out of character.

Days later, Cipher had continued to practice his magic, hoping that it would be enough to pass the entrance exam. The test would be different for each unicorn, so he was anxious as to what his test would be.

When Cipher woke up the day of the exam, the sun had yet to rise. He opted to go back to sleep, so he lied in bed for a couple minutes. He found he was unable to sleep, his body and mind fully awake.

There was this nagging feeling that something was going to happen today. Whether or not it was good or bad, he did not know. And that was what scared him.

Everything will be alright, the voice assured him. He let out a quiet sigh, whispering, “I hope you’re right.”

He looked at the clock that was ticking away on the wall, which read four thirty.

I’m just nervous about the exam, that’s all.

He tried to believe his own words. He really tried. But the feeling remained, and he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

He sat up in bed, looking out the window. The moon and stars were still out, though the stars were less in number than they would be in the middle of the night. Quietly getting out of bed, he tiptoed over to the window, standing on his hindlegs so he could get a better look outside.

Some of the lights in the other buildings were still on, with the streets of Canterlot being quiet and peaceful. He liked it when it was quiet like this. It gave him time to clear his mind without distractions.

After a few minutes of stargazing from the window, his eyes started to feel droopy, and his body tiring out. Within seconds, he was on the ground, curling up. He decided not to fight it, allowing sleep to take over. Any amount of sleep he could salvage would be better than none.

He took one last glance at the window, the stars still twinkling.

And, as his eyes closed, he swore he saw an avian-shaped silhouette outside the window, a pair of yellow eyes watching him.


…

Wake up.

The voice was talking to him again. He opened his eyes, expecting to be in the spare room he had slept in.

Instead, he was in an unfamiliar room. Unicorns surrounded him, faces obscured by shadows. The only unicorns whose identities were not hidden were his caretakers.

And they were disappointed.

“So,” Night Light spoke, his otherwise friendly voice tainted with anger. “You failed the exam.”

“Wha- I-,” he sputtered, struggling to find the right words.

“Don’t bother,” Velvet was the next to speak. “We want nothing to do with you.”

“I’m sorry…”

“‘Sorry’ doesn’t cut it! We were wrong to take you in.”

The words cut through him like a sharpened blade, and he flinched. What did he do wrong?

Tears formed in his eyes, falling down his cheeks. “I-,” he tried to defend himself. “I still have other spells!”

“No. You had one chance, and you blew it.”

Without hesitation, the unicorns began forcing him towards the door. “Wait! Please! I can fix this!” he cried, desperately pushing back. The door opened, and he was shoved through. He fell face first into the grass, and the sound of wind brushing leaves filled his ears. He looked up, and froze. He was back in the forest he had first woken up in. Shooting up to his hooves, he looked around frantically, hoping this to be some kind of prank.

“Twilight!” he called out, trying not to panic. When he got no reply, he called out to the others, “Mr. Night Light! Mrs. Twilight Velvet! Shining Armor! Where are you!?”

He listened.

No reply.

“No no no no NO!” he panicked, running through the forest.

The forest itself seemed to be out to get him, with trees rapidly growing in his path, forcing him to take another route each and every time. The trees themselves were bent and crooked with no leaves covering them, seemingly having faces that mocked him, terrified him. Eventually, the trees had him surrounded, with no way out.

And the laughter.

It taunted him.

The branches reached out for him within seconds, and he curled up, bracing himself for the worst.

WAKE UP!


He shot up with a frightened cry, breathing frantically as he pressed his back on the wall. His eyes darted around, and once he recognized that he was in the spare bedroom and not in the terrifying forest, he breathed a sigh of relief.

It… it was just a horrible dream.

It was over. He was safe and sound, living with his caretakers.

“Cipher? Is everything alright?” Velvet’s voice sounded from the other side of the door, concerned. He nearly jumped, muffling another fearful yelp by covering his mouth with his hooves.

“Y-yeah, everything’s okay,” he replied, removing his hooves from his mouth. He half-believed his own words, a part of him knowing the dream was just some figment of his mind. But, at the same time, the other part of him kept whispering about his own fear. That the dream would come true.

He approached the door and opened it. Velvet was still at the door, staring at him. “Are you sure everything’s okay?” she asked him, to which he nodded rather quickly, “Yeah, I’m sure. Just a little nervous about the exam.” And failing.

Velvet placed a hoof on his shoulder, “It’s okay to be nervous, Cipher. If anything, Twilight’s probably just as nervous as you are.”

“She is?”

“Mhm.”

Huh. I guess the exam is enough to make anypony nervous.

“Do you… do you think I can cheer her on during hers?” he asked, not wanting Twilight to feel too nervous. “Of course! We’ll be there, too, so why don’t we all cheer her on?” He nodded enthusiastically this time, “Yeah! That sounds like fun.”

As they walked down to the kitchen, she added, “We’ll also cheer you on, too. You’ve worked so hard, too, and it wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t.”

He paused, confused. They’ll cheer me on, too? He was still unsure on how much it would actually help him, but he figured there was no use in changing their minds. They had helped him so much, after all. And he wasn’t exactly going to have them stop, yet. He still needed to find a way to repay them.

On the way to the School for Gifted Unicorns, Cipher still felt nervous. When he looked to the sky, he noticed the raven from a few days ago flying in the air, seemingly following them. When he looked around, he noticed that no one else had seen the bird. When he glanced back at the raven, it had vanished. Had he imagined it?

“Is something wrong, Cipher?”

He stopped, blinking as he looked back at Night Light, who had noticed. He shook his head, “Just saw a bird.”

It wasn’t a lie, at least.

“What did it look like?” Twilight asked as they continued walking. He shrugged, “Well, it had black feathers, though it could’ve been a very dark grey. And I think it had yellow eyes? I don’t know, it’s kind of hard to tell from down here. I think it’s a raven?”

“A raven, you say?” Velvet replied, looking at the sky. “Well, let’s just hope nothing bad happens…”

“Bad?” he asked, and Velvet nodded her head once. “Ravens tend to represent bad luck.”

“Bad luck? I thought they also represented pro- pro-fes-,”

Prophecy.

“Prophecy, or something like that.”

“That is also true, Cipher. Who knows? Maybe it’s a prophecy that you’ll both excel at the exam.”

“I hope you’re right,” Cipher replied. It did give him a tiny bit of hope and a slight boost of confidence, though, so he decided that he was going to do his best.

When they entered the school, they learned that Twilight would go first, followed by Cipher. They were led to a classroom, which was devoid of ponies, with the exception of four other unicorns, who were seated in the top row. They all had serious composers, giving them an intimidating appearance. If he were being honest, Cipher felt a little overwhelmed now. He glanced back at Twilight, hoping that she wasn’t as nervous as he was.

If one could be an expert on being nervous, it was her. She wasn’t as nervous as him. She was a lot more nervous than he was. As she went to walk past him, he whispered some encouragement, hoping to make some of that nervousness go away.

“Hey, don’t worry. I know you’re not going to fail. I believe in you!”

She flashed him a grateful smile, and for a brief moment, she relaxed a little. He smiled back before he trotted over where her parents stood. He turned around to face her, waving a hoof in the air, mouthing, ‘You can do it!’ Her parents, seeing how nervous she was, gestured for her to smile, and she flashed the judges a grin, though it was barely half-convincing.

The smile was dropped when a cart different to the one Cipher was given was rolled in, holding a purple egg with dark purple spots. It stopped in front of Twilight, and Cipher craned his neck to see what was on the side. A drawn image of the egg appearing hatched with a dragon in the middle, and two curved arrows pointed down the sides, hinting that at the task Twilight was given.

She needed to hatch the egg with her magic.

Suddenly, he realized just how harsh the entrance exam felt, especially when it was fillies and foals who were being tested. He quickly hid the shock on his face, replacing it with determination so that if and when Twilight looked back at them, he could hopefully inspire her to do her best.

When Twilight attempted to use her magic, it didn’t activate at first. It seemed to cause her to panic, and she tried various positions, trying to get her magic to work.

Come on, you can do it! Cipher silently cheered. There was a sputtering glow from her horn finally, and for a moment, he had hope. But then, the magic dimmed, before going out entirely, and Twilight flopped on the floor, tired out. She sat up, looking sad as she muttered, “I’m sorry I wasted your time.”

In that moment, Cipher felt his heart drop for Twilight. She had genuinely wanted to get into the school so badly, and she had failed to do so. He took a step forward, wanting to comfort her, but knowing how-

But then, there was a crack of thunder outside, and the entire building seemed to shake. A quick look outside, and Cipher could see what appeared to be a rainbow-colored wave spreading quickly in the sky. It had startled everyone in the room, and while Cipher stared at the event, unable to move, Twilight had an entirely different reaction. Her magic had reacted to the event, shooting out of her horn and into the egg. It hatched in an instant, revealing a small purple dragon with rounded green spines. The baby dragon yawned, unaware that it was being levitated by magic.

Cipher snapped out of the trance he was in just in time to see the end result, and for a split second, felt proud. But, just as he was about to cheer, Twilight let out a yell, which was cut off when her eyes glowed white, and suddenly, her magic had spiraled out of control, shooting out in every which direction. Her parents cowered where they stood, clutching each other, while the judges were petrified. One burst of magic grabbed the judges, holding them in the air in an inescapable grip, while another struck her parents, turning them into houseplants. The third burst hit the baby dragon, and it grew exponentially large, crushing the cart as its head crashed through the roof.

A fourth burst of magic had lashed out at Cipher, and he braced himself. The shrill cry of a bird rang out, and he heard the magic hit something. Looking up, he saw that Twilight’s uncontrollable magic had not hit him. Instead, it hit something small and dark that stood between him and her magic.

The raven.

It had placed itself between him and the dangerous attack, wings outspread, its back facing him.

Images flashed before his eyes, images of things he didn’t recognize, and things he did. All of them, however, had something to do with the stars. When the magical attack stopped, the raven landed on the ground, wings still expanded outwards as if it waited for another attack. The images stopped being shown to him, and Cipher shook his head. He looked around, scared and confused. How had it all gone wrong in so little time?

He looked to the raven, hoping it could do, well, something to help.

She has arrived.

When he looked back at Twilight, he could see a silhouette of a unicorn- no, an alicorn, approaching her, the light obscuring their features. The alicorn, unfazed by the rampant magic, placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, and in an instant, she appeared to calm down, and the magic that was affecting everything had calmed down. Her parents reverted back into themselves, the judges were dropped to the ground, and the baby dragon had shrunk back to its original size, and began teething on its tail, oblivious to everything that had happened.

When the light faded, the alicorn’s identity was revealed to be none other than Princess Celestia herself. The raven, however, had vanished again.

“Twilight Sparkle,” she addressed the purple unicorn, her voice calm and gentle.

“I’m so sorry!” Twilight responded, scared. “I didn’t mea-”

“You have a very special gift! I don’t think I’ve ever come across a unicorn with your raw abilities.”

Cipher’s jaw dropping in surprise, a single “Huh?” making its way out. Twilight had done the same, as the statement had left them confused. Celestia continued, either oblivious to their confusion or ignoring it. “But you need to learn to tame these abilities through focused study.”

“Huh?” Twilight repeated, confusion increasing.

“Twilight Sparkle,” she addressed the filly again. “I would like to make you my own personal protégé here at the school!”

Silence, and then another, “Huh!?”

“Well?” Celestia asked, prompting Twilight to look back at them, almost as if seeking permission. Her parents both nodded excitedly their approval for her, and Cipher had managed a grin as he nodded, too. Twilight shot into the air, shouting, “Yes!”

Midjump, Celestia said, “One other thing, Twilight.” The filly’s excitement paused, and she seemingly whined, “More?” She fell to the floor, and Celestia pointed a hoof to her flank. Cipher, not wanting to miss out, looked at the same time Twilight did, and his eyes widened.

Twilight had earned her cutie mark.

“My cutie mark!” Twilight gasped, and in an instant, she was bouncing around the room, shouting over and over, “Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!”

This went on for about a couple minutes, before Celestia stopped her.

“I do believe it is your friend’s turn to take the exam now. What do you say, Cipher Ravenlight?”

All eyes were on him now. Immediately, he felt like he was being pressured, as he shuffled his hooves. “Well…”

You can do it, Cipher.

“Yeah, I do it now.”

From the door, he heard it first before he saw it enter. A cart was wheeled in, carrying something. It was stopped in front of him, and peered in.

There was a grey rock about half his size sitting in the cart.

“I was told that you could turn ordinary stones into statues based on things you’ve seen. Since I am here, why don’t you try to turn this stone into a statue of me?”

“A statue of you?” he asked, unsure. The princess simply nodded, and he turned his focus to the rock. He noticed that the judges, despite looking a little shaken up, had resumed their places, holding clipboards and pencils. Everyone had taken a few steps back, giving him room.

In the back of his mind, he had hoped that his bad dream didn’t come true.

Cipher took a deep breath, closing his eyes and clearing his mind. He opened them to get a good look at Celestia so he could get the details right, and his horn glowed yellow. His magic spread from his horn like a serpent, curling around the stone. He would blink, his gaze briefly glancing through the hole in the ceiling, spotting the same raven from earlier circling above. When he blinked again, it had vanished. Then, there was a bright flash of light as the spell was completed, with smoke piling where the cart was. He stared hard at the smoke, spotting the silhouette of the statue inside. The wings and horn gave it away, and for a moment, he smiled. But, when the smoke dissipated, the smile faded, and he was left unsatisfied.

The statue did resemble Celestia, mostly. However, there were some key features that set it apart from her. Her ears and legs seemed to have more fur than usual, seeming feather-like. Her muzzle ended in a beak, and her hooves looked more like bird talons than anything else.

Hiding his fear, he glanced at Celestia, who seemed to study the statue for a moment, her facial expression serious. “Um, I might have seen a bird through the hole in the ceiling,” he told her. “Sorry.”

I am so failing.

“It’s quite alright, Cipher,” she told him, a friendly smile erasing the serious look on the princess’ face, easing his worries. “It’s still quite impressive.”

Walking closer, she added, “Cipher Ravenlight, I would like to offer to take you as my protégé, as well. I am sure that there is a chance that you will find what you are looking for.”

Cipher perked up, looking at Celestia. “How do you know?”

She chuckled, “The news of a lost foal searching for his parents did reach the castle. While I do not know who or where your parents are, I can assure you that, with time, the truth may be revealed.”

Just like Twilight, he would glance back to her parents, who both nodded. With their affirmation, he made his decision. Turning back to Celestia, he nodded, “I accept your offer.”

Whatever the future held for him, Cipher Ravenlight would hold his head high, determined to figure out where he came from.