//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7: Up To Your Gills 
// Story: Professor Layton and the Equestrian Silence 
// by Crystal Blue 
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Chapter 7: Up to Your Gills

After about half an hour, Layton was used to the balancing act, although he would have avoided it had it not been so urgent.
“We are nearing Dodge Junction, sir!” Little Strongheart yelped happily between breaths. “We’re almost...” Irony kicked in as the herd came across some heavy barricades spread right across the route for a clear mile in each direction. Chief Thunderhooves’ pent-up adrenaline turned to anger at this obstruction.
“What is the meaning of this?!” the Chief growled.
“I believe it would have something to do with those three ponies over there.” Layton pointed to the herd’s right. Surely enough, three stallions were tumbling about on the sandy plain, aiming hooves to jaws as best they could in the commotion.
“Macintosh, Chief, I require your assistance.” Layton, Thunderhooves and the red stallion wandered quickly over to the fight. They proceeded to split apart the three ponies.
“Gentlecolts! I request your attention.” The three fighting ponies stood, mouths gaping at the gangly-looking being addressing them.
“Whaddayawant?” the first pony, a yellow-bodied muscled brute with a tail and mane of blue, blurted out with not even the slightest tact.
“My friends the buffalo,” the professor gestured to the Chief, close to snapping, “are trying to run their stampeding trail. However, these barricades are blocking their path. Would you know anything about this?”
“Yeah, we put ‘em up. What of it?” the second pony, a sleeker blue stallion with a red mane and tail, answered curtly.
“For what reason would you have to raise the obstruction?”
“We’re tryin’ to settle a dispute the old-fashioned way,” the third stallion, with a red coat and yellow mane and tail, answered with a forced politeness. The barrier’s up to stop us gettin’ tangled with any a’ the folks a’ Dodge. We ain’t gettin’ nopony else involved, that much we do agree on. Our las’ brawl almost broke the town.”
“What are your names?” the professor asked. They responded in the order they first spoke.
“Corndew.”
“Shepherd Night.”
“Sun Fire.”
“Are you, perchance, related?”
“Yeah, good guess,” Shepherd Night replied quickly. “We’re triplets!”
“Ah, yes, and what is the dispute concerning?” Sun Fire stepped forward.
“We’re havin’ a little trouble splittin’ up land for our cattle ranch.”
“Hey!” Corndew butted in. “Maybe you got a shiny melon under that hat. Wanna lend a hand?” The professor smiled at the opportunity to solve the argument.


Puzzle 020

“We need ta split this land up nice an’ even. Each of us need a windmill, a water source an’ a barn for storin’. One more thing. We gotta make sure we share some fence each, jus’ in case we need to borrow some help or tools from each other. Can ya help?”

“I believe so. I also think those barricades can be used to make the fences.” The brothers moved the barricades blocking the stampeding trail to suitable positions on the plot of land nearby, allowing the herd of buffalo through to the final stretch. The professor, Big Mac and the Chief rejoined the herd.
“Thank y’all!” the triplets echoed. Hershel waved back. As the brothers become dots on the horizon, the man in the hat could see them walk shoulder to shoulder. It made him smile.
It was not long before the stampede reached the little town of Dodge Junction and slowly came to a halt. The professor dismounted as gratefully as he could, before turning to the crowd again, Mac joining at his side.
“Thank you for your help, Chief Thunderhooves.”
“No. Thank you, upright one. You’ve helped us today. We will not forget.” The Chief grinned wisely, before leading his group off into the swirling sands past the town.
“Shall we rest for a moment, Macintosh?” The stallion in question was panting from running in the searing heat.
“...Eeyup...” Big Macintosh dragged himself over to a nearby water butt, lifted off the lid and dunked his head inside, allowing the coolness to penetrate his cranium. The professor couldn’t help but grin. Something, however, caught his eye. An envelope nailed to a post in front of a nearby house. Layton approached this letter, and it revealed something which unsettled the normally unflappable archaeologist.
The envelope bore a well-drawn likeness to Layton’s own top hat. With a look of restrained annoyance and realising that somepony was toying with him, the man took the envelope carefully from around the nail, before delicately opening it to read the contents.

Puzzle 021

“I have been watching you from afar for some time now. You have quite the intellect for someone so boasting as to wear that hat. If you want your little friend back, I suggest you follow my advice.
“You face a post at your 12 o’clock. A journey from Canterlot to Dodge takes 4 hours. To go from Dodge Junction to Ponyville takes 7 hours. Going from Canterlot to Appleloosa would take 10 hours. The route is one straight line from Ponyville through Canterlot, then through Dodge and finishes at Appleloosa. If I was leaving Ponyville and wanted to make it to Appleloosa at 10 o’clock, at what time would I need to need to leave Ponyville? Oh, and I have no need to make any stops at all.
“Now you have your time, you have your way to walk. Go and get lost in the desert.”

“How curt,” the professor mused, “and quite intriguing.” Big Macintosh continued to soak his mane in his refreshing aquatic bliss whilst Layton pondered over the riddle. It took him but a moment to come across the solution.
“I’ve got it.” He walked over to the wanderlust-stricken stallion. “Macintosh, we must continue.” The red pony removed his head from the barrel.
“But ah don’ wanna.”
“We must. I’ve found where your sister is. Hold on for a moment.” Hershel picked up some glass bottles that lay strewn around the water butt and rinsed them out thoroughly, before filling each of them to the brim with fresh hydration. “This should tide us over until we find Miss Applejack.” Big Macintosh proceeded to sulk.
“What seems to be the matter, Macintosh?”
“Ah... ah don’ wanna be led ‘round in circles, sir. I love mah sis dearly, an’ ah don’ wanna see her suffer, ‘s all.” The professor thought for a moment, before filling more bottles with clean water.
“I don’t believe we’re that far from her now. I need you to trust me on this. Take this.” Layton placed Applejack’s hat on her brother’s head. “It will lift your spirits for you to return it to her personally.” Macintosh shot wide eyes at the professor and smiled strongly.
“Yessir!” Big Mac, more upbeat than an instant before, scooped up the human again, taking him completely by surprise, before galloping away.
“Macintosh! We need to go the other way!” This prompted a u-turn followed by a mad dash into the desert once more.