Princess Twilight and the Puzzling Curse

by Parchment_Scroll


Puzzle 06: Lyre, Lyre!

Solution:
In order to make best use of the Fluffy clouds, not only does Rainbow Dash need to keep the clouds close by, she also needs to use them as a buffer between the Shady clouds and the other two types, to keep them from soaking up any rain or thunder. Since Ponyville is behind the hill off to the right, the most efficient order is:.....

Thundery, Rainy, Fluffy, Shady

Now that the warehouses are properly labeled, Derpy can deliver Rainbow Dash's order, and the weather can get back on schedule!

"Now how did I forget that?" Rainbow Dash wondered aloud. "Thanks a ton, Twilight! As soon as I get these clouds sorted, I'll meet you and the other girls in the park for our picnic."

Twilight grinned. "No problem, Rainbow Dash," she replied, and headed back into town.

"We really ought to go meet up with the others, Spike," she said as they trotted through the residential district. "I'm a bit worried about Rainbow Dash's memory, and... What are you looking at?"

Spike held up the coin he was fidgeting with. "Look at this, Twilight," he said. "It's another one of those coins."

"That's weird," Twilight said, levitating it up for closer inspection. Sure enough, it had a question mark on one side and the word "Hint" on the other, just like the three that had come out of her umbrella. "I'm starting to think that these coins and Rainbow Dash's bizarre lapse of memory may be connected with each other."

"And the way everypony's standing around looking confused," Spike said. "Look!" He pointed out a nearby cottage, where Lyra Heartstrings was standing by the window, examining first one set of saddlebags, then another, then a third, before going back to looking at the first one.

"It's rude to point, Spike," Twilight said. "But you're right. It's like the entire town has been perplexed by a plague of pernicious puzzles. This is definitely something that needs taking care of. It's just a matter of figuring out where to start."

"Well, why not start where we are now? Let's go see what's bugging Lyra," Spike suggested.

Twilight arched an eyebrow at her Number One Assistant. "Awfully eager, aren't you?" she asked. "Have you finally gotten over your crush on Rarity?"

"Gotten over my...?" Spike looked at Twilight, baffled. "Now I'm puzzled," he said. "How could you possibly think I could just 'get over' my feelings for the most beautiful, elegant--"

"Okay, Spike," Twilight said, but the baby dragon continued regardless.

"--radiant, gorgeous, elegant, lustrous pony in the world?"

"You said 'elegant' twice," Twilight pointed out.

"Rarity's extra elegant," Spike huffed, and led the way to Lyra's door.

Inside the cottage, Lyra was clearly confused. "Is it this one?" She held up a set of saddlebags, examining the lyre picture on them. "Or this one?" She set that one aside and levitated up a second one. "Or is it this one?" The second set of saddlebags was set aside in favor of a third one.

"They all look the same to me," Spike said. "What difference does it make?"

"It makes all the difference in the world," Lyra said. "I keep my lyre in my left saddlebag and all my sheet music in the right one. My livelihood depends on getting the right saddlebags. And all three of these sets of saddlebags look exactly the same!"

Twilight's keen eye noticed something. "Not... exactly," she said. "They're a little bit different from each other."

"Right," said Lyra. "One's got my stuff in it, the others don't."

"Well, why don't you just open them up and see what's inside them?"

"And go through two sets of saddlebags that aren't mine?" Lyra was indignant. "Just how rude do you think I am?"

"But... they're in your house," Spike said.

"Clearly a simple mistake. I'm sure the owners will be by to pick them up momentarily. But in the meantime, I have practice to get to, and I can't go without my instrument and music!"

"I think we can help you, Lyra," Twilight said. "After all, if there's one thing I learned from Princess Celestia, it's that a princess is always there for her ponies."

Puzzle 06
Lyre, Lyre
20/20 Bits

These three cutie marks each differ from each other slightly. One of them is correct. The other two each have exactly one thing wrong with them! Figure out which one is Lyra's cutie mark so that she knows which saddlebags are hers.

(You do not have to have Lyra's cutie mark memorized to figure this one out.)