Chapter 8: Signs in the Sand
It was barely 10 minutes into Big Macintosh’s gallop when they reached a large monument of the desert: A wide canyon, high-walled on either side to stop ponies from tumbling blindly into the chasm during a sandstorm. The most obvious item of interest was a gigantic wooden double door with an apple silhouette on its face. A plaque underneath wrote as follows:
Puzzle 022
“The magical fruit.”
“Well, I must admit I am not well-read in the foods of Equestria,” pondered Layton aloud, frowning. “Do you have any suggestions, Macintosh?” The stallion tapped his chin for a moment before he broke into an open-mouthed grin.
“Eeeeeyup!” Big Mac scooped up a sharp stone in his teeth and gouged the missing letters into the stone grid. After the last scratch had been made, a grinding noise groaned from behind the arches, slowly granting the two travellers a view into the valley before them.
“Excellent work, Macintosh.” The bulky pony smiled proudly. “However, I believe we are not there yet. Take a look at this.” Before them stood a plinth, defiant in the shadow of a stone pillar. Another mystery awaited them.
Puzzle 023
“This should keep you on your hooves. You’ll find your target right in the centre. But I don’t feel it just to let you get in easily, so I’ve rigged the pass with buttons. You need to reach your goal whilst hitting the fewest buttons possible. Any more buttons, and I’ll entomb your friend in a stone vault.
“Enjoy!”
Big Mac went pale. The idea of Applejack being encased for all of time sent a shiver down his spine.
“T-they can’ do tha’! That’s mah sister!”
“I have an answer,” surmised the professor. “We needn’t even remember the route. We just need to remember one thing as we travel.” With this, the two walked into the pillared pass.
Ten minutes later, the pair rounded the last corner when a blonde mane in the sand swayed their attention.
“Sis!” Big Macintosh ran at full pace towards Applejack who was buried up to her neck in the ground. She appeared to be sleeping, presumably from screaming for help.
“Miss Applejack,” Layton confirmed to himself, joining the mare’s brother in digging her out from the sands. A short amount of time later, they had pulled Applejack free of her natural prison. Big Mac took one of the bottles that Hershel had gathered and dunked it over the cowpony’s head. It wasn’t long before the orange and freckle-cheeked earth mare, with a three-apple cutie mark, opened her emerald eyes. Upon catching sight of this tall creature with very peculiar clothing, she leapt backwards in shock.
“WHOA!”
“Easy, sis.”
“Big Macintosh?”
“Eeyup.”
“W-where am ah?”
“Miss Applejack, I apologise for startling you,” the professor intervened. “Please me to introduce myself.”
“Firs’ thangs first, where the hay am ah?”
“In a canyon about 5 miles out from Dodge Junction.”
“Aw, hayseed! Ah’m in Crumblin’ Chasm, ain’ ah?” Applejack picked herself up and dusted the remaining sand from her coat. “Anywho, what’s yer name, now?”
“Professor Hershel Layton, at your service.” The man tipped his hat.
“What kind a’ species are ya?”
“I am a human being.”
“Alrahdy, then, Prof,” Applejack quickly assigned a nickname to the human. Layton wanted to object, but couldn’t bring himself to it. “Am’ mahdy grateful for y’all to come lookin’ for me. How’d y’all know where to look?”
“It had been brought to Miss Twilight Sparkle’s attention that you had been missing, something for which you were not commonly known to do.” Applejack smiled, tears gradually forming in the corners of her eyes.
“Tha’ Twilight. She’s so smart and yet such a great friend. Ah think an apple pie is in order for her when we git back to Ponyville.” At this point, Big Macintosh pulled the hat from his head and placed it her head.
“Aw, shucks, Big Mac. Don’t get all mushy on me now.” Too late. Big Mac, with a dribbling of tears down his cheek, almost crushed his sister in a bear hug. Layton chuckled to himself through closed lips.
“Well, I’d best inform Twilight that we have located you.” He pulled out the beacon stone and polished it with the sleeve of his jacket, causing it to emit a faint golden glow differing from its usual deep red. “That should do it. Now, let us head back to Dodge Junction. We should be able to return to Ponyville from there.” The siblings nodded in agreement, and the three of them returned to town.
Not too long afterwards, Hershel, Applejack and Big Macintosh had settled themselves comfortably into a carriage headed to home. While the mare looked out of the window and gazed longingly at the swirling scenery, her stallion brother tended to any cuts and grazes she may have garnered, taking extra care not to earn a powerful bucking to the head. The professor, however, was in deep thought.
“Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout, Prof.?” Applejack piped up loudly. The human remained unflinched.
“Ah, it’s nothing worth your worry, Miss Applejack.”
“Aw, shoot, you don’ need those formal words a’ yours, an' ah don’t need ta be called Miss. Jus’ Applejack, though mah closest friends call me AJ.”
“As you wish. I’m going to have a look around the train. I shouldn’t be too long.”
“Alrighty, then.” With this, Layton stepped out of the compartment, already with a destination in mind.
He headed swiftly for the rear of the train, preparing himself for opening Trixie’s secret compartment. He reached the end, finding a somewhat different picture standing before him. Some questions needed to be answered.
Puzzle 024
“She seems to have a fascination with this type of art. However, there seems to be something wrong with one of the blue circles. I’d be willing to venture that the offending circle is the key to gain access to Trixie’s room. But which circle is it?”
A little deduction later, and the panelling slid away in its familiar fashion.
“Will you cease intruding on Trixie?!” The unicorn didn’t even turn her head from the mirror, she could tell it was the professor. The human was very concentrated on the blue pony, but he noticed something he hadn’t on the first visit, an unmistakeable smell. He sniffed the air, confirming his suspicions.
“Have you been swimming recently, Miss Trixie?”
“What is it to you if the Great and Powerful Trixie likes to dominate the ocean as she does everything else?” The professor furrowed his brow.
“It must be quite a distance to the ocean.”
“Pah! Two days of solid travel can’t keep the Great and Powerful Trixie from her objective!”
“Very well, then. I shall leave you to the rest of your journey.”
“As you wish, Professor Hershel Layton. Be gone with you.” Layton turned for the door, ready to exit, when...
“You haven’t told anypony of Trixie’s planned return, have you?” The man in the hat turned back again.
“Of course not. A gentleman always keeps his word.” Layton headed for the door again, sliding the panelling behind him.
As he walked calmly back towards Applejack and Big Mac’s room, he espied a growing dot from the sky through the window. Squinting closely, he could make out a bird-shaped silhouette marked against the sky. The professor opened the window as Owloysius flew ever closer to the carriage, reaching out his hands to catch the tiring bird.
“Ah, Owloysius, how are you?” Layton smiled. Owloysius panted slightly, winded from catching up with the train.
“Hoo...”
“You seem exhausted. Let’s get you back to our carriage. You can rest yourself there.”
“He seems ta be carryin’ a note, Prof.” Applejack pointed out the more obvious of the owl’s predicament.
“Eeyup,” the large stallion agreed.
“Let us see. It must be from Miss Sparkle.” Hershel unravelled the scroll.
“Dear Professor Layton,
Please disembark the train when it reaches Canterlot. Princess Celestia requests your appearance. I’ll be on the platform waiting for you, Applejack and Big Macintosh.
Yours sincerely,
Twilight Sparkle and Spike”
“It seems the Princesses request our attention. We are to leave the train at Canterlot.”
“That don’ sound good. Why would Princess Celestia wanna see us?”
“I’ve got this feeling this regards you and your friends, Applejack. I think a little research will be needed. Please tell me of your experiences with the Elements of Harmony.”
“You sure? It’s a long tale.”
“We have time. Please, go ahead.” With that, Applejack told the honest truth about the rise and fall of Nightmare Moon.
“I thought Princess Luna’s speech pattern was a little rigid.”
“You shoulda seen her when she came fer Nigh’mare Night,” laughed the orange pony. After this brief break, Applejack continued as Canterlot’s host mountain stepped out of the clouds.