//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Beau in a Bind // Story: Professor Layton and the Equestrian Silence // by Crystal Blue //------------------------------// Chapter 10: Beau in a Bind The three beings followed the stampede of guards down the grand hallways, marble white and royal red blurring in an adrenaline-fuelled flurry. It didn’t take long for Layton, Twilight and the Princess to see what the problem was: a gigantic iron door blocked the path. “How in the world did this get set up without being noticed?” A tinge of anger was infused into Celestia’s normally motherly voice. “I don’t get it. I don’t remember this being here!” The lavender student racked her brains, hopefully trying to find a memory blank in which to place this eyesore that stood before them. The professor closed his eyes, a hand on his chin. “It seems whoever set up this door is not beyond portraying others. Otherwise, their presence would have been noticed.” He noticed the floor before the barricade was tiled and decorated in a peculiar fashion. This turn of events did nothing to faze one of the unicorn guards, who proceeded to charge headlong at the door. “No, wait!” Layton reached out to stop the guard, but too late. A couple of steps in and the tiled floor reared up, flinging the armoured pony back down the hallway. Celestia and Twilight stared open-mouthed at what had just happened and the hapless stallion, clearly winded, took a while to attain balance on his hooves again. The human frowned for a moment, before a glint of light caught his attention. “What’s this?” Puzzle 027 “I would not advise teleporting; else your prissy friend can kiss her over-prepared mane goodbye. If you want to see her intact, I suggest you move like a bishop until you hit all four edges and land back where you began. The black tiles will result in an impromptu flying lesson. Oh, and you can only step on alternating tiles, going between sun and moon. “Once you return to the start, the bishop’s curse is broken and your answer should be straightforward. “Enjoy.” “I get the feeling that whoever is doing this is taunting us deeply,” surmised Twilight. “You have the answer as well, Twilight?” the professor asked. “How did you guess?” “A taunt in the question itself is far from deep. I would say the answer reminds you of Miss Rarity.” “Yeah. It does.” The professor made his way carefully across the tricky trap, careful not to land any portion of his green shoes on an unintended tile. Eventually, he reached the final tile. As he made his final step, the floor shook slightly, and the ugly metal door slid down into the ground, granting passage for the three of them. “Follow me,” Princess Celestia took the lead, bringing her pupil and Hershel to a door on the left. “What is this?” A complex panel appeared on the door to the ballroom. “It looks like another puzzle,” Twilight quickly deduced. “Let me solve this one, Professor!” “Of course, Twilight.” Puzzle 028 “Starting from the centre R and making your way to the edge, how many routes can you take to spell ‘RARITY’? Answer on the tiles before you, please.” After a little bit of calculation and double-checking... “Aha! I’ve got it!” Twilight stomped determinedly on the necessary buttons. She met the slowly opening doors with a wide smile, much like if she had been hit with wanderlust. The look quickly turned into one of shock, as the scene that lay before them in the ballroom was one of beautiful bewilderment. “Who turned my ballroom into an ice rink?” It was a strange sight to behold. The grand room Celestia and Twilight knew so well had been frozen over and strange walls had been erected, blocking a direct way to the door on the other side of the room. “Who is doing this, Professor?” Twilight was growing panicked. “I have a couple of ideas, but I need a little more evidence before I draw any conclusions. For now, let’s concentrate on rescuing Miss Rarity.” Puzzle 029 “Again, it will be known if you use magic or wings to cross this hall. I suggest you play properly. “As you can see, I went to such efforts to present this wonderful game to you. It would be a shame if it were too easy. As soon as you step in any direction on the ice directly towards any outer wall, you will carry on until you hit something. “Let’s see if you can wrap your feather brains around this one!” “Ah, this reminds me of a visit I once made with Luke to an old castle. The lakes were unnaturally icy. Hmmm? What’s this?” Layton leaned in close to the map on the plaque. He espied some small characters in the bottom right corner of the metal plate: 12-He-1003. He took a mental note of the mystery code before turning his attention to the puzzle at hand. It wasn’t long before the answer came to the man. “Follow me carefully.” The professor trod on the ice, sliding wobblingly towards the wall straight ahead, before heading in his next direction. The princess followed with typical grace. Twilight, however, spent half of the journey on her stomach, barely pushing herself in the right directions before tumbling off her hooves and onto her chin. As they reached the end of the ballroom, Layton took a moment to catch his balance, while Celestia tended to her charge. “Are you alright, Twilight?” “Uh, yeah... Give me a moment...” She rose to her hooves shakily, unsure of whether the rules of ice still applied. “Okay... I’m ready.” With that, the professor opened the door, leading out into the Castle Courtyard. It did not take long for the three of them to spot Rarity, as she sobbed loudly from the flag pole in the centre of the well-tended area. The flag pole had a crown attached to the top of it, a crown which had lit and upturned candles protruding from its rim. “Why, why, why?” Her wailing was typically theatrical and quite cutting in the night air. “I miss my friends! I miss my sister! I miss my boutique! Oh, who’s there?” The royalty, her student and the well-dressed two-legged creature stepped out of the shadows. “Twilight! You Majesty! Oh, you are a sight for sore eyes... Well, I must dutifully admit we have never met, uh, stranger, but you are certainly not of ponykind.” “Ah, please forgive my impoliteness. My name is Professor Hershel Layton.” “Well, Professor Layton,” Rarity continued in her affected accent. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Rarity, and I seem to be in a bind, uh, quite literally.” She afforded herself a dry chuckle. “Just a moment, and I shall have you free.” Hershel wasted no time in freeing the restraining ropes. The ivory unicorn stood proudly, away from the sole bar to which she had become helplessly trussed. As the professor read her, Rarity seemed to care greatly about appearance. The precisely-coiffed mane and tail contrasted her snowy white body perfectly. She had two deep blue eyes which could probably stun a stallion at 50 paces, accompanied by lightly-applied blue eye shadow. Her flank on both sides bore three gleaming icy blue crystals. “Ah, thank you most sincerely, Professor Layton. That rope was tied so tightly that I couldn’t hope to free myself with my magic. I believe I owe you a favour, one I would gladly repay.” “It was no worry, Miss Rarity,” smiled Layton. The unicorn blushed slightly. “It is the duty of every gentleman to help a lady in need.” “I must say you have a... unique sense of style, but I believe I can help you look even more – gentlemanly, was it? – than ever. Now, let’s start with that hat.” “Ah, your offer is most generous, Miss Rarity, but my hat is of great personal importance to me.” The ivory mare became a little sheepish. “Oh... that’s okay. I will arrive at a point of inspiration before we return to Ponyville.” “Um, we should head back to the throne room,” interrupted Twilight. “Everypony is waiting for us there. Well, almost everypony.” The librarian wore a look of worry across her face. “Twilight?” “It’s a long story,” Celestia responded maternally. “We shall explain it on the way back to the throne room. I also believe it would most suitable for everypony... and Hershel, of course, to rest here in Canterlot, before departing for Ponyville in the morning.” “Are you sure, Princess?” Her student questioned. “We wouldn’t want to impose on you.” “Oh, Twilight, it’s fine. Really. After all, what sort of princess would I be if I wouldn’t offer help to my star student and her friends?” Twilight smiled at this statement, as did the professor, and the small group returned to the castle for the night.