//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Riddle Me This // by Zaphod //------------------------------// With a quick shout to Spike upstairs, Twilight shut the library’s front door behind her, breathing deep the scent of the brisk air outside. With a smile plastered across her face and a newfound pep in her step, Twilight merrily trotted her way into town, holding her head high and interminably proud of herself. It had taken but a few moments of study for her to decipher Rarity’s first riddle. Time? Hah! The answer surely had to be the antique clock store on the outskirts of Ponyville’s marketplace. Twilight herself had spent an afternoon or two chatting with the owner, Time Turner, about the minutia of clockwork design. The second line of the riddle was straightforward, too. Many of the clocks stood quietly counting each second with a muffled tick - tick - tick, but Turner kept a few grandfather clocks, with their deep booming chimes and a couple of cuckoo clocks that twittered every hour on the hour. Twilight pushed open the shop’s door assuredly, confident that she had reached the destination of the first riddle. A tiny bell rang to signal her arrival, and the chestnut stallion entered the main shop after a few seconds. “Good day, Time Turner!” “And a fine day to you, Princess,” he replied with a warm smile, bowing low. “Are you here to browse today? Or perhaps you’re eager for another lecture on some possible applications of clockworks for our transportation system?” His eyes lit up at the thought of giving another lesson on the subject. “Oh, I’ve been writing up notes since our last talk, and I think you’ll really appreciate what I’ve come up with!” Time Turner turned and took a step towards the back room. Twilight lay a hoof on his shoulder, shaking her head to stop his retreat. “Not today, I’m afraid, Turner. And please, we’ve talked about this before. It’s just Twilight when I’m here for leisure.” “Of course, of course. Apologies, Twilight. Pardon me for my enthusiasm,” he said, folding his ears flat in embarrassment. “Hardly anypony appreciates the beauty of design these days.” Twilight smiled reassuringly. “Another day, I promise. But today, I’m actually here on behalf of Rarity!” She closed her eyes, beaming widely at the thought of continuing the riddle chain. “Oh? Is Miss Rarity expecting an order of clocks? I don’t recall her placing one, but my memory does get fuzzy on occasion.” “Huh?” Twilight blanched. “Erm… no, not that I’m aware of. I meant Rarity’s riddle. You know, Time is on your side for this clue, but wait too long and my tone might change completely? You’ve got the only clock store in town! It’s practically a no-brainer! Didn’t Rarity ask for your help in setting up the riddle?” There was a short pause as the stallion shook his head. “I’m sorry,” Time Turner said with a slight frown. “I don’t believe I’ve spoken with Miss Rarity in months, let alone helped her set up a riddle. Besides,” he continued, gesturing to the myriad clocks and timers hung on every wall of the building, “the second part of the riddle doesn’t make much sense to me. Even the timepieces that make noises don’t change their tones; the cuckoo repeats its same chirp several times, and the grandfather clock repeats one single low tone when it chimes.” Twilight furrowed her brow, hopes sinking upon realizing he was right. She was silly to think the clue would be so incredibly straightforward.“Drat, and I was so excited to have solved the clue right away! Well, thanks for your help anyway, Turner. Maybe we can schedule an appointment for this weekend and you can tell me your thoughts on clockwork transportation?” “It would be a pleasure. If you see Pinkie Pie around, let her know I said hello. She certainly had many questions earlier when she bounced in, yammering about her new job ringing the clock tower’s bell!” Twilight froze in her tracks, a hoof already reaching toward the door. A switch had suddenly been flipped in her mind, and she cursed herself for not realizing it sooner! As if on cue, a series of tones rang out, loud enough to be heard across the town. “Speaking of, it sounds like lunch time. I hope your riddle hunt goes smoothly, Twilight. Take care!” Twilight offered a quick wave, already in the process of dashing out the door to her next destination. She rounded the corner, spotting her destination. If she weren’t galloping full kilter right now, she would be kicking herself. Gah! It was so mind-blowingly obvious! Hay, the clock tower was practically the first thing she saw out her window in the morning! She stumbled briefly against a rock she hadn’t noticed, releasing a quick flare of magic to right herself. The last thing she needed now was to have victory snatched from her by a twisted ankle! Twilight slowed as she neared the towering structure, determined not to be tripped up again. “Well, here it is,” Twilight muttered to herself, trotting up alongside a cart filled to the brim with hay. She craned her neck to see the roof. “The clock tower.” The structure itself was a longstanding landmark in Ponyville, constructed a scant three years after the town was founded. But what did the rest of the riddle have to do with this place? Twilight had pondered it, but couldn’t think of any item that she, or anypony else for that matter, would want to date! Maybe she could ask Pinkie Pie as the mare leaned precariously over the edge of the bell tower, waving cheerfully at her visitor down below. “Hiiiiii, Twiliiiight!” Before she could react, Pinkie leaped clear of the tower, plummeting toward the ground below. “Pinkie, no!” Her reaction was instant, pumping enough magic through her horn to slow the fall. “Eeeheehee, stooop!” Pinkie giggled, writhing in the purple aura. “It-it tickles! Aahaha!” Twilight slowed her friend’s descent quickly, levitating the mare to the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief, sitting down beside her friend. “Pinkie!” Twilight yelped once her heartbeat had stabilized. “What in Equestria were you thinking?! You could have broken a leg from a fall that high!” Pinkie patted the princess on the head, letting her giggle peter out. “Silly Twily, I was perfectly safe the whole time! Chicky-check it out!” She hopped over to the cart, pushing the hay to the side. A deep bed of pillows had been set up beneath the yellow strands. She grinned, proud of thinking ahead for her stunt. “See? I set this up before I climbed the tower so I could go ‘Wheeeeee!’ and jump into a super soft pillow bed once I was done!” Twilight shook her head in disbelief. “That doesn’t make it safe to from that height, Pinkie! And what’s with the hay, anyway? Why not just bring a cart full of pillows?” Pinkie’s expression darkened. “You never know when they might be watching, Twilight. It never hurts to be too careful about walking around with a pillow cart.” Twilight opened her mouth to question why exactly her friend’s tone had become deadly serious, or who ‘they’ were, or why they were pursuing ponies pulling pillow platters, but thought better of it. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.” She levitated the riddle scroll from her saddlebag, taking another look at the ending passage. “What I do want to know is how to solve this riddle!” “Ooh! I love puzzles!” Pinkie bounded to the alicorn’s side, brushing against her friend’s wings. “Whatcha got there?” “Well...” Twilight blushed, suddenly aware of the implications of her carrying around a letter from her crush. “I’m playing a game with Rarity. She’s set up a riddle chain and I have to solve them all! I figured that this part about time meant the clock tower, but I still have no idea about the end. ‘An object that’s okay to date’? Have you ever heard something so silly?” “Oh my gosh, that’s pretty silly! And trust me, I know lots of silly sounding items!” “Do you have any ideas?” Twilight raised an eyebrow at her friend. “I’ve got lots of ideas!” Pinkie laughed, hopping around her friend as she rattled off anything and everything that came to mind. “I’m pondering whether we want pink or purple streamers for the party tomorrow. I’m debating if I should make some extra drinks on the side for Gummy so he doesn’t go swimming in the punch again. I’m weighing whether to go with sequins or frills on my party dress! I’ve had the niggling thought that Rarity’s been looking forward to the party and she’s waiting for a certain silly princess to ask her out!” Twilight huffed, quickly losing track of Pinkie’s speech as her words became faster and faster, melding together before too long. “Pinkie! I meant ideas about the riddle! … Wait, what was that about Rarity?” “Hmmmmmm,” Pinkie hummed, sticking her tongue out to think. “I know about fruits named dates! Maybe the riddle wants you to look at it from a different direction!” “A different… direction?” Twilight raised a hoof to her lip. “So… maybe she doesn’t mean a literal romantic date, but a different kind of date?” “Bullseye, buckaroo! Sometimes you gotta look at things—” Pinkie performed a hoofstand. “—from a different angle!” “And, bear with me here,” Twilight looked at the tower, putting the pieces together in her mind. “If it’s related to the clock tower, then it’s related to time. Maybe it means something with date and time!” “Soooooo?” Twilight was so close, she could feel it! “So what object can you date that has to do with time? That’s easy: a calendar!” “Dingdingding!! Fillies and gentlecolts, we have a winner!” Pinkie wasted no time in smothering Twilight in the largest bear hug she could muster. “I knew a super smarty pants like you would get it in no time!” Twilight laughed between choked gasps for air. “Yes, Pinkie, I did it! Please don’t crush my lungs before I even find the next riddle!” “Speaking of which, have I got a surprise for you!” She released her death grip on the alicorn’s middle, gently tugging her toward the nearby hay cart. A quick fumble between the pillows led to Pinkie fishing out a bound scroll similar to the one currently hovering next to Twilight. “Ta-da! You passed the first riddle, and the court jester Pinkie Pie is here to bestow her reward upon the fair princess!” “Pinkie Pie,” Twilight snorted, seizing the new scroll with a weary smile. “You are so random. But thank you for sticking around. I think I’ll need all the help I can get with these riddles.” “Well, don’t keep me in suspense, Twi-Twi!” Pinkie said, trying to nose the scroll open and sate her curiosity. “I Pinkie promised Rarity not to read it at all until you solved the riddle! What does it say; what does it say!?” A single nod was her only answer as Twilight unfurled the scroll, smoothing the edges down with her magic. “A-hem!” Well done, Twilight! If you’re reading this, then you’ve conquered another step of our game! No doubt that Pinkie has held up her end of the bargain, so give her my thanks since I’m sure that she’s nearby. I’ll keep this brief since I’m sure you’re eager to get to your next riddle, but remember what I said: my door is always open for you should you decide to swing by for a visit. I do so miss those quiet summer afternoons where you would pop by and we would have a simple talk over tea. They meant more to me than all of Equestria. Fame may be fleeting, but friendships hold fast Love may endure ‘til we breathe our last. The strongest stallion cannot hold me long even in fair weather, And yet through it all, I’m lighter than a feather.