//------------------------------//
// Chapter 17: From The Tree To The Truth 
// Story: Professor Layton and the Equestrian Silence 
// by Crystal Blue 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 17: From the Tree to the Truth

Rainbow Dash had been true to her word. It hadn’t even been ten minutes and Luke, Spike and Fluttershy’s heads were spinning from the rapid yet controlled descent. They barely gained enough focus to notice where they had landed: right behind the library. In a wobbling fashion, they took a while to dismount from the aerial vehicle, an ordeal which drove the perpetually rapid Rainbow to grow fidgety.
“Come on, you guys!” She egged on through gritted teeth. “We’re gonna be late for Twilight!”
“Hold on a sec, Rainbow...” The dragon spoke groggily. “We’re not all used to moving at your speed.”
A while later, the four of the group opened the tree’s front door, expecting to see just Twilight and the professor. However, joining them in a circle around the room were Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie and another pony that Luke had never met. The mystery pony was female with a purple body. Her purple-pink mane and tail held in neat bundles at the fringes, and she had eyes of green, deeper than those of Applejack’s. She bore three smiling daisies as her cutie mark.
“Hi, Cheerilee!” spoke an enthused Spike, partly to mask his surprise at Rarity being present.
“Hello, Spike!” Cheerilee’s voice was music to anypony’s ears, unless she was angry. At that moment, she wasn’t. It was calm, yet happy and tuneful. “Hello, Fluttershy!”
“Hi, Cheerilee,” the timid pegasus replied, meekly but with a touch of a smile.
“Rainbow! It’s good to see you safe.”
“Heh. Thanks. I’ve gotta admit that I had a little help back there.” Rainbow rubbed the back of her head with a front hoof, a nervous smile plastered on her face. The cyan pegasus was known to have a touch of ego. Admitting such a thing was no easy feat. The teacher turned to the young man.
“And you must be Luke. It’s wonderful to meet you!”
“Thank you, Miss Cheerilee.” Twilight stepped forward.
“Hey! You all came! Listen. Cheerilee, the Professor and I need to do some reading up, so make yourselves at home. And Rainbow?”
“Yeah, Twilight?”
“Try and keep your hooves on the floor. I’ve got some more Daring Do books on the shelf, so...” That did it. Rainbow sped past her studious friend, almost knocking her over in the process. She snatched the latest novel in the series from the shelf and took a position on the stairs towards Twilight’s sleeping area.
“Anyway...” Twilight repositioned herself on her hooves, before leading Cheerilee into a connecting room. Much like the rest of Twilight’s home, the walls were lined in books, spare a single door. Layton, in his imposing form, stood before it, unmoving even as the two mares approached.
“Professor, you were talking earlier about a code.” Twilight’s inquisition snapped Hershel from his own thought.
“Yes,” he began. “12-He-1003. I get the feeling that has a wider meaning than just belonging to that panel alone.”
“It could be a date,” Cheerilee piped up.
“Now’s not the time to be thinking about Hearts and Hooves Day,” the unicorn stated in a deadpan manner, completely missing the meaning. The professor chuckled slightly, annoying Twilight. “What’s so funny?”
“What Miss Cheerilee means,” the man explained, “is that that code could be a date stamp.”
“But I’ve never seen a date written like that. Hmmm...” She pressed a hoof to her chin, before springing up again. “Aha! Luckily for us, I have a special section in the library for just such an occasion.”
“Uh, what sort of occasion?” asked the teacher, confused as to Twilight’s context.
“History from outside of Equestria! The books are really old, so only I can access them.”
“Well, where are these books?”
“Right here!” Twilight gestured to the door in front of the trio. “Now, it’s just a case of getting in.”



Puzzle 046

“As you can see here, I have 5 locks, each with a different spell on them. I have 5 different spells to remove the locks, but they’ll only unlock if you use the right spell on each lock.
“I name each spell after a number, the first spell being called One and the last being called Five. If I have any trouble, I just remember where I live!
“Considering the locks must be unlocked in the order shown by the arrows, I should be able to unlock this door with too much of a bother.”

Twilight set about using her spells on the golden locks.
“That one there... and ... done!” The last lock clattered to the ground, and the unicorn nudged the door open with her nose. The wooden barrier creaked on its hinges, the powdered rust serving as a reminder of the lack of use. Twilight lit a couple of candles which lined the cobwebbed walls before doing the same for a candlestick on an old wooden desk in the centre of the room.
“Now, then.” She turned to the professor with a smile, gesturing at a small tome already on the table. “I’ve got a directory here pointing where we need to look. Do you want to have a look, Professor? It’s strangely written. Somepony else wrote it for a security measure.
“But of course, Twilight,” Hershel stepped forward, his head and hat leaning over the small book.



Puzzle 047

“Let’s see. There are 25 books on the shelves in front of us. For histories of non-Equestrian calendars, we need to follow steps to find the correct book:
1)	The book we need is placed directly above a shelf containing a book titled with a vowel.
2)	The book we need is directly below a book whose title letter can be reflected in a mirror to read the same.
3)	The book we need is directly to the right of a book that can be turned upside down and still read the same in its title.
4)	The book we need would not have its title obstructed if we were to stretch string between opposing corners of the bookcase.
5)	Finally, the book we need shares its edges with no more than two books whose titles can be reflected in a mirror to read the same.
“An interesting system, to say the least, but this is plenty enough information to find our book.”

Layton gingerly pulled out the book, placing it on the desk. Twilight flicked through the pages with her magic before letting the papers rest. One quick glance at the open book gave Twilight her answer.
“That can’t be right... Can it?” Cheerilee trotted over, taking a peek at the book.
“Well, that’s a turn-up for the books! Professor?” The human looked at the page. He was about to open his mouth, when...
BURP! The sound rang through the library. Spike bolted through the rooms, calling out for his friend.
“Twilight! It’s a letter from the Princesses!” The magical mare stepped from the shadowy room, with her fellow academics in tow. She closed the door and reattached the locks, before turning her attention to the dragon.
“What is it, Spike?”
“They want to see everypony in Canterlot. They want an update on the investigation!”
“Uh... wow, I was not expecting that. Um, do you have anything, Professor?” Twilight swung her neck to Layton, who smiled.
“I believe so, Twilight,” he spoke softly. “In fact, I believe there is just one last little detail to find.” The group of four made their way into the main room, where Luke and the rest of the group were talking and laughing.
“Listen up, everypony!” Twilight resumed command. “We’ve been summoned by the Princesses. We are to leave immediately.” All bodies in the room headed for the door, with Cheerilee waving and parting ways to head back to the Ponyville schoolhouse. Last out of the door was the professor. Suddenly, something caught his eye, something on the floor of the library. He walked up to it, a puddle of red. He touched it and rubbed it on his fingers. It seemed so... familiar. Was it blood?
“Professor!” Twilight brought him out of his head. “We need to get moving!”
“Right behind you, Miss Sparkle.” The door closed behind Hershel, and the band of friends headed for the station.

A couple of hours later, Layton, Luke, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were all in attendance in the Canterlot Castle throne room. Twilight was slightly off-put by the absence of a certain baby dragon, but she figured he’d be smart enough to keep the library running whilst she was out of Ponyville.
The doors to the throne room flung upon, and Princess Celestia trotted gracefully to her throne. Princess Luna followed in tow, her steps a touch more forceful. She too took her place on her throne. Celestia cleared her throat.
“Thank you all for coming at such short notice. Professor, I trust that you have made progress?”
“I have, Princess,” Layton spoke, taking to wondering among the group of ponies. “In fact, I am quite certain as to who the perpetrator behind the kidnappings could be.” His voice grew more serious. “I have come across many cases before, but never one in a land of ponies. However, the game remains the same: to notice details, large and small.”
“Yes? And?” Princess Luna was becoming agitated. “We request that you stop talking in riddles and get to the point, Professor Hershel Layton!”
“Of course, your Majesty,” Layton proceeded, unfazed by Luna’s demand. “Not only am I quite certain of the suspect’s true identity, but I am certain that said suspect is in this very room. Small details have given away this pony’s facade.”
“Well?” Rarity was on the edge of her hooves, intrigued by the answer the professor’s reasoning would yield.
“If there is one doppelganger in this group...” Layton readied his arm, “then it is YOU!” Layton pointed, straight and true, in one very specific direction, at one pony only.

Applejack.