//------------------------------// // Chapter 2--Clover the Clever // Story: The Forgotten Sisters // by Flaming Pulsar //------------------------------// Chapter 2--Clover the Clever “Come on Clover, you can solve it, I know you can!” Clover’s brown-haired light brown earth pony friend Spud said. Clover concentrated as he looked at the number puzzle: 1 11 21 1211 111221 ?????? ???????? ?????????? ?????????????? ???????????????????? ?????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? “It’s quite simple really,” Clover said. “you simply read aloud each line and that is what is in the next. In the first line I see one 1 so there is written in the next line a 1 and another 1. Reading that line I see two 1’s so the next line is 2 1. Then there is one 2 and two 1’s. Then one 1, one 2, two 1’s. Continuing in this manner, I can solve the next ten lines.” he picked up the quill with his magic and solved the problem: 1 11 21 1211 111221 312211 13112221 1113213211 31131211131221 13211311123113112211 11131221133112132113212221 3113112221232112111312211312113211 1321132132111213122112321311222113111221131221 1113122113121113123112111311222112131211132132211331222113112211 31131122211311123113111213211231132132211211131112311312111322212311322113212221 “Amazing!” Spud said. “Simply amazing. how are you able to solve these things so easily? You’re so clever, truly you are.” “Oh stop, it’s a simple matter of reading the lines a certain way. That one was easy, give me something harder.” “Harder? Well, I’ll see what I can find.” He rummaged through the stacks of riddle books that were piled up around the two of them and found the one titled World’s Hardest Riddles. “Here we are. Let’s just flip to a random page a try one. Here we go. This one is called Schreienstein’s Riddle. It says: ‘There are 5 houses that are each a different color. There is a person of a different race in each house. The 5 owners drink a certain drink. They each eat a certain food and also have a certain pet. No owner has the same pet, seats the same food nor drinks the same drink. The question is. “Who has the fish?”' it also gives 15 clues: 1. The griffin lives in the red house. 2. The zebra has a dog for a pet. 3. The sheep drinks tea. 4. The green house is to the left of the white house. 5. The owner of the green house drinks hay and oats smoothies. 6. The person that eats apples has a bird. 7. The owner of the yellow house eats bananas. 8. The person that lives in the middle house drinks milk. 9. The minotaur lives in the first house. 10. The person that eats cherries lives next to the one that has a cat. 11. The person that has a pig lives next to the one that eats bananas. 12. The one that eats papayas drinks orange juice. 13. The unicorn eats mangoes. 14. The minotaur lives next to a blue house. 15. The person that eats cherries, has a neighbour that drinks water.” “That’s not really difficult, just time-consuming. It’s simple really. All you have to do is go through the clues until you have all of them used up. We start by making five different sections for each house with a sorter on the side 1 Then we use the clues to fill in the information. Clue number 9 says that the minotaur lives in the first house so I can write minotaur in the first box 2 Now I will look for other clues pertaining to the minotaur. Number 14 says that the minotaur lives next to a blue house. So the only house that’s next to the minotaur must be blue 3 The next helpful clue is number 8 which says that the person living in the middle house drinks milk. So we put milk in the center house 4 The remaining clues give no definite help so we must make speculations. These speculations will link certain details together. Using the remaining clues we can see these connections. I will use different colors of ink for the different connections 5 Now that we have all the information on the chart, we can write anything that is unopposed as a confirmed detail 6 Therefore I can determine that the owner of the fish would be the unicorn who lives in the fourth house, the green house, drinks hay and oats smoothies, and eats mangoes.” “Incredible! You truly are as clever as everyone says. That riddle is said to be impossible to 98% of people.” “Oh, I’m sure that isn’t true. Schreienstein was one to joke about things so it’s quite possible that he said this to create a challenge for others. I simply utilize my mental abilities rather than wasting my time with frivolous tasks such as merchandising or restauranteering or the worst one of all: adventuring.” “What’s so bad about adventuring?” “Risking your lives, performing feats that could lead to any number of outcomes, not knowing what may come next. The better question would be what isn’t so bad about adventuring.” “You know, if you keep that mindset, you’ll live your life as a cooped-up old hermit who spends his entire life playing a banjo and watching over a young civilization.” “I read that novel, too, Spud. Don’t be clever, I’m the clever one; you’re the potato one.” “I may be a mere potato farmer but that doesn’t mean I lack all mental capabilities.” “My apologies, I meant no offense.” “And I took none, just be careful what you say regarding the minds of others.” “I will have to remember that.” “Now then, shall we return to the riddles?” “I think not. I’ve had enough of riddling matters today.” “Well, I will be rather busy this week as I need to manage my fields. Does Saturday work for you?” “I am afraid not, my family has scheduled a family dinner on Saturday. It’s a matter of some importance to Starswirl. Surely you understand.” “Ah, yes. If I recall, Starswirl used to be your mentor until you decided to go your own way.” “Yes that is correct. After his teachings proved ineffective, I decided that it would be best to continue my studies separately. But despite that fact, he is still family and whatever he thinks is important to the family is important to me.” “You call him family yet he is your cousins’ cousin, a distant relative if any.” “The amount of blood we share is irrelevant, we were raised together after our respective parents died. I consider him more of a brother than anything else.” “Very well, I understand, though you never did tell me what happened to your parents.” “It’s a long story, perhaps another time.” “I meant no intrusion.” “Oh, no it’s fine. If anyone deserves the right to know it would be you, after all the time we’ve known each other. I suppose I have time to tell you now. You’ve heard the stories about Discord, correct?” “I have, but I thought they were only myths.” “I thought so too but I started to find that certain aspects of those myths were true.” “Certain aspects?” “The myth I remember most is the one describing the alicorn massacre. In the Moxial year 2012, that would be 1031 by the Temporal calendar, the being known as Discord wreaked havoc upon the land. The great alicorns did their best to stop him but he simply turned them into changelings or split them into the three pony races of today. Finally, for reasons unknown, he simply stopped the war and went away, leaving only Temporus, Galaxis, Celestia--newly born, myself--newly born, and Starswirl--newly born. Temporus and Galaxis became the rulers of the land due to their rank as the last remaining alicorns. They took Starswirl and myself into their care, knowing that our mothers were their respective sisters.” “How do you know this is true?” “Because my own aunt and uncle were there.” “But they could just be telling you that to suffice as an explanation of your parents’ absence.” “Are you saying my parents might have died some other way? If you know something please tell.” “Well, I wasn’t going to mention anything but I’ve heard rumors going around about a strange group known only as the Cult of Random Shady Nachos I. They have been said to send a single member to a household and leave with one or more family member.” “So you’re saying that this Cult is some sort of group of foalnappers?” “Actually, from what I’ve heard, whoever goes with them, goes willingly.” “So you’re trying to tell me that my parents joined some secret society 1000 years ago?” “I’m not saying for sure but it is a possibility.” “It’s possible but I doubt it. I trust my aunt and uncle and if they say my parents died in the Discordian War than I believe them. How did you find out about this Cult before I did anyways?” “Word travels fast in the farming community.” “I suppose it does.” “Aye. Well, I’m afraid I must get going or my wife might start to wonder where I ran off to.” “Very well. Until next time old friend.”