Life is A Test 2: Test Harder (Quite A Bit Harder)

by Brony_of_Brody

Our Story Begins, With Another Ruddy Puzzle

It all started, as your day normally does, with a rather unfortunate meeting of chance. One morning you were out shopping for a client (your particular train of logic involved shopping for purple and green horseshoes of different sizes, don't ask why), when suddenly you bump into an old acquaintance from Ponyville: Rarity, proprietor of the Carousel Boutique.

After enthusiastically and uncomfortably making very loud small talk, the white unicorn brings up the treasure hunt competition that is starting today, and in a stroke of genius, she decides to exploit a rule in the game: all competitors are allowed to take one thing that will help them in their quest to win the rare gems offered as a prize, and she decides to make YOU the thing. Congratulations, you're Rarity's property for the day. Get on your knees and bow to your new mistress.

Accepting that you're going to have to put off your shopping for the client off for the day, particularly after she bribes you with the bait of free pecan muffins via a pass received from Pinkie Pie (a slip of paper that says 'good for one favour from Pinkie Pie', because it's the lack of thought that counts), you decide that it would probably be more efficient to just play along and maybe hope for a cut of the gems in the end.

The two of you head straight to the venue where the competition is about to start, and the organiser, you believe her name is Highly Stakes, welcomes all the competitors, and then sets about giving you your first clue. She gives each of the competitors a map of what looks like a large cluster of several islands, and tells all the competitors that the treasure is located on the island where it is possible to see 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 trees, from different points on the island, without moving from the spots, but by still swivelling the head.

Looking at the map with Rarity, you notice that all of the islands in the archipelago have exactly six trees each. To make matters a bit more complicated, according to the notes scribbled on the side of the map, the trees are of the genus Quercus Convelutious Contrivius Coincidenceus, and are said, no matter the growing conditions, to grow in exactly the same shape and of the same height as each other (it's magic, and thus removes the need to explain this phenomenon). However, it is noted that all the islands are totally flat, and have no obstructions other than trees, just to make things a little easier to the geometry-impaired. All the competitors have to do is visit the airship port corresponding to the number of the island, and it will take you to the spot where your next clue awaits you.

Pretty rock way to weed out the greedy but dim competitors from the serious players like you and Rarity. But where the heck is the treasure supposed to be?

Author's Note:

Rarity's chapter is first. Easiest to contextualise six puzzles, you see.

1. A collection of islands, all with six trees of equal height.
2. All islands are flat and have no obstructions other than trees. The shape of the island isn't important.
3. When confined to specific spots on the island with the treasure, you can see two, three, four, five, or six trees, while looking around, but not above. (Not at the same time: think of it from the perspective of five ponies confined to five different spots.)

PUZZLE: Describe how the trees are arranged on the island that has the treasure.

Comments

[ANW]

You watch Ted-Ed.
I approve.

[HeirOfNorton]

Okay, there might be a better way of doing it, but I have an answer that works.

Image a grid on the island. Put four of the trees in a direct line, then put the other two at an angle from the main row, in line with the top and bottom, like the diagram below.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | | | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |O| | | | |O|
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |O| | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |O| | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |O| |O| | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | | | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | | | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | | | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

It is possible to fulfill all of the requirements of the puzzle. See below for placement.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |B| | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
|C|O| | | | |O|
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |O| |E| | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |O| | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |O| |O| | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | |D| | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |A| | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

From spot A only 2 trees are visible (the rest are obscured by the closest trees). From spot B, 3 trees are visible (the two side trees are both seen, but the row of four is hidden behind the closest tree). From C, 4 are visible (the four in a row; the two on the side are both hidden by trees in the main row). From D, 5 are visible (the main four are all visible, but the top right corner tree is hidden by the closer side tree). And E can be almost anywhere else on the island, to see all 6.