[Puzzle 013]

[hisapprentice]

[Part 1

Homework on the weekends is just plain unfair! Luke chooses not to bring this up with his favorite teacher, however, opting instead to carry his notebook and papers and books to somewhere else to study. He considers the library, standing before its door for a while, but in the end he turns around and goes through the Welcome Center to the Tea Shop instead. The sense of bustle helps him get all distracted concentrate.

Plus, there's tea. He chooses an empty table and spreads out everything he'll need. As usual, this turns pretty quickly into him sitting there with a full cup of tea while he devises puzzles on paper or of paper. At the height of his distraction he builds a tower of folded paper cubes...and a gust of wind through the window scatters them all across the floor.

Then he's got to pick them up again.

Part 2

After all - or most - of his schoolwork is finished, Luke shoulders his bag and heads off to the stables. Just because Mr. Greg went home is no reason to slack in his responsibilities! He loves the horses and they tend to like him too. Besides, he brought carrots.

He greets any fellow stablehands and goes about his horsey business, picking up a rake to start on clearing one of the stalls. Of course, you've got to get the horse out of it first.

What happens next isn't quite clear to him once it's over; all he knows is that something spooked the horse and he managed to get out of the way before it kicked, and now he's on the ground with the rake's handle trapped beneath him. Pushing himself up again, he sees that the sound he heard must have been said handle half-snapping as he landed on it. Then he notices something else.

A bit shaky, he goes back to his bag and fumbles his journal out of it.]

I think there's...a bit of a problem... I'm at the- the stables and I fell and, uh...I might be hurt.

[Though he sounds unsure, it's the kind of unsure that really makes one sure.]

[[ooc: Go ahead. Break time. You know you want to. It'll be great. (Meaning, of course more than one person can find him at the tea shop/pick up papers with him/discover his fate in the stables. Have fun!)]]

Comments

[fourthgenerationprincess]

Yes! [ That was actually supposed to be more obvious from the puzzle description; Twilight cringes a little at the fact that her wording wasn't clear enough. ]

[hisapprentice]

So...is she? [Luke blinks.] I guess I'm doing to you the thing I didn't want you to do to me.

[fourthgenerationprincess]

Well, a puzzle's no fun if it's not solvable! Yes, let's say that she is. Do you have an answer?

[hisapprentice]

[This one requires him to use a pencil and paper, if only to get the proper words in the proper order. What he comes up with looks...puzzling.]

I can't tell for sure. If the filly is lying, then the other two are telling-

[No wait hold on. Frown.]

I think...I think the filly's got to be your enemy no matter what, doesn't she?

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ She nods. ] And why is that?

[hisapprentice]

[Technically, he does not have to explain why. But he will, because that's what a gentleman does.]

Because no matter what the mare is, she'll answer 'no' to your question, so the filly is lying.

[fourthgenerationprincess]

Well reasoned! You are good at this. Maybe your cutie mark would be a puzzle piece.

[hisapprentice]

Thanks! I think. My what is a puzzle piece?

[fourthgenerationprincess]

Cutie mark! [ She shows him the mark on her flank. ] All ponies have one. It tells you what your talent is. They're very important. It's weird to see so many humans without one.

[hisapprentice]

[Did a pastel horse pony just show him her butt?

Yes. Yes she did. Luke fights a blush but does notice the picture.]

I didn't know hor- uh, ponies really...thought about tattoos.

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ Faux pas? What faux pas? Cutie marks are SRS BSNS. ]

It's not a tattoo! It's a part of me, just like my horn or my nose!

[hisapprentice]

[Not a tattoo. More like a birthmark? What did the women always say about those, that they were-

Beauty marks.

Cutie marks.

Luke and his grin fight for control of his face.]

I think I get it now.

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ She's puzzled by the grin on his face, but shrugs it off. ]

So, yeah. Cutie marks show you your talent, or your destiny, depending on who you talk to. And I think yours would have to do with your puzzlemaking!

[hisapprentice]

[So maybe it's sort of like a seal. Except in order to seal anything, this pony would have to sit on it. So...maybe not.]

We don't really have something like that in London.

[fourthgenerationprincess]

There's a lot that's different about humans from ponies! It's been ... educational observing all of your reactions to our names and colors.

[hisapprentice]

The ponies I know about aren't usually purple. [They come in earthy tones. Brown, black, beige, white, and mixtures thereof.]

[fourthgenerationprincess]

Yeah, the horses in the stables are really boring colors! Not that there's anything wrong with brown.