Scavenger Hunt - The Answers · 6:30am Dec 8th, 2013
Do not read on if you still wish to play the scavenger hunt, which you can find in Quiz's Fan Group http://www.fimfiction.net/group/200100/quizzical-greystones-friends.
When I posted the list, I said their was a pattern that would help you. That pattern is rather simple, the list is in order, as the stories were written.
1. Power Point
Quizzical - Chapter One As Quiz casts her magic blackboard spell she says "I just apply a little power...and point."
2. The classic Star Trek episode “Piece of the Action.”
Quizzical - Chapter Two Quiz says to Scootaloo "Oh, no, I find great merit in both carts and scooters. It is your driving that I find alarming, Scootaloo." Spock had something similar to say about Kirk's driving.
3. Master Card
Quizzical - Chapter Two Twist notes that Quiz's Venn diagram cutie mark looks like a credit card.
4. A Lesley Gore song
Quizzical - Chapter Three The chapter title is a play on Ms. Gore's biggest hit.
5. Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War”
Quizzical - Chapter Four “Very good, Sweetie Belle,” said Quiz. “Have you learned the other principles in Pon Tzy ‘s The Art of..?” Quiz doesn't finish, so we don't know what art Pon Tzy wrote of.
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey
Quizzical - Chapter Five “This is very interesting,” said Quiz. “Can anyone else see stars?”
7. The Big Bang Theory (yes, this is an easy one, but this is also the most popular reference I’ve ever written, and you guys deserve at least one gimme).
Quizzical - Chapter Six At the end of the chapter Twilight sings "Soft Kitty" to Quiz (because they're nerds, and this is the nerdish lullaby).
8. The classic Star Trek episode “Friday’s Child” (this is a hard one to make up for #7. The quote is broken in half, and the second half does appears two scenes later).
Quizzical - Chapter Seven “Quiz, stop it!” hissed Sweetie Belle. “What Diamond says is not important!” Further down the page Sweetie Belle finishes the quote. "I can’t even hear her anymore.” Dr. McCoy would agree with her.
9. The MLP:FIM end credits
Quizzical - Chapter Eleven The very last line of the story is the sung word "Friends!" Cue the Studio and Hub animated logos.
10. Howard Carter’s opening of King Tut’s tomb
Thweet Geniuth - Chapter One “Dinky, what is it?” asked Sweetie Belle. “What do you see?”
Dinky answered quietly, in an awed gasp, “Wonderful things.”
11. A pointed hint from the writer to the readers on the subject of feedback
Thweet Geniuth - Chapter Two Twist, thinking about her candy sample display, muses "An empty tray meant missed votes; visitors would not rate or comment on your work, and it’s always sad when you don’t get rated or commented upon."
12. The “Spell Singer” series of fantasy novels
Thweet Geniuth - Chapter Four Twilight wants to contact an expert about Sweetie Belle using music to focus her magic. "There’s a stallion named Foster; he’s the Dean of Experimental and Nontraditional magic at Canterlot U." This refers to author Alan Dean Foster.
13. Fan fiction about Derpy and Dr. Whooves
Thweet Geniuth - Chapter Seven “That girl is quickly becoming our secret weapon,” said Apple Bloom, quite in awe of Dinky. “Where does she get that, anyway?”
“Apparently, a friend of her Mom’s is very glib,” said Sweetie Belle. That friend is, of course, the Doctor.
14. A tribute to the disaster novels of Arthur Hailey
Thweet Geniuth - Chapter Eight The entire chapter.
15. “Serenity” and Nietzsche both reference in the same scene
Thweet Geniuth - Chapter Thirteen Quiz is the only pony not enjoying the ride in Princess Luna's chariot. Quiz’s response was largely unintelligible.
“What’d she say, now?” asked Apple Bloom.
“I didn’t quite catch it,” answered Scootaloo. “Something about being a leaf on the wind.”
Later... Quiz groaned a question only Luna could hear.
“Yes, Quizzical, Dear. I am sure that this will make you stronger.” Quiz has apparently noted that the ride didn't kill her.
16. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (specifically, it’s a Zaphod quote)
Thweet Geniuth - Chapter Thirteen “Forget that!” Merry cried back. “Everypony, listen up. If there is something more important than the Grand Chef’s ego around here I want it caught and killed!"
17. East German judges and their supposed harshness
Thweet Geniuth - Chapter Fourteen Mean judge Bitter Almond is introduced as coming from East Marelin. If you watched any sporting events during the Cold War you know how East German judges are.
18. Jerry Maguire
Thweet Geniuth - Chapter Fifteen Princess Luna to Quiz "I want you to help me to help you.”
19. The Heaven’s Gate Cult
Thweet Geniuth - Chapter Sixteen A depressed Merry Fairweather, worried that her career is over, asks..."Guys, you’re the food experts, you tell me. Does cyanide go better with apple sauce or vanilla pudding?”
20. Cooking show host Graham Kerr
Thweet Geniuth - Chapter 20 “Oh, yeah. She’s an amateur, but Happy is a real gourmet. And it’s fun to watch her galloping around a kitchen.” Merry look thoughtful for a moment. “There’s a catch phrase in there somewhere." Merry might be thinking of Graham Kerr, the Galloping Gourmet.
21. Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures, the Halloween episode
Quizzical Greystone and the Basements of Doom - Chapter One At the mention of the galumpalump’s call many of the children responded with their best imitation. “Oogie, oogie, oogie!” This refers to the dreaded Gumper Lump, which stalks Berry Bitty City on dark nights.
22. A can of Spam and a case of beer
...Basments of Doom - Chapter Four Stone Hoof opened the fridge. “Um…some preserved specimens, I think, a case of Foster’s Cider, and a can of Wham wheat loaf product.” OK, this is an inside joke, and perhaps not fair. When I GM a table top game, the contents of ALL refrigerators are a case of beer and a can of SPAM.
23. Sword of Shannara
...Basements of Doom - Chapter Five Dagget turned to help Alpha, and was promptly shot in the buttocks. “Brilliant!” cried Valory. She’d wanted to shoot a bad guy in the butt ever since she had read a fantasy novel in which the hero did just that. In Sword of Shannara, Menion Leah shoots the Goblin King in the butt.
24. Warnings from “An American Werewolf In London” and “Gremlins”
...Basements of Doom - Chapter Six “Most of the tales are useless nonsense,” stated Stranger, leafing through the binder. “Advice to ‘beware the moon,’ warnings against leaving food out after midnight, other silly things the writer was clearly just making up.
25. Maxwell’s four equations and the four forces
...Basements of Doom - Chapter Six The Professor notes "However, Clover the Clever’s fifth equation implies that magic may act similarly to electro-magnetism." In Equestria, magic makes a fifth force.
26. A pneumonic for the FAA rules for altitude allocation for aircraft, based on their direction of flight
...Basements of Doom - Chapter Eight You don't need to be a pilot to get this, but it helps. The two-headed giant who attacks the Blue Team is named Neodd and Sweven. The rule is, when traveling north or east you must maintain an odd altitude, and when traveling south or west you must fly at an even altitude.
27. The classic Star Trek episode “I, Mudd”
...Basements of Doom - Chapter Eight “I like you and I want to give you this present. But you must promise not to share it with Sweven.”
“What?” exclaimed Sweven. “But we share everything!”
“Neodd you must not share your gift with Sweven,” said Infernalo. “Because I like you, but I hate him.”
“Stupid pony, we are exactly alike!”
“Yes,” said Infernalo. “That is why I like him, but I hate you.” It would seem that the technique for blowing a super computer's mind also works on two-headed giants.
28. The stories about Quizzical Greystone, by JMac
Adventures In Cake Sitting - Chapter Two “You are too modest, Quizzical. I’m sure lots of ponies would find stories about your ‘accidents’ exciting.”
“Oh, dear,” muttered Quiz. The very idea of anypony telling stories about her was embarrassing. Yeah, I don't ask Quiz's permission to tell her stories.
29. Mary Poppins’ means of travel
...Cake Sitting - Chapter Two “This protect you,” said Pumpkin, and she telekinetically drew an umbrella from its stand and presented it to Quiz.
Bemused, Quiz regarded the parrot’s head handle being offered to her. “Thank you, Pumpkin. But that will not be enough to safely brave the snow. If I were to open that outside in these winds I would surely fly away.”
30. The classic Star Trek episode “The Naked Time”
...Cake Sitting - Chapter Three All of the songs Pinkie dreams of playing on her flugelhorn are by Chuck Mangione, except one. Pinkie had just finished her tune. “Gee, thanks, you really are a great audience. Now, who wants to hear ‘I’ll Take You Home Again, Cathleen’ one more time?”
“Oh, please, no,” gasped Quiz. This refers to the song Ensin Riley won't stop singing over the Enterprise sound system.
31. “That’s My Boy” by Bobby Goldsboro
...Cake Sitting - Chapter Three. At Pipsqueak's home, the kids build a castle out a cardboard box and building blocks, which is lifter from a song lyric.
32. Author Ray Bradbury
"They're Not Touching You!" The name of the haunted mansion is the "Bradleyberry place.
33. A little know short story by Larry Niven, that isn’t actually about manhole covers
"They're Not Touching You!" Quiz says of her little sister, Delight..."She is wonderfully thoughtful, but her wonderful thoughts seem to come from a random place no other pony knows of. She once asked ‘What can you say about chocolate covered storm drain covers?’" This refers to "What Can You Say About Chocolate Covered Manhole Cover?" from Niven's collection "All The Myriad Ways."
Bonus - In all the the Quiz stories (except "They're Not Touching You!") somepony mentions the eternal conflict between those who like pirates and those who prefer ninjas.
*Grins and applauds* Bravo to any who entered, I confess most of those either went over my head
or I didn't know the reference material, but very subtle indeed.