Quizzical

by JMac

Behave

Indy went to get Quiz to start the work day, expecting to have to rouse her from bed.  Instead he found Quiz lying on the cell floor, working by the light of her magic blackboards.  She’d summoned 2 of them, floating on either side of her head.  She also had her notebook open in front of her, quill scratching away furiously.  She was also drawing on the cell wall with a piece of stone.  Everything was dense with equations, and Indy had never seen most of the characters Quiz was using.

“What is Quizzical doing?” Indy asked.

“Oh, good morning, Indy,” said Quiz.  “I am attempting to reverse engineer the gem seeking spell.”

“Is it working?”

“Not at all,” said Quiz.  “Theoretical magic is very difficult, and I have only taken the introductory course.  It was foalish of me to even attempt this.” With a casual wave Quiz dismissed the blackboards.

“Never mind,” said Indy.  “Quizzical is clever, she does not need magic to find gems.”

“But what if I have a bad day?  Everypony has a bad day now and then.”

“Oh, Indy advises Quizzical not to do that,” said Indy.  “Has Quizzical slept?"

“Yes,” said Quiz. “Quite soundly, at first.  But I could not sleep through the night.”

“Quizzical should not say that where Chief Bowser can hear, he would decide that Quizzical is not working hard enough,” warned Indy.  He began to unlock the cell door.  “Indy has bad news for Quizzical.”

For the first time Quiz noticed what Indy had brought with him.  “A ball and chain?  I am to be shackled?”

“Indy fears so,” said Indy.  “Chief Bowser is worried that otherwise he will lose his clever pony in a shadowy alcove.”  Indy bent over and picked up the iron ball.  “Time for work, come along, Quizzical.”

“You are going to carry my ball for me?” asked Quiz.

“Of course,” said Indy.  “Chief Bowser may think it is worth wasting Quizzical’s valuable energy having her drag this around, but Indy is much smarter than that.”
 

“Rrrrrr!!!  This is SOOOO frustrating!” cried Twilight Sparkle, stomping all four hooves.

She and the Princesses stood over the flat boulder where Quiz and the fillies had conducted their experiment.  Scattered across the top of the boulder was a collection of letters and personal items.  They all belonged to Quiz.

“These things are valued by Quizzical, I can sense it,” said Luna.  “But the bond is not strong enough; not for us to find her through all of this rock.”

They were trying to pick up Quiz’s resonance from her things, and use it to pinpoint her location.  It wasn’t going well.

Twilight and Luna and Celestia had each tried in turn.  They tried working in tandem.  They had even fanned out over the rocks, separating in an attempt to triangulate.  Nothing worked.  All the rock just caused too much interference.

“Curiously, this place also seems to have value for her,” said Luna.  “Something happened here that is very important to Quizzical.”

“Really?” said Sweetie Belle, looking off into the distance, and trying to appear innocent.

Twilight frowned.  She’d vowed to someday get to the bottom of this.  But not today.

“We need something closer to Quiz,” said Celestia.  “Something she cherishes and keeps with her.”

Beryl Greystone shook her head.  “This is the best we have.  My daughter is not sentimental.  She has gathered very few keepsakes, and she treats her tools as mere things.  I have never seen Quizzical write her name on any of her belongings.”

Twilight, who put her name on almost all her things, blushed slightly.  “What about her notebook?”

“Which one?” asked Spike.  “She goes through about three a week.”  He thought for a moment.  “There’s a hairbrush and a magnifying glass, those were gifts when she went off to school.  And there’s an old rock hammer, it belonged to her great grandfather.”

“Spike, how did you know about that?” asked Twilight.

Spike shrugged.  “I asked her.”

“It doesn’t matter,” said Sweetie Belle.  “Quiz has all those things with her in her bag.”
 

Quiz was having a bad day.  Everypony has one now and then.

“Stop, stop, stop!” yelled Chief Bowser.  “The worthless pony wastes our time!”

Quiz dropped her pick.  Except for a small cache of tiny gems she had produced nothing but empty holes, and after her second miss the diamond dogs had made her do all the digging again.  “I did say this was not a promising tunnel.”

“This was the most productive tunnel in the warrens,” growled Bowser.

“And the diamond dogs have picked it clean,” stated Quiz.

“No more excuses, find us gems!” bellowed Bowser.

Quiz tried again, and this time she walked all the way to the corridor’s end.  She cocked an ear and tapped with her hammer all about the rock face.  She pressed her ear to the wall and tapped some more.  Finally, Quiz announced, “There is a huge deposit of gems 5 feet inside this wall.”

“Now Bowser knows the worthless pony is crazy,” laughed Bowser.  “The diamond dogs gave up digging here long ago.”

“You gave up too early,” said Quiz.

“If the worthless pony wants Bowser to believe there are gems here she will have to prove it,” said Bowser.  “Dig.”

“Dig?  Now?  But the tunnel is not safe,” said Quiz.  “The wall and ceiling are filled with fractures.  You cannot dig here until the tunnel has been properly braced.”

“That would waste time and timbers,” said Bowser.  “The worthless pony cannot expect the diamond dogs to waste their time and timbers shoring up a played out tunnel, just because she says there are gems here."

“There are gems here,” said Quiz.  “And I will prove this to you once the tunnel is safe to work.”

“No,” said Bowser.  “And the worthless pony will not have food or water and she will not leave her cell until she agrees to dig.”

Quiz looked Bowser right in the eyes and said, “I will not dig.”

“Arrgh!  Indy, take her away!” yelled Bowser.  “Get the worthless pony out of Bowser’s sight!”

Indy led Quiz away as swiftly as they could haul Quiz’s ball and chain.

“DIAMOND DOGS!!!  WE RESPECTFULLY ASK YOU TO MEET US TO BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS!!!  WE ARE PREPARED TO LISTEN TO REASONABLE DEMANDS…” Princess Luna stopped when she saw a young stallion approaching.  She did not want to deafen him.

“Princess Luna, may I have a word?” he asked.  Chisel Greystone VIII was a younger version of his father; only a little more handsome, perhaps, and a bit bigger and sturdier.

“How may we help you?” Luna asked.

“My father is very proud, so it may take a bit of time for him to come to you,” said Chisel.  “But eventually he will come to you with an apology.  Despite his beastly behavior, I ask that you please be gracious to him.”

“We do not understand,” said Luna.

“My father has had a change of heart,” said Chisel.  “He’s seen the concern the ponies here have had for Quiz.  Twilight Sparkle let him read some of her notes, and Quiz’s thoughts are… well, they were a comfort to him.  And he’s met Quiz’s friends.” Chisel pointed across the rock face to where some of the fillies were trying to cheer up Sweetie Belle.  “We were afraid that would never happen.  Father no longer blames you for what happened to Quiz.  He’s come to think you’re a genius, Princess.  Coming to Ponyville is probably the most important thing to ever happen to Quiz.  We all want to thank you.  I certainly want to thank you for what you have done for my little sister.”

Luna hung her head.  “Please.  You are welcome.  But we hope your father is patient in coming to us.  We are not prepared to accept apologies; not until we can forgive ourself.  This will not happen until Quizzical is returned to you.”
 

“Quizzical worries Indy,” said the diamond dog, as he led Quiz back to her cell.  “Quizzical is too smart for her own good.”

“What do you mean, Indy?” asked Quiz.

“Indy knows that Quizzical is clever, and that she is thinking all the time.  And when she is alone in her cell and cannot sleep perhaps she does not just think about theoretical magic.”

“What could I think about that would concern you, Indy?” asked Quiz, affecting what she hoped sounded like innocence.

“Perhaps Quizzical thinks about how, with her magic and the handle of her magnifying glass, she might be able to jimmy the lock on her cell.”

This caused Quiz to miss a step.  She swiftly recovered, and she said nothing.

“Now, if that worked Quizzical would be out of her cell,” continued Indy.  “Indy wonders about that magic he saw Quizzical do this morning.  Was that an illusion?  Or some sort of light spell?  Or both, perhaps?  Quizzical might be thinking how she could use an illusion to confuse the guards, or maybe blind them with a light spell.”

Quiz still said nothing, but it was obvious she was growing nervous.

“This would get Quizzical out of the first corridor and into the main warrens.  Quizzical might then think that she could sneak through the warrens, keeping hidden in the shadows as Indy has seen her doing.”

“I… might have had thoughts of that nature,” admitted Quiz.

“Good,” said Indy.  “Otherwise Indy has just given Quizzical her entire escape plan.  Now, Indy hopes Quizzical has thought about the next step.  Quizzical can get by the guards, but she cannot silence them.  Not poor Quizzical, alone with only her little hammer.  The warrens will be alerted, torches will be lit everywhere to dispel all the shadows, and the diamond dogs will hunt Quizzical down.  And even if Quizzical can reach an exit, it will be filled.  Diamond dogs fill in all their exits at night.  Quizzical cannot dig to the surface before she is caught.”

“But surely there are air shafts.  For the ventilation.  Not that I have been looking for them…”

“Ah, yes, the vertical shafts,” said Indy.  “Assuming Quizzical could find one, and break through the iron grates at their top and bottom, Quizzical would still have to climb them, clinging to the wall like a spider, to reach the surface.  Can Quizzical do this?”

Quiz stopped and hung her head.  “Sadly, no.  No, I cannot.  I had reached much the same conclusion,” she said sadly.  “What would happen to me once I am captured?”

“Punishment,” said Indy.

“Punishment?  What sort of…”

“Do not ask for details!” cried Indy, with a shudder.  “Indy does not wish to talk about it!”

“Oh,” said Quiz.  “Then what am I to do?”

“Well, Indy would appreciate it greatly if Quizzical would save the idea of escape for Plan B,” said Indy

“What is Plan A?” asked Quiz.

“Quizzical should behave herself,” said Indy.  “She should do what she is told, and trust her friends.  Trust that the ponies will rescue Quizzical.  And wait.”

“That could take a very long time,” said Quiz.  “In the meanwhile, I have been given a choice between being buried by a cave in or going hungry and thirsty.  I do not believe I have a very long time.”

“Indy did not say it was a great plan,” said Indy.  “Only that it is better than escape.  It has the advantage of giving Quizzical a little more time to think of something better."

“Well, I will be able to think about this,” said Quiz. “For as long as I… am still able.”
 

That night Indy came to Quiz’s cell, carrying a bucket and with a mop over his shoulder.

“Oh, silly me,” said Indy, looking into his bucket.  “Indy had meant to clean up a bit, but he has forgotten the soap.  There is only fresh water in Indy’s bucket.  Indy will have to come back with soapy water later.”

Indy set the bucket down against the cell bars, and left.

Quiz put her nose through the bars and drank her fill.  She found an apple and two bunches of celery hidden in the water.

She took her apple into the darkest corner of her cell and began to munch on it happily.

“I have found a friend,” she said to herself, utterly amazed.  “Here, in this dark place, I have found a friend.  Well… that is extraordinary.  I must make a note of that.”
                    
                    
            Chapter 10  What's A Pony Worth?