Adventures in Cake Sitting
Part 4, the finale: To Light a Fire
“Achoooo!”
A copy of the furnace owner’s manual hovered over Quiz’s nose, next to a book on furnace repair she had summoned from the library. As she paged through them the two rarely touched works shed dust.
A sneezing fit was the least of Quiz’s worries.
Quiz muttered to herself. “There is power and the breaker switches are in order. The fuel oil tank is nearly full. There is a strong pilot light. It appears a faulty safety device is telling the furnace it is unsafe to turn on.”
"Quizzie? Quizzie?”
“Children, stay at the top of the stairs, you are not to come down to the basement. Bother! The troubleshooting guide advises me to contact a service agent. Are these guides not meant to be helpful?”
“Quizzie? Quizzie?”
“Please be still, children, I will come back upstairs in a moment.”
“We break it, Quizzie?”
“What? Oh, I do not think so. The furnace does not know there is a large hole in the ducts.” She continued the thought aloud. “Mind you, trying to blow hot air across the gap in the air system might over tax the furnace, and something might burn out…” She shook her head, and called loudly up the stairs, “No, we are not to blame. Do not worry yourselves with that.”
“Quizzie fix it?”
“I shall have to think.” Quiz concentrated on the problem. She was soon lost in thought, and could hardly hear the Twins calling her name. She also had to put the sounds of the storm out of her mind, and that was much more difficult. The basement was not as well insulated as the rest of Sugar Cube Corner, and the roar of the wind was much louder. To Quiz it sounded like the howls of monsters, and she was not convinced this was just her imagination.
“If I can find the broken component then perhaps I can summon a replacement from Mr. Trane’s parts supply. I could apologize and pay him later…” Few ponies could match Quiz’s skill with the Teleport Object spell, but this would require her to find and summon an object she knew nothing about from a room where she had never been. Difficult, but not impossible. This assumed she correctly guess which part she needed. She could keep trying until she got it right, but the list of possible broken parts was lengthy. Quiz couldn’t keep at it until she froze there, not with the Twins waiting for her.
There was something else she could try. Ponies had been surviving blizzards for generations before they had power or fuel oil or furnaces. It was a simple matter of Quiz working it out.
Something shook Quiz out of her reverie.
“Miss Quiz-kal?”
“What did you call… yes, children, I will be right there.” Quiz galloped up the stairs, and only stumbled a bit when she tried to take three steps with one bound.
“Miss Quiz-kal got an idea! Can see it.”
“It shows, does it? Yes, I have an idea, and you shall help me make it happen.”
“Yay! We help!”
“Exactly. Together we shall build a mighty fortress against the cold.”
#
Clip Board couldn’t hold onto his clip board.
He was in the habit of consulting his board every few seconds, but he was also not in the habit of standing in shrieking winds that would tear the board from his hooves and send it flying away like a lost kite. Clip tucked his clip board away in his pack.
It didn’t matter. He had lists, and numbers, but it all could be better expressed with one word.
Everypony.
No matter where in Equestria they came from, if a pony could reach the storm line in Canterlot this night then they were here. There were pegasi on the line from towns Clip had never heard of. Unicorns who had never cast a weather spell were on the line, trying to tear away at the storm with magic instructions hastily written on note cards. Snow shovels were passed out to every volunteer who wanted one, and when they ran out of snow shovels the ponies improvised. Common ponies, ordinary citizens of Equestria, attacked three story snow drifts armed with only their garden spades.
“You beat us in Ponyville, but that’s the last win you get! We’re going to teach you a lesson you should have learned a thousand years ago.”
The windies and their storm had a tremendous hoof hold. But windigos feed on the bad feelings ponies hold against one another. On this night of team work and cooperation the windigos would be starving.
Clip Board could already feel the change. Clip calculated (in his head, as he couldn’t hold his clip board) that the storm would be pushed back into the Everfree Forest by dawn. They would take back even Ponyville, even if it wouldn’t be until morning.
It would just take a long, scary night of work.
#
To keep it from becoming a long, scary night, Quiz knew she had to keep the Twins engaged. That was not a problem, as many hooves made a task go faster, and there was much to do.
Quiz began by helping them into their wooly snow suites. As she helped them dress, Quiz gave the Twins their orders.
“Gather all of the pillows in the house, and all of your largest, fuzziest toys. Then we need all the warm blankets and quilts. All these things must be brought to the kitchen.”
“What we do, Miss Quiz-kal?”
“We shall keep away the cold as ponies did long ago, as Mrs. Smith did when she was your age. You children know Granny Smith?”
“Granny silly!”
“Yes, perhaps she is sometimes. But she is also wise. You would do well to listen to what she has to say.”
“Granny wise,” mused Pumpkin, thoughtfully. “Miss Quiz-kal wise?”
“Me? No, I fear I am not. But I know enough to learn from those who know better than I.”
“Miss Quiz-kal wise!” protested Pumpkin.
“Yeah!” Pound emphasized his agreement by stomping his hooves.
“Why, thank you for the vote of confidence. We shall see later which of us is right. At any rate, what we shall do is gather all the things we need to stay warm in one room. There we will huddle together to keep each other warm. It is called ‘bundling.’ Ponies have used this strategy to survive blizzards for many years. You have your jobs to do. Let us hurry to do them.”
“Miss Quiz-cal not dressed yet,” pointed out Pound.
“Well, yes…” Quiz had found one of Cup Cake’s warm jackets, but it fit her like a tent, and she couldn’t keep the sleeves rolled up. She knew that walking on the elbows would ruin the garment, and it hurt Quiz to destroy anything more that belonged to the Cakes. But Pound was right. Even a pony as comfortable in the cold as Quiz could feel the temperature dropping. Quiz struggled into the jacket, to the Twins’ apparent satisfaction. “Now, you have work to do. Off you go, both of you.”
“Yay! We build fortress ‘gnst the cold!”
The Cakes had modernized their kitchen, but they had not discarded their oldest appliances. Quiz found an old wood burning stove in one corner, and lit it. She then hung sheets to form partitions around it, to contain a little more of the warmth.
While Pound buzzed about gathering items, and Pumpkin levitated and teleported others, Quiz opened all of the faucets in the home and set them to drip. She hoped this would keep them from freezing, at least enough so the pipes wouldn’t break.
This left Quiz with one last task. She unlocked the door to Pinkie’s bedroom and entered.
“Miss Pinkie? I need you to wake up.”
“Madam La Flour, you dance divinely. And who would have thought you were so light on your feet, Big Mac?”
“Bother.” Quiz took Pinkie’s mattress in her teeth and dragged it, along with Pinkie, to the head of the stairs. There she paused, exhausted from her efforts.
“Please, Miss Pinkie, I need you to walk down the stairs. I shall do anything you ask if you will do this for me. I cannot leave you up here to freeze. I will listen, as you play the flugelhorn again. I shall even make a request. Play ‘Land Of Make Believe.’ I am not partial to it, but it is a favorite of my little sister’s…” Quiz began to weep. “Please, Miss Pinkie…”
“I need to make more punch,” muttered Pinkie. Then she rolled over, and faced away from Quiz.
Quiz could think of nothing to do but pull the mattress down the stairs. If it got away from her it would run like a sled, and Quiz would have nothing for brakes but her own hooves (or, more likely as these things went, her head).
Pinkie and the mattress glowed with an aqua aura, rose a few inches into the air, and began to glide down the stairs.
“Pumpkin?! Are you doing this?”
“Pumpkin do it!” cried the little filly.
“Well, that is quite extraordinary.” Quiz was amazed and impressed by Pumpkin’s magic, and a little bit frightened as well. But mostly she was relieved. The mattress, Pinkie and all, was soon down the stairs, and situated in the kitchen, as close to the oven as Quiz believed safe.
“The mattress will make a fine foundation for our fortress. But Miss Pinkie is in the way.”
“Show you trick,” declared Pound. Then he laid out a quilt in front of Pinkie, with one corner near her face.
“Pinkie! Show us burrito!” the Twins called in unison.
“Okie Dokie Loki,” sighed Pinkie, sleepily. Then she took the corner of the quilt between her teeth, and rolled herself up in it.
“Pinkie chimi-cherry!” laughed Pound.
“No. Pinkie cherry-chonga!” insisted Pumpkin.
“Chimi-cherry!”
“Cherry-chonga!”
“Children, please stop. Miss Pinkie is a cherry chimichonga.”
That settled, they piled cushions onto the mattress and rolled Pinkie back into place. Everypony was wrapped in blankets, and then Quiz settled the Twins in to huddle closely next to Pinkie. All three were wrapped together with another layer of blankets. Then Quiz built a wall around them with the remaining pillows, leaving it open where they faced the oven. Quiz hope this would help trap a bit more heat for them.
Finally, Quiz threw the quilt and heavy blanket she had saved for herself over her shoulders, and took a seat by the oven door.
“Miss Quiz-kal not cuddle with us?” asked Pumpkin.
“Perhaps latter,” lied Quiz. “For now I have to tend to the fire.”
A bell tone rang.
“Sweetie Belle calling!” sang the Twins.
“Yes. Well, let us see what she has to say.”
“Hello, Sweetie Belle.”
“Hi, Quiz. Checking up on you, since you never called back. You never call back.”
“It has been a busy night.”
“Has anything else gone wrong? Are you OK?”
“Yes. I will be fine.”
“Oh, darn.” Quiz planted both her fore hooves against her face and shook her head. “I really must learn not to say that.”
“OMC Quiz! You are infuriating! What’s wrong?!!!”
Pumpkin giggled, “Sweetie Belle call you infurrytating again?”
“Indeed she has. Now I must answer to her.”
“No fibbing,” said Pound.
“I shall be honest, mostly.”
“I have found an upside to tonight’s events.”
“Oh, what’s that?”
“My parents worry constantly that I never spend any of my allowance. I will soon have a large purchase to show them.”
“Hmmm?”
“Tomorrow I will have to hire contractors to repair Sugar Cube Corner.”
“What you say, Miss Quiz-kal?” asked Pumpkin.
“I am telling Sweetie Belle about our fine fortress. She is jealous.”
“Sweetie Belle got a fortress ’ganst the cold, too?”
“The children want to know if you are as warm and cozy as we are.”
“Oh, yeah. And we are having a great time. Pip knows lots of games. Oh, and he thinks he looks pretty good in the wig.”
“Please tell me you are joking.”
“I’m joking.”
“What she say?” demanded Pound.
“Their fortress is not as nice as ours, but they are still having fun. They are much better at that than I am.”
“Miss Quiz-kal kinda fun,” said Pound.
“You said that I am no fun at all. That is inconsistent.”
“In-can-sissnt?”
“Very close.”
“You still aren’t telling me everything. You’re worried about something, I can tell.”
“I am a little concerned about the furnace.”
“Oh. Well, yeah, ours is working pretty hard, too. But they’re built for this. The heaters won’t break down.”
“I am comforted to know that your heating system will survive the night.”
“Quiz, when I see you tomorrow… find out…not…ing…sooooo mad…”
The Note disappeared with a ‘pop.’
“What happen?” asked Pumpkin.
“Magical interference, perhaps from the storm, perhaps from the unicorns fighting it. We may not hear from Sweetie Belle again tonight. It is just as well. My friends should get to sleep. So should you.”
Pound gave a mighty yawn. “Not tired,” he lied.
“Story?” asked Pumpkin.
“If you insist. How about “The Very Hungry Ladybug”…?”
“Make up a story!”
“Oh, dear.” Quiz had told one story from memory tonight, and she was still amazed that she had even that one story in her. As was her habit, when faced with an audience, Quiz summoned visual aids to distract their attention.
“I do have a trick I can show you.” Quiz had been improving her magic blackboard spell. She had studied drawing, and felt her skills as an artist were nearing adequacy. She had also discovered a phenomenon she called ‘continuance of vision. If she envisioned several drawings, each slightly different, and she presented them in quick succession, then the drawing appeared to move.
Hovering over the Twins heads, a cartoon baby ursa began to dance.
“Ooooooh! Miss Quiz-kal show us a story!”
“If you insist, I shall do my best. What do you want the story to be about? Pirates? Ninjas?”
“Super heroes!”
“I might have known.” Quiz had seen Mr. Cake’s collection of graphic novels. “Let me think… our story begins with two young ponies. They were twins, and they were very powerful.”
A unicorn and a pegasus, each wearing a cape and mask, appeared on the magic blackboard. The characters saluted Pound and Pumpkin.
Quiz continued. “They were called… Miss Magic Pants, and the Mighty Pounder. They performed many heroic deeds, but their greatest feat was the foiling of a plot to turn Equestria into ice…”
The tale unfolded, and the super twins fought their way through armies of minions, and the dreaded sidekicks Inconsistant Filly and the Hypothetical Projectile. Finally, they reached the lair of the super villain Miss Infuriating, and gave her a sound thrashing to save the day.
Quiz was embarrassed by her amateurish efforts, though she forced herself to continue to the finale. The twins sat entranced.
The spell was broken by an unprecedented roar from the storm. It was so loud it made Quiz jump. The Twins were terrified.
“Storm not just storm! Storm not safe!” cried Pumpkin.
“Hush, children, you are safe. It is true, this storm is not natural. But it is only windigos, and windigos cannot enter this house.”
“Windigos?”
“Windigos are the bad things from the First Hearth’s Warming story. You know that story, do you not?”
Both foals nodded enthusiastically. “Good story, very good story. Teach…ponies should be good to each other.”
“That is correct.”
This seemed to worry them. “Windigos come when ponies are mean to ponies?”
“It hardly ever happens, but yes.”
The Twins shot each other a worried look.
“What is the matter? Tell me, please.”
After a long silence, Pound spoke. “The storm our fault?”
“What! Certainly not. Whatever would make you think that?”
“Made Miss Quiz-kal mad,” said Pound.
“Oh. Well, it is true I was very cross with you when you would not mind while I tended to Miss Pinkie. And I believe there were other times… never mind. We are all quite over that.”
“Made Miss Quiz-kal sad,” whispered Pumpkin.
“Um, well, yes,” admitted Quiz. “Perhaps you did hurt my feelings, a bit. I was prepared to accept that you simply did not like me.”
“No! Like Miss Quiz-kal!”
“Like you lots and lots!”
“Oh, my… why… thank you.” Quiz stammered. She blushed. “I have grown quite fond of you both as well.”
The storm roared again.
“Never mind that,” said Quiz, affecting a casual tone. “It sounds scary, but windigos only make that sound when they are losing. All the weather ponies outside must be driving them away right now.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely.” Quiz had no idea, but it sounded reasonable. “But if you really wish to annoy the windigos then I have a plan.”
“Tell us!”
“You both love Miss Pinkie, do you not?”
“Yes, very much!”
“Then snuggle close to her, and keep her safe and warm. That will show the windigos that you care, and there is nothing here to interest them. And if you care then the windigos cannot come near this home.”
“Ok,” said Pumpkin, and Pound nodded in earnest agreement. “But Miss Quiz-kal should snuggle, too.”
“I… yes, later. But for now I still have work to do.”
As the Twins finally drifted off to sleep, Quiz started a kettle to make a pot of tea. She was too young to be allowed caffeine without permission, but she felt she could be forgiven, just this once.
She felt guilty about what she had just told the children. It seemed as if she was holding the Twins responsible for keeping the windigos at bay all by themselves. It did not occur to Quiz that there was more than one way to show the windigos that you cared.
She made her first mug of tea, and prepared to keep vigil all night.
#
“Quizzical?” The Twins were still only half asleep when Pinkie woke up.
“Miss Pinkie! How do you feel?”
“I’m a little head-achy.” Pinkie frowned. “Quizzical, are we going to be OK?”
Quiz was about to answer that she did not know, when Pumpkin stirred. “Sure we be OK. We got Miss Quiz-kal.”
“Yep,” agreed Pound.
“Alrighty then.” Pinkie took this as all the answer she needed. “I think I’ll go back to sleep now.”
“That is a good idea, Miss Pinkie. You should get back to your party. Your guests will wonder where you are.”
Pinkie laughed softly. “I love it when you joke, Quizzical. I wish more ponies knew how funny you are. But, you know, in my dream I can’t find you anywhere. I know you were sent an invitation…”
“Try looking in the shadow the couch casts on the wall, Miss Pinkie.”
“Oh, good idea.” Pinkie faded back to sleep.
#
Quiz did her homework. She reviewed all the notes she had made that day. As a lark, she made notes on what happened at Pinkie’s dream party – she planned to ask Pinkie later just what Gummy had done that was so very funny. She composed her weekly report to Princess Luna, but after reading it through she realized she had best write it over later. The letter reflected Quiz’s mood, and it read like Quiz thought it was the last report she would ever make. She wanted very badly to get up and try to clean the house. One of a foal sitter’s duties was to clean up after the children have gone to sleep. Disorder offended Quiz to the core of her soul, and to leave the house as it was broke her heart. But Quiz would not leave the Twins and Pinkie. Also, she knew that just beyond the screens she had hung the house was freezing.
Quiz surprised herself by how much tea she drank.
But mostly, Quiz calculated fuel.
She timed the burn rate of every other stick of wood she put in the oven. Since she could not see a clock, Quiz counted the seconds in her head. She made mental calculations, then cast her magic blackboard and did the calculations again.
She did not have quite enough fire wood to last until dawn.
Summoning wood from the Cake’s wood pile did not work. It had frozen into a solid block, and Quiz could only teleport objects she could lift. A solid cord of wood was beyond her.
Quiz reached out to the wood box by the library fireplace. She sensed it was empty. Spike could be forgiven for not filling it, as he and Twilight were visiting Canterlot, and Quiz was, as expected, spending the night at Sugar Cube Corner. Why fetch wood when no one was there? That this would inconvenience Quiz was not something he could predict.
Quiz could think of no place else to find fire wood. She could put it off for quite some time, but eventually she knew she would have to go get it the hard way. At least she had a snow shovel. Mr. Cake had left his by the front door, in preparation for the First Snow.
“Quizzical? Darling, can you read this?”
This Note was not Sweetie Belle’s blue aura. It was a dark emerald aura Quiz knew very well.
“Mother?”
“I like this new spell of yours, Quiz, Dear. It’s quite delightful.”
“Mother, how are you doing this?”
“The Princesses are using their power to extend the range of the spell. They feel they owe our family a favor, something to do with putting every pony we employ, along with every piece of equipment we own, into the streets to move this awful snow. All I asked for is a chance to speak to you.”
“Is the storm truly that bad?”
There was a long pause before Beryl Greystone answered. Quiz imagined her choosing her words with care.
“Do not be alarmed, Darling, but at the moment Ponyville has no protectors. Weather Patrol was forced to retreat. The new storm line they formed in Canterlot has turned the tide. Still, I worry about you.”
“Worry will do you no good, Mother.”
“What a bland way of telling me nothing, Quiz. What is happening there?”
“I am coping, Mother.”
“Seriously, Quizzical, are you actually trying to be evasive? With me?”
Quiz sighed. She was an expert at hiding her feelings, and she had a lifetime of practice at withholding details she did not want to share. None of this would help her now. Quiz now faced the one pony from whom she could keep nothing.
“Tell me, everything, Quizzical. I expect details and complete candor.”
“Yes, Mother.”
So Quiz told her everything.
This took a bit of time.
“My poor Darling! You find so…excitement…know…hate it so.”
“Mother, I am losing the spell.”
“Is this better? Yes, I did not get the last bit you sent. We do not have much time. Know that the Weather Pegasi are half way to Ponyville. I am with the unicorns supporting them, and we are following close behind on a train fitted with a plow head. I shall reach you with the dawn. Many of your friends and the Cakes are with us. Be brave, be strong, and remember that the children trust you and small ones have an instinct for these things. This night… last… you… fine. I….”
The Note went blank, then disappeared. “Good bye, Mother.”
It helped Quiz immeasurably. She felt better than she had all day. But there was one problem. “What was the last bit I said, that she did not get? Oh. Yes. That I am running out of firewood.”
#
It was still fully dark when Quiz put the last piece of wood in the oven. She estimated that there was a half an hour before first sun light.
Quiz got up and pushed past one of the sheets around their warm little enclosure. Cold air entered, and the Twins stirred. “Hush, now,” said Quiz, in the most soothing tone she could summon. “I am just going outside and may be some time.”
The Twins immediately settled back into a deep sleep, and did not hear the front door open and close.
#
The sun rose on a beautiful day in Ponyville. There was not a cloud in the sky or a breath of wind, and the bright sun immediately warmed the town and began to melt the snow.
A team of stallions pushed a snow plow to the door of Sugar Cube Corner. Emergency Medical ponies followed close behind, pulling an ambulance. A large entourage of ponies followed them.
They found Pinkie and the Twins sleeping so soundly they did not hear the crowd’s arrival, and only awoke when Mrs. Cake embraced her babies. They were genuinely surprised by all the commotion.
Quiz was not there.
This inspired panicked searching. The search was interrupted by Quiz, dragging a canvas carrier of firewood, coming up behind everypony.
“Um… hello?”
She had tunneled all the way to the wood pile, and broken loose the wood she needed with just her hooves.
Several ponies rushed to Quiz. Beryl Greystone got there first. Mother and daughter buried their faces in each other’s mane. Several other ponies, including Quiz’s father and brother, and Twilight Sparkle, gathered around them but stood back and did not interrupt. Quiz soon noticed all the attention.
“Mother, there are a great many ponies here.” Quiz trembled, and it was unclear it was more from the cold or a desire to hide.
“Yes, there are, Dear. You really shouldn’t be surprised.” Beryl cast a warming spell on her daughter. “There, is that better?”
“Yes, Mother. I can already feel my hooves again. Oh, dear, that is actually rather painful.” Something else worried Quiz. “Mother, the fire..?
“Down to embers, but still burning and warm. You would have made it back in time.”
“Quizzical Greystone!” Carrot Cake yelled as he pushed through the crowd to reach her.
“Mr. Cake, Sir, I am so very sorry… eurk!”
Carrot enveloped her in a hug that took Quiz’s breath away. He began to carry Quiz into the kitchen. “Quickly, Quiz, the children woke up and you weren’t there. They won’t settle down until they see you.”
The Twins could be heard crying. “Where Miss Quiz-kal? Want Miss Quiz-kal!!!”
Carrot set Quiz down in front of them. “Children, what is all this shouting about?”
She was answered with a flying glomp that knocked her on her back. The Twins perched on Quiz’s stomach, and clamped on. Quiz was so stunned she just laid there and took it. If she enjoyed it at all she did not let on.
Eventually, they had to be separated, as everypony needed to be evacuated to someplace warmer.
“Miss Quiz-kal come back, sit for us again?” asked Pumpkin.
“Come back soon?” asked Pound.
“Well…” Quiz paused to consider. “I must first look at my schedule. And a weather report.”
#
Outside, the plow stallions were moving on. One asked “Where are we heading next, Wheelie?”
“The Sofas and Quills warehouse,” answered his partner. “Mr. Rich says his daughter was trapped there all night.”