//------------------------------// // 5. One of those things // Story: Twilight's World // by grouchopony //------------------------------// Mike had a few things to worry about. Twilight's freaky psychokinetic display had disturbed him greatly. It did not help that she had called it 'Magic.' As if putting a childish label on it made any difference. No, Mike had begun to worry for his personal safety. Flying Purple Pony People Eaters? No problem! But this pony had shown him some real, inexplicable powers. Mike could not conceive of any way he might resist such powers. When Twilight requested his help to lower herself down again, he had been afraid to touch her. Just act casual, he thought, as he worked up the courage to approach her again. After he had helped her to get settled down again, Mike continued to struggle with himself. Calm down. You've already slept the night together without coming to harm. Mike argued to himself. She was unconscious then. Now she's dangerous! He countered himself. She isn't unconscious now. She's showed no intention of hurting me. Another reversal. I need to get out of here. Just – put some distance between Twilight and myself. Give myself some time to think. While dithering to himself about what to do, Mike's eyes had caught sight of his alarm clock. He was suddenly reminded that it was Sunday and that he had planned on attending Church services that morning. In fact, for that Sunday in particular, his attendance was particularly important. Mike latched on to the idea like a drowning man clutching at a Life Preserver. Yeah. I’m going to Church. ---------------- Mike asked Twilight, “Are you going to be alright if I leave you alone for a while? Like, for a few hours? There are some things I need to take care of.” Mike was quite relieved at her reply. Rushing to his closet Mike grabbed the clothing he referred to as his 'Sunday best'. First stop, the bathroom. As he flushed the toilet, he remembered that his plumbing would soon lose water pressure. Mike had to make do, washing his hands and face with a minimum of cold water. Shaving was a rather hurried and unpleasant experience. After that, he got fully dressed. Sneaking back into the bedroom to get his dress shoes, Mike observed that Twilight had fallen asleep again. Despite his worries and fears, he found the sight intriguing This is so weird. There's a purple pony lying on my pillow. And, if I ignore how dangerous she is, I might even say that she looks kind of cute. Shaking his head and worrying for his sanity, Mike left the house. ---------------- Everything was working together to delay Mike that morning. First off, the power outage prevented his garage's automatic door opener from working. To raise it manually, he had first needed to chip off the ice which welded it to the concrete floor of the garage. Next, Mike discovered that not all the roads had been salted yet. Apparently, the Salters had been busy all night, just keeping the major roads and highways clear. A good third of Mike's travel was on lesser side-roads. And they were covered with a thick layer of ice. Mike had to drive very slowly and carefully on those roads. Arriving late at the Church, Mike discovered that his worrying had been for naught. It turned out that the start of Church services had been delayed by nearly an hour. Overall, it was a successful service, despite the thin turnout. Mike had contributed adequately to the special choir performance being put on that morning. Mike, as well as several other men, had allowed themselves to be cajoled into joining a special Christmas choir ensemble. Those special songs did of course sound so much nicer when performed with male accompaniment. After completing his part in the choir performance, Mike sat down to brood over his situation, while ostensibly listening to the sermon. Having distanced himself from his fears, both physically by distance, and by totally forgetting about them during his white-knuckle drive over icy roads, Mike came to the conclusion that he should give Twilight a chance. Truthfully, she had not done anything to harm him, nor even threaten him. Having put his fears in their place, Mike began to worry for his special guest. It hadn’t been right to leave Twilight all alone to herself. She was still ill, though she probably needed nothing more than some bed rest. But here he was, at Church. Mike worried that the power might still be out and that the house would slowly be getting colder. Already that morning, the inside temperature had felt like it was only fifteen degrees. Mike did have a backup generator, but it was out of commission at the moment. But most of all Mike fretted about the very existence of the alien pony. What am I going to do with her? I can't tell anyone. I don't know anyone that I can trust. Could I tell the pastor, or maybe one of the deacons? No! I don't know them well enough. They'll be sure to freak! What does she need? Does she have some special dietary requirement that I can't meet? How long is she going to stay? Why was she wandering around in the storm? She nearly died out there. Is she a criminal or a refugee or something? Is that why she did something so desperate? Did she crash her spaceship nearby? I’ll bet it's packed with all sorts of amazing technology. I don't know anything about her, except that she's an ALIEN – and a pony. I never should have left her alone! Though he tried several times, Mike simply could not put his focus on the worship service. He may as well have stayed at home. The thought only added to his misery. It was a relief when the service finally ended. As politely as possible, Mike bolted for the door. ---------------- Mike was an experienced winter driver. But he had never seen such sights he was driving past today, both now and earlier. He was constantly amazed by the sheer extent of the destruction caused by the ice storm. Everywhere he looked, trees were broken. Massive branches were lying on the ground, shattered debris lay strewn about. Great wooden wounds decorated the tree trunks above. Places where those trunks had formerly been graced by branches. Mike turned on his radio and listened to the special news reports that spewed out continuously. They only underscored how badly the storm had affected everyone. Why, in the city of Toronto alone, initial reports claimed nearly 100,000 people were without power. Mike was now seriously concerned about how long the power failure would last at his house. With this many people in the cities and towns suffering power failures, it might take days to restore power to his home out in the countryside. The cities always took precedence over the countryside. To his growing worries over Twilight and how he had abandoned her, Mike now added the conviction that his home would be suffering a prolonged power outage. With that thought, Mike turned his truck around and made his way back towards town. Mike, who lived in a renovated farmhouse out in the countryside, was quite familiar with power failures. Consequently, he had acquired and installed an emergency generator. Just two weeks ago, during a test, he found out that it was not working. According to the diagnostic displays, the generator simply needed a new battery. Back in town again, Mike started searching for a battery. The first store he tried was closed. Impromptu signs pasted onto its doors announcing that it was 'closed due to the power failure.' The second store he tried had a similar sign. Mike remembered that his church had had power, so he kept searching. Finally, at a time well past one p.m., Mike managed to locate a store that was open for business on the other side of town. Mike walked up to the automotive counter and waited for a service agent to notice him. Even though he was the only customer, it took a few moments before a service agent took any notice. “Hello, sir. How can I help you?” “Hi, I need a battery-” Mike proceeded to give the agent the relevant details. Soon the transaction was accomplished, though Mike figured that he had been gouged. It was probably the most expensive battery they had available. He did not care, however, because, by this point he just wanted to get home as quickly as possible. A sudden worry struck Mike. “Does this battery need to be charged before I can use it?” “No, sir. All our new batteries are fully charged, and can be used immediately.” Mike was happy to avoid any further delays. The agent claimed he was glad to help cart the heavy battery out to Mike’s truck. In short order, Mike was finally back on the road, headed home. I hope everything's okay with Twilight, Mike thought to himself. ---------------- It was getting closer to two-thirty when Mike's truck finally drove up to his home. Mike parked in his driveway at a point that was closest to his home's back door. Exiting the vehicle, he walked cautiously up the ice-covered walkway. Need to throw some salt on that. He reminded himself. Reaching his back door, Mike pulled out his keychain, unlocked the door and stepped inside. I was hoping it would be warmer. But it’s getting pretty cold in here. Mike could see the fog from his breath. “Right... I need to get some power restored.” Mike headed towards his bedroom, intending to change out of his 'Sunday best'. As he passed his living room, he noticed the lavender pony lying upon his couch. Twilight appeared to be asleep. Mike stood there observing her for a moment. She was curled up, rather like a cat or a dog, with her side pressing against the back of the sofa for some warmth. As he watched, Mike noticed a tiny shiver shake her exposed flank. Give her a chance Mike. Be friendly and maybe it will work out okay. Remembering his decision to give her a chance, Mike cautiously approached Twilight. After taking only a single step, he halted again. Mike could see faint whitish tracks in Twilight's fur, running down from her eyes on either side of her muzzle. She's been crying, Mike thought to himself, astounded by the sound of his heart breaking. If there was one thing that moved Mike, it was tears. Instantly, in his mind, Twilight had become that much more human. He suddenly found it hard to think of her as being extraordinalrily dangerous. Mike. You dummy! He chastised himself. You've been selfishly gallivanting around all this time, and she's been stuck here all alone, crying. Do Something! Mike twitched in response to his mental imperative. Mike approached Twilight. Squatting down so that he would not loom over her, he gently laid his hand upon her withers, shaking her gently. “Hey!” he whispered. “Wake up Twilight. You'll catch a chill if you keep on sleeping there.” The alien pony stirred a bit but settled down again. “Just five more minutes.” Mike continued patiently. “Twilight… Twilight…” Twilight finally responded to Mike's repeated calls, opening her eyes. “Wha–. Oh, Mike. You're back. I'm sorry. I shouldn’t have fallen asleep like that.” “It’s alright Twilight. I'm the one who should apologize. I should never have left you all alone in the first place.” “No. No. I'm fine, perfectly fine. All better now. See.” Twilight clambered down off the couch. She then proceeded to stretch her muscles. Again, Mike was reminded of a cat. “Well, I'm glad to see you've had a speedy recovery, but I can tell that something is bothering you.” “What? No. Wh-Whatever gave you that idea?” Twilight replied. Mike paused in his reply, considering how to approach this. He was no good at the personal and sensitive stuff. “Twilight, I can see tear-tracks on your face. You've been crying.” At this revelation, Twilight immediately turned her face away and began to scrub at the tear tracks with a forelimb. Mike continued. “And the first thing that comes to my mind was that I had hurt you by leaving you all alone.” Twilight suddenly turned back to look at him, astonishment apparent on her face. Mike went on. “Now maybe I hurt you. And maybe it's got nothing to do with me. But I am still to blame for leaving you here to face your burdens all alone. I would like, no I need, to ask you for your forgiveness. "It may be that your concerns are none of my business. I won't press you about them. But if you are willing to share those concerns, I would be willing to listen, and maybe I could even help. It's what a friend would do.” As he was speaking, Twilight had simply stared at Mike, her teeth worrying her lower lip. Still, she did not say anything. After he finished his little speech, however, she suddenly gave him a timid smile. “No Mike, you haven’t hurt me. Do you really consider me to be your friend?” she asked. “Well, maybe it’s too early to be throwing around that word so casually. But, yes, I would like us to become friends.” “Yes! I'd be happy to call you my friend too!” Twilight smiled broadly. Oh Yeah, thought Mike. No mistake about it. That's a smile! Mike still had no idea what she had been crying about. But at least she seemed to be happy now. Abruptly Mike stood up and left the room. A moment later he came back carrying a cardigan sweater-vest, holding it up in front of Twilight. “Here put this on. I don't want you catching a chill. This house is starting to get really cold.” “You’re right. It is pretty cold in here.” Twilight's eyes comically crossed as she noticed her own breath for the first time. “Twilight, I'm very sorry. But I need to go outside again to see if I can fix the emergency generator. If I don't fix it, this house will keep getting even colder. Will you be okay without me?” Twilight took a moment to consider the matter, but just as she was opening her mouth to reply, Mike interjected, “I promise I won't be far away. The generator is located just outside, behind the garage, the building closest to this house.” Twilight smiled. Yet again astonishing Mike with her human mannerisms. “Could I come with you?” her reply surprised Mike. “Maybe I could help.” “If you think you’re feeling well enough, then I don't mind. Here take this sweater.” Mike held up the cardigan again and shook it in front of her. “Thank you, but I won't need that. As long as I'm awake, I won't have any trouble keeping myself warm.” Mike looked at her dubiously. “And who was it that I found at my doorstep last night, half frozen to death?” “That was something different. I just couldn’t handle that freaky rain. It was unnatural. What was it?” “It's called freezing rain. But can we save that conversation for later? Right now we had better get started. It will be getting dark in an hour or so.” “Really?” she exclaimed. “What time is it now?” Mike stretched out his arm to check his watch, “Oh it's about three right now. But it will be getting noticeably darker in another hour.” Twilight had a puzzled look on her face. Mike just knew she was going to keep the conversation going with more questions. “Excuse me,” he interrupted. “But I need to change my clothes into something more appropriate for working on the generator.” Twilight's expression took on a slightly disappointed look. “Whatever you were about to say, we can discuss it later.” The words hung in the air as Mike left the room abruptly. Mike ran upstairs to change his clothes. He also made a quick trip to the washroom, where he noticed that the toilet had stopped flushing. Twilight must have used up all the water remaining in the main pressure tank. Mike returned downstairs. “Okay, Twilight. I'm ready.” He said while slipping on a navy blue ski Jacket. Mike proceeded through the kitchen towards his back door, the sound of Twilight's hooves clopping along behind him. He turned about, looking appraisingly at her. “What?” she asked. “I think it’s going to take a while for the two of us to get used to each other's presence. The sound of your hooves on the vinyl flooring was quite – unusual.” Twilight's ears dropped back for a moment then rose up again. “Don't worry about it,” she said with a smile. “Friends adapt. I could tell you that I too find some of your behaviors to be irritating.” Twilight ended her speech with a challenging grin, “We can discuss it later.” Not taking the bait just offered by Twilight, Mike resumed his preparations for venturing outside, putting on boots, hat, and gloves. Mike spoke as he was stepping outside, holding the door for Twilight. “Careful Twilight, everything is still covered in ice. It’s very slippery out there.” Twilight did not bother to reply as she cautiously stepped out upon the ice covered stoop. She looked around curiously. “You know,” she spoke up. “When I arrived here last night, it was too dark to see anything, but this, this is amazing.” Mike saw that she was staring at the few trees decorating the grounds surrounding the house. Their branches shimmered in the late afternoon light, all covered in a crystal sheath of ice. “I don't suppose those are Willow trees?” Twilight asked. “Huh? No, those are Maples. Why do you ask?” replied Mike as he approached his truck and opened one of the rear passenger doors. “Oh. Well the way the branches were bent all the way down to the ground, they kind of looked like Willows.” “What's that?” Twilight suddenly asked. Mike grunted as he lifted the battery out of the truck. “This? This is a battery.” “No, not that. That, the large object you are standing beside. It looks like some kind of carriage.” “Well yeah. I guess you could liken it to a carriage. But it’s properly called a truck. Now come on. It's getting late.” Mike huffed as he attempted to traverse the icy ground while holding the heavy battery. Apparently noticing his struggles, Twilight offered to help. “I can carry that for you.” “No offense Twilight, but you're such a tiny thing. I think I can manage.” “No really. Here I'll take it.” Twilight's horn lit up as she lifted the battery out of Mike’s hands. “Yaaah!” Mike screamed in surprise. As the battery lifted away, the sudden shift to his center of gravity caused him to fall backwards. He landed rather heavily on his butt. “Mike! I'm so sorry. Are you alright?” Twilight asked him anxiously. Mike took stock of what had happened, from his sore behind, to the battery which continued to float in mid-air, surrounded by a rose colored nimbus of light. “Twilight–” Mike paused. “Y-Yes,” she replied rather timidly. “Do you remember when I mentioned that some things about each other would take a while to get used to?” Mike paused again. “Yes.” she replied. “Well, this was one of those things.” An awkward silence ensued as Twilight absorbed Mikes rebuke. She hung her head low. Now Mike felt guilty. It was apparent that he had bruised Twilight's feelings when she had only been trying to help. He looked at the battery again. “I'm sorry Twilight. I shouldn't have sounded so cross; you were only trying to help. However, I see now that you can hold that heavy battery without any difficulty. “Twilight, could you help me out, by carrying that battery the rest of the way?” Twilight raised her head and returned a smile. Somehow, Mike thought to himself, I think I managed to say the right thing again. “Come on,” Mike got up off the ground, and resumed his careful walk towards the back of the garage. Twilight followed behind, walking equally carefully. They came upon the generator immediately after turning the corner around the back of the garage. It appeared to be nothing so much as a large rectangular steel cabinet. Mike knelt down beside it. After un-dogging several latches, he was able to remove a large panel and set it aside. “You can put that thing down now,” Mike instructed Twilight, noticing that she was still levitating the battery. She promptly lowered it to the snow. “Let’s see now,” Mike voiced as he stuck his head inside the box, attempting to get a good view of the battery connectors. Mike suddenly noticed that Twilight had also stuck her head into the box alongside his own. “You see that battery there,” he remarked conversationally, pointing at the device. “We need to remove it and install the new one." “Hold it!” he said, as soon as he saw a rosy glow appear around the old battery. “Not yet. I still need to disconnect it.” “Sorry. Guess I got a little carried away.” Twilight apologized sheepishly, rubbing a hoof alongside the back of her head. Mike was amazed at how familiar her gesture seemed to him. Mike turned his attention back to the generator. “Looks like I will need some tools to remove those battery leads. Wait, here while I go fetch them.” “Wait!” Twilight stopped him. She frowned briefly in concentration as her horn glowed brightly. A beam of light shot out from her horn, and a wrench appeared in mid-air, hovering in front of Mike. “Will this do?” she asked. Mike's eyes opened wide. For a while he just stared at the wrench, his thoughts were whirling around. Don't freak. Don't freak. Don't freak. Don't freak Ahhh the heck with it! It’s just a wrench, right? With a glare at Twilight, Mike grabbed the wrench out of mid-air. He returned to the generator and started in on it without a pause. Amidst the sounds of his tinkering, Mike's voice echoed out from inside the generator casing, “Twilight… You did it to me again.” There was a plaintive note in his voice. Twilight giggled. “Sorry. I can't help it. It just comes so naturally to me that I–” “It's okay. I do admit that it was useful. It's just so…” Mike sighed, unwilling to chastise Twilight any further. Mike pulled back from the generator housing. “There, it’s disconnected. Twilight, if you would do the honors, please.” Twilight levitated the two batteries and quickly swapped them. Look at that. She's floating two heavy batteries around like it’s nothing. That’s so amazing! Gone now was the fear that Mike had experienced earlier in the day. In short order, Mike attached the battery terminals to the new battery. Rising up from his labors, he stepped to the side and touched a control on the generator. Several lights, both red and green lit up. “Is that all?” Twilight asked curiously. “Wait for it.” “Wait for what? Mike, is something supposed to happen?” After a moment the generator started whining and shuddering. Finally, a loud roaring noise burst forth. Twilight leaped backwards in sudden fright. The roar of the generator diminished as Mike replaced the access panel. “Thanks for the assist Twilight, here's your wrench back. Twilight?” Getting no reply, Mike became aware that that the curious pony was missing. Looking about, he spied Twilight about two meters behind him. She appeared to be getting up off the ground. What is she doing on the ground, and why is she way back there? Mike thought. “What…” his voice trailed off. Twilight finished getting up and stared contemplatively at Mike. After a moment she spoke, “Mike, do you remember when you told me that some things we found out about each other would take some getting used to?” He nodded. “Well, now it's my turn to say 'This was one of those things.'” She had a tiny smile on her face. Mike smiled in return, “Heh...” Mike found himself trying to hold back his laughter. “Hmpfh…” his face contorted with the strain. “Hee hee,” Twilight began to titter at the silly look on his face. “Hah! Hah! Hah!—” Mike finally burst out, Twilight's laughs joining with his “Hah Hah-” “Hah! Hah! Ha-AAUUUGGHH!” Mike's laughter shook him so hard he lost his footing on the icy surface, landing him again on his abused posterior. “Ow!” “Hah! Hah! Hah!” Twilight was shaking hard with laughter as well. She lifted a forelimb to wipe away some tears from her eyes. “Hah! Hah! H-waaahhh!-” Twilight's three-limbed stance proved insufficient as the icy surface claimed its second victim. “-Oof!” From his position, sitting on the ground, Mike witnessed Twilight's pratfall. Throwing back his head he began laughing like a hyena. “Hahahahahaha–” “Hah! Hah! Hah!–” Spurred on by Mike's escalating hilarity, Twilight rejoined the laughter. The laughter continued in waves for over a minute before it eventually died down. That felt good, Mike thought, smiling broadly to himself. “Thanks,” Twilight spoke, “it felt good to laugh. I've kind of been worried and upset lately.” Mike remembered the evidence of her tears he had seen on her face earlier. He suddenly realized that he was not the only one who might be unsure of their current situation and recent events. “No. Thank you, Twilight. The truth is, I've been having a lot of worries as well. But I kind of feel a lot better now.” Mike smiled at Twilight. She returned one of her own as they both proceed to get up on their feet, or in Twilight's case, their hooves, again. Mike dusted the snow off of himself in a reflex action, though there was virtually no need. The ground was coated with a heavy layer of clear ice, and though his fall had cracked through it, no snow had stuck to his clothing. Mike looked around trying to locate Twilight's wrench. “Twilight, I think I lost your wrench. Do you see it anywhere?” “Don't worry about it Mike. It’s probably vanished by now.” “Please, Twilight. I don't want you to think that I'm the kind of guy who goes around losing your stuff.” He started pacing around in circles, looking carefully at the ground. Twilight tittered, drawing Mike's attention. She continued, “No Mike, I'm not saying that about you. You see, magically created objects are not real. They are created by establishing a concentration of magical energy. A suitable spell matrix is then used to modify and shape an inverse kinetic field. But eventually the inverse kinetic field will use up all the magical energy it was imbued with, and the 'object' will disappear, usually after only a short duration. “I suppose you could say that this is just another 'one of those things.'” “Oh,” Mike replied, not understanding much of anything Twilight had said, “well, alright then. Come on, let's get back to the house. The job's not over yet.” They proceeded cautiously back to the house, re-entering it via the back door. During their excursion, short as it was, the house seemed to have become even colder. Though it was warmer inside that it was outside, Mike had little inclination to remove his coat. Walking over to the kitchen counter, Mike picked up a flashlight. He always kept one there, so he could easily find it in case of emergencies. Leaving the room, Mike walked a short way down the hallway, reaching the door which hid the stairs leading to his basement. Turning on his flashlight, he proceeded down. Twilight followed him down as well. Mike made his way to the wall where the service panel was situated. Shining his light about, he quickly located the cutover switch for the generator and threw it. It made a clunking noise. Within seconds, sounds began to emanate from the other parts of the basement. The furnace announced itself with a whirring noise, followed by a wooshing boom as the burner ignited. In another part of the basement, the water pump added its shrill noise to the cacophonous symphony of sound. “Eeep!” Mike heard a shriek from somewhere near the stairway, accompanied by a clatter of nervous hooves tapping on the concrete floor. “Sorry Twilight!” Mike called out in the dark, “what you are hearing are the sounds of the water pump and the furnace–” A booming rumble started up, joining the existing noises, interrupting Mike. “And that new sound is also from the furnace; I guess it’s all just another 'one of those things.' I'm so used to all these noises that I never think twice about them.” Returning to the foot of the stairs, Mike switched on the lights, illuminating the basement. Twilight stood to the side; her ears were lowered while her body held a posture of wariness. How is it possible that I can recognize her body language? She's an alien. Mike wondered. “Come on; I'll give you a quick tour, to show you what’s causing those noises.” Mike walked over to his furnace. Twilight followed, finally perking her ears up. “Over here, as you can see, is the big noisemaker, the furnace–” “What do you use a furnace for?” Twilight interrupted. “Wha–” Mike was so startled, he gaped like a fish. “You don't know what a furnace is for?” “Of course I do. Furnaces are used for heating or smelting metals, but I don't see any evidence of metal work being done down here.” Mike was so flabbergasted at her assumption that it took him a few moments to compose a suitable reply. “Yes, of course, there are furnaces used for such purposes. This unit, however, is a little different, it heats air. Air is circulated through those large ducts you see leading into the furnace at the bottom and out of it at the top. A powerful fan is used to keep the air moving and circulating throughout the house, keeping it warm. Most of the noise you're hearing is from that fan.” “Oh I see,” said Twilight, “at home, we simply burn wood in our fireplaces. Magical conduits carry the heat around to the rest of the building. In fact, you too have a fireplace; I saw it in one of the rooms upstairs. Why aren’t you heating your home with that?” “Fireplaces are inefficient. Nearly all the heat from the fire goes straight up the chimney. This furnace, however, is something like 95% efficient. Only five percent of the heat is lost out through the chimney.” “Well, I never before thought about the efficiency of fireplaces. They simply are.” Twilight paused with a thoughtful look, “I guess this is another ‘one of those things' again. “You know. I don't see any wood lying around, and I don't see any chimney. Do you heat with some form of magic? I'd be very interested in knowing what it is.” “Magic? There’s no such thing.” Mike expostulated.” Ahem. Sorry, I mean that we don’t know of any such thing.” He corrected himself, observing Twilight start to bristle at his first statement. “Perhaps the closest thing we have to something like you suggested would be an electric furnace. Forget about those, this furnace burns propane gas.” “What?!” she exclaimed, “But that's dangerous. Don't tell me you are dumping combustion products directly into the air we are breathing?” Twilight started backing away, turning towards the stairway. “Relax Twilight; you're safe. “ Twilight paused in her flight to safety. “The fire is contained within a hermetically sealed steel box. Fresh air for the flame is brought in through this pipe here, and the exhaust gasses go outside the house via that pipe there.” As Mike expounded on the inner workings of the furnace, Twilight returned, giving the furnace a closer scrutiny. “Flames, blowers, pipes, and ducts; fireplaces are so much simpler.” “Yes and no,” countered Mike. “This furnace offers a very high efficiency, so it only requires maybe one-twentieth of the fuel that a fireplace would require. The flame is smokeless, so there is no buildup of soot and creosote in the chimney, eliminating the risk of chimney fires. Neither are there any ashes needing to be cleaned up and removed. Finally, its operation is fully automatic. There is no need put on another log, or add more coal or some such.” “Coal?” Twilight questioned. “You would consider burning coal as a means of heating your home?” She looked at Mike as if he were crazy. “Of course not,” Mike replied, puzzled by her question. Human technology wasn’t that primitive anymore. “Sure, I’ll admit that at one time, about a hundred years ago, it was commonly burned to heat homes in this part of the world, but we don’t use it for that anymore. “Why? Do you have a problem with our former use of coal?” Mike asked. “Not really,” Twilight replied, somewhat defensively. “It’s just that where I come from coal is somewhat rare and very expensive. I’m surprised that you could even consider heating your home with it.” “That’s surprising,” Mike replied, “we don’t use it much anymore, but by no means would I consider coal to be expensive.” Twilight appeared to consider Mike's speech, eventually giving him a slight nod to show she understood. Gah, all this discussion about a furnace? Furnaces are boring. What planet did you come from? … Oh. Okay, I've got to finish this tour. “Moving right along,” Mike gestured towards a large cylindrical object, “this is the water heater. It’s simply a large tank full of hot water. It too burns propane gas to heat the water. If you listen carefully over all the other noises, you might hear its burner and exhaust blower running. “Next, we have the water pump. Currently, this little noise demon is filling up that holding tank with water under pressure. It will stop automatically when the tank reaches capacity.” The pump abruptly stopped, ending its annoying whine. After a brief pause, Mike decided to wrap up his boring tour, “Over there, you see the electrical panel containing the circuit breakers. And over against that wall is my laundry area. And that door over there behind the stairs leads to my office. “Any questions?” Twilight stared at Mike. “Thank you, Mike. Yes, I do have more questions, but first, could I ask you for something to drink? I'm really thirsty.” Mike smiled. “Of course Twilight.” A sudden rumble echoed from her abdomen. “Heh heh. And could I ask you for a little something to eat as well?” “Those are both very good ideas.” Mike gestured for Twilight to precede him up the stairs. ---------------- From the top of the stairs, Mike turned off the lights in his basement, plunging the hallway into even deeper darkness. “Excuse me Twilight.” He said as he passed her in the darkened hallway. Mike entered his kitchen and turned on the lights. “Let's see. Something to drink…” Mike began to ramble, “I have water, Orange juice, Coffee, Tea, Milk–” “Tea!” Twilight interrupted, “Yes! Some Tea would be nice.” “Tea it is then. Let's see, I've got Black Tea, I think I might have some Green Tea, and maybe some Herbal Tea.” Mike enumerated as he filled his electric kettle with water. Mike set the kettle down on its contact pad and switched it on. “I have to warn you Twilight; I hardly ever drink Tea, so it might have gotten a little bit stale.” “Stale? What do you mean stale?” “Some of the Teas have been sitting on the shelf for two or more years.” Mike offered the explanation with a sheepish grin. Twilight groaned and hooved her face, “Okay, let’s try the Black Tea. It's not my favorite, but that just means that I will be less disappointed if the taste is a little off.” “Black it is.” Mike rummaged around in the cabinet containing his Tea pantry and came out with a pair of tea bags. Fetching two ceramic mugs, he dropped a tea bag into each. “So, Twilight. You had some questions for me earlier today…” “That's right, I had a question about that nasty rain, what did you call it,-” “Freezing rain.” “That's right, Freezing rain. I've never heard of anything like it. That's not to say it’s unknown in Equestria. While I do pride myself on my knowledge, I freely admit that there are a lot of things I don't know anything about. Could you tell me what you know about it?” “Well,” said Mike, warming up to lecture mode, “Freezing Rain occurs when there is a thermal inversion. The ground and lower atmosphere is blanketed with a mass of cold air. And when I say cold, I mean its temperature is sub-freezing. Meanwhile, an approaching mass of warm moist air collides with the cold air and gets forced up over and on top of it. As it gains altitude, the moisture in the warm air mass condenses out as precipitation. Falling downward, the raindrops pass through the cold air mass and become supercooled. By that, I mean that the water in the raindrops is cooled to a temperature below the normal freezing point of water.” “But why does it simply not freeze into ice as it falls?” she asked. “Ice is not simply 'hard' water. It is actually water that has crystallized." Twilight nodded her understanding as Mike continued. "The water in the raindrops is so pure that there are no nucleation sites upon which crystal formation can begin. Hence the supercooled water remains a liquid. “But here's the nasty part, when that supercooled liquid touches something, anything, which can trigger crystal formation…” “Crystallization starts and the water instantly turns into ice!” Twilight finished triumphantly. “Eee!” she squealed happily. “You liked that explanation?” Mike asked in surprise. “Every time I start to lecture about something people just get a glazed look in their eyes and ask me to either shut up or dumb it down.” “I loved it!” Twilight exclaimed, her eye's gleaming, “You detailed the entire mechanism from start to finish. And then left a suggestion for how to derive the final part of the solution. Yes! "I love learning new things.” She added in a calmer voice. Mike smiled, happy to bask in the presence of Twilight's joy. A click sounded from the kettle as it switched itself off, announcing that the hot water was ready. Mike picked up the kettle and poured boiling water into the waiting mugs. Picking up the mugs he brought them over to the table. Twilight approached, peering suspiciously at her mug, “What's this?” “Your Tea, Madam.” Mike intoned sonorously, a snooty affect in his voice. Twilight giggled. “Seriously, what are those brown things floating around in there?” “Those are tea bags. Tea leaves nowadays come pre-packaged in those paper pouches. The paper is very porous to allow the hot water to circulate freely around the tea leaves.” “I don't think I will enjoy tasting paper pulp in my Tea.” “Don't worry about that. It’s a special paper that will not affect the taste. Neither will it get soggy and disintegrate in the hot water.” Mike noticed his tea was starting to get a little too dark for his tastes. Quickly he found and returned with a spoon and a saucer. Using the spoon, he fished his tea bag out of his cup. “Why did you do that?” Twilight asked curiously. “These are two cup teabags, intended for small teapots, not directly in these mugs, such as I am doing. I don't like strong tea, so I took out the tea bag before it had steeped too long.” “Give me that spoon!” Twilight lit up her horn and literally yanked the spoon out of Mikes' grip. It was fascinating to watch her magical dexterity as she fished the tea bag out of her own mug. I wonder if she really needed that spoon, or if she could have gotten the tea bag out directly with her magic? Mike thought lazily. He was about to express the question when Twilight spoke up. “You know. For best results, the Tea is supposed to steep in a teapot for several minutes. Removing the Tea leaves too soon is sure to affect the flavor.” With that, she levitated the mug up to her mouth and took a cautious sip. “Hmmm, not too bad–” Right, I saw your face go 'yuck.' “-do you have any honey?” “No. No honey I'm afraid. Is sugar acceptable?” Mike got up to hunt for his sugar bowl. He rarely used it. “Yes. Sugar is fine,” she replied even as Mike put down the sugar bowl in front of her. She stared curiously at the bowl. “Is something wrong?” “I'm used to sugar cubes. How much should I use…” “Just a guess mind you, but each spoonful should approximate one cube's worth of sugar.” Nodding her head, as if assenting to his suggestion, Twilight added two spoons of sugar to her Tea. She swirled the spoon around, waiting for the sugar to dissolve. She took another sip from her mug. “Mmm. That's better.” Mike stood up. “Well, I had better get started cooking up something for supper.” I think maybe I'll cook up a pack of Ribs. They'll taste great with the Potato salad. Twilight spoke up again. “I’d rather not wait that long. Could you just make me a sandwich or something?” “I’d be happy to,” Mike replied. “Do you have any special dietary requirements, Twilight?” He asked, remembering his speculations from earlier in the day. “No nothing special, just what any pony would eat.” Mike froze. Pony? On Earth, ponies eat hay and oats. I don't have any of that. Unfreezing himself, Mike turned towards Twilight. “Ah, Twilight? What exactly does a pony eat?”