Hazy Days and Magical Ways

by Dogger807


Chapter 9: Predictable Tête-à-Tête

Busily laboring away in the workshop in the back of her tidy store, Mystic Book was in a good mood. In fact, she was just short of being ecstatic, despite the workload that occupied not only every available trace of surface area on her benchtop but also a large bucket set in a corner. She needed to replace her entire stock of Class D TEIF crystals, and each crystal required precision selection, grinding, and polishing. The season had been inordinately profitable, so much so that she had sent home a letter that she never had imagined she would be writing. She could finally offer her favorite niece the apprenticeship they had both craved.

She had been filled with joy when her niece had arrived late last night. It had taken only a few sentences over breakfast before the filly was ready to pony the counter, freeing Mystic to start on her list of backlogged chores. With any luck, the windfall she had received was a harbinger of increased business. If nothing else, the patronage of the princesses themselves had brought her shop a cachet that no number of bits could buy.

“Tata!” Crystal Cache, her niece, called from out front. “Un oiseau . . . a bird . . . it has just appear et land on the counter.”

“Is it an owl?” Mystic Book called back, still focusing on the crystal she was modifying.

“C'est quoi owl?” Crystal Cache’s voice asked.

“Une chouette,” Mystic Book answered.

“Oui, cela veux dire une chouette.”

“Speak like une local,” Mystic chastised.

“It is owl,” Crystal Cache called out.

“Is she wearing a pouch on her breast?” asked Mystic.

“Oui!”

“What?” called back Mystic. “Could you repeat that?”

“Oui . . . Yes! The bird does wear pouch.”

“Place your horn on the pouch and speak ‘Ex Dimittere’.” Mystic started to arrange the crystal she was working on so that she could safely leave it in its unfinished state.

“T'es pas sérieuse? Elle a le bec bien acéré,” Crystal Cache objected.

“Which language do you speak?” Mystic chided.

“I said, its beak is sharp. So too are its claws,” Crystal Cache called.

“It will not hurt you,” Mystic Book replied. “Do as I say.” She quickly approached a safe stopping point as she wondered if her niece would be able to follow the instructions.

The call of the hurler filled the showroom.

“Yyyyyyyiiiiieeeeeeeeee!”

Yes, her niece could apparently follow instructions, Mystic mused. “Crystal! Do not scream at un customers!”

“C'est un customer?” Crystal’s voice was a higher pitch than normal.

“Yes, I will be with you in a few seconds.”

“Dépêche toi s'il te plait!”

Mystic sighed as she exited the back room. A smile claimed her muzzle when she was greeted with the sight of a familiar human. “Welcome to Enchantment Essentials. Welcome back.”

The human, Mrs. Brown, smiled in return. “Hello. I seem to have startled your help. I am so very sorry for that.”

“Non!” Mystic trotted forward to stand beside a trembling Crystal Cache. “The fault is not yours. My niece has not yet met a human such as yourself.”

“Your niece?” asked the human with a raised eyebrow.

“Oui, she has arrive just this previous night. Long has she wanted to follow me to the city, Canterlot. She will be a great help with all of the new work I have been getting,” Mystic Book said. “But that is not why you are here. How may we help you?”

“The items I bought before have made my job easier. A quicker turnaround has increased my customer base,” Mrs. Brown said. “I’m here for more supplies. I’d also like to browse your wares for more inspiration.

“I am contente to hear that you are satisfaite with my goods,” Mystic Book said.

“I am so happy that Lavender found your store,” Mrs. Brown said. “I don’t suppose you offer a catalog of your inventory?”

“Non,” Mystic shook her head. “I am afraid I have no such thing to offer.”

“Pity,” said Mrs. Brown. “I suppose owl orders would be out of the question as well.”

“Owl order?” Mystic Book asked. “The birds, they deliver merchandise like they deliver humans?”

“Yes, most of the businesses where I come from do a fair amount of their custom through owls. Of course, you’d have to learn the shrinking charm for it to be practical.”

“I am intriguée. How would I learn this spell and how does one acquire an owl?” Mystic Book perked up.

The human gave her an appraising look. “The spell isn’t that hard; I’d be happy to teach it to you. A quick trip to Diagon Alley is all it would take to get an owl or two.” She tilted her head in thought. “I can also enchant you a catalog book. Wouldn’t even be much of a chore. It’s a common commission in my line of work, and I’m willing to offer a discount since I would be benefitting from the automatically updating pamphlets it would produce.”

“Ow many bits are we talking?”

“It’s a twenty-galleon piece of work.” Mrs. Brown looked toward the ceiling as she thought. “Not an insignificant amount by any standard, but it will last your lifetime as well as that of your children. Hmmm, I have everything I need at home to make you one so there wouldn’t be any out of pocket for me.”

"Combien vaut un Galleon?" Mystic Book asked.

“Huh?” Mrs. Brown looked down at the pony.

“Ow many bits to a galleon?” Mystic clarified.

“Oh.” Mrs. Brown started searching her robe pockets for a slip of parchment. "I have that written down here, somewhere." As she looked, she added. “I would be willing to accept store credit as payment. On top of that I’d be willing to take you to the alley to get your birds. Just add the purchase price for a couple of owls to that credit and we can avoid the hassle of converting monies.”

“That sounds, how do you say, too good to be true,” Mystic Book said as she looked at the slip of parchment the human held out to her.

“It is hardly altruistic on my part,” Mrs. Brown said. “I see it as a smart investment; saving me critical time in the future. To be honest, it would almost be worth it just to give you the book free and clear. Being able to send my owl to pick up a part when I’m in the middle of a difficult project could literally save me more than the initial cost.”

Mystic Book felt Crystal Cache prodding her flank with a hoof. “Tata. Une chouette."

“It seems my niece likes the idea of getting an owl.” Mystic Book said.

“Non,” Crystal said, “je veux dire another owl has appeared. Comment font-elles cela?”

“Oui, we will accept your offer.” Mystic looked over her withers to see that another pouch-bearing owl had indeed arrived. “Crystal, please see to our new arrival.”

“You won’t regret your decision,” Mrs. Brown said as the younger unicorn placed her horn on the second owl’s pouch. “Like I said, we will both profit from this.”

Once more, the horrid sound of retching filled the shop.

“I hope you are correct,” Mystic Book said. “Owever, good business decisions always carry some risk.”

“Welcome to Enchantment Essentials,” Crystal told the human who popped out of the second pouch.

“I’ll go browse now and let you see to your other customer,” Mrs. Brown said, walking away from the counter.

“Oui, thank you.” Mystic Book waved a friendly hoof.

“It’s good to see you are standing without any problems,” said the voice of a human stallion.

Mystic Book blushed as she turned toward the newcomer. “That was not my finest hour. Je suis désolé. You should not have seen me in such a . . . What are you doing to my niece?”

The human male blinked in surprise before looking down and seeing that he had been scratching behind the younger unicorn’s ear. “Oh, sorry,” he said, snatching his hand away. “I have a dog; I’m afraid I did that purely on reflex. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Non!” Crystal cried out. “Ça faisait du bien! Don’t stop!”

“Be a good filly, Crystal.” Mystic Book said. “Do not pester the stallion.”

“Je ne suis pas une pouliche.” Crystal pouted.

A red tinge marked the human stallion’s cheeks as he spoke. “Ah . . . yes . . . well . . . The Minister has been informed that the writ of payment for the crystals we procured has never been redeemed. He sent me to make sure you receive your money for the transaction and to make sure there are no hard feelings.”

“Your diligence is apprécié,” Mystic Book said. “Owever, you need not worry, the crown has seen my money pouch filled. You owe me nothing.”

The human stallion blinked. “You got your galleons?”

“Oui, Raven Inkwell from the palace saw to it.” Mystic Book tilted her head with a small smirk. “You are accoutumer my niece, again.”

“Huh?” the human stallion looked down at his treacherous hand before snatching it away again. “Sorry! Sorry!”

“Aww!” complained Crystal. “Tu dois essayer ça, ma tante.”

“Well, um, the second reason I’m here is to purchase more muggle-stuff protection crystals. There are several projects that we need them for.”

“I am sorry. I have only prepared about fifteen Class D TEIF. Though I do have more of the other sizes.” Mystic Book watched as her niece used her muzzle to nudge the hand the human had returned to his waist.

“That’s fine,” the human stallion said. “We are looking to maintain some bigger fields of influence. What’s the largest you have available?”

“The biggest I have on hoof can cover a large house.” Mystic Book smiled. “Given some time, I can provide a product with even greater range. I would need to order the base crystal, though.”

“How big are we talking?”

“As much as I would love the profit,” Mystic said, “at a certain point it is cheaper and more efficient to use multiple crystals. Larger isn’t always better.”

“Mmmmm,” purred Crystal.

“You’re the expert,” the human stallion said. “I’ll take whatever you have on hand.”

“Funny, you should mention hands.” Mrs. Brown said, coming back up to the counter.

“What?” asked the stallion, puzzled, before looking down. Once again, he snatched his hand away.

“Aww!” said Crystal.

“She is doing that on purpose.” Mystic Book said.


After the hiss from the darkness had faded, eyes had adjusted enough to the gloom to perceive that there was a face behind the glowing, golden orbs. Whatever everyone's response had been to the initial shock had been abruptly halted. An uncomfortable silence prevailed as everyone’s base instincts told them not to move or draw attention to themselves. Thus, it was a good half minute before Spike spoke. “Sheesh,” he declared, “it’s only a dragon. I was scared there for a second.” He buffed his claws on his robes confidently. “I got this.” With those words, he strode forward with purpose.

In response to his forward motion, a menacing hiss preceded the owner of the large yellow eyes as it slithered out of the shadows into full view.

“That’s not a dragon!” Spike exclaimed, backpedaling frantically. “That is not a dragon! That’s definitely not a dragon!”

“This is just great,” Ralph said. “My dying thought is going to be that I never dreamed of a situation where those words would be delivered in a panicked voice.”

“Now is not the time,” Silver Spoon squeaked.

“I don’t think there will be any time later,” Ralph retorted.

The huge snake hissed again. A voice behind Professor Babbling said, "He's just a baby dragon, after all."

The snake towered over the professor and looked down. Diamond Tiara squeaked at the sudden, unwanted attention. Silently, she chastised herself for drawing the monster closer.

A loud hiss pushed her mane into her eyes.

“Me?” Diamond Tiara said in a raspy tone. “I’m the primus.”

Slowly, the snake lowered its head, stopping a mere foot away from Professor Babbling's head. Another hiss escaped from it.

“Speak clearly?” Diamond squeaked. “I can't help that I'm a little hoarse. How can I not be scared? You’re a giant talking snake. If I survive this, I’ve found new fuel for my nightmares.”

The snake leaned back, its head raising as it did so. Yet another hiss was heard.

“I don’t think you can put me at ease,” Diamond said. “Like I said, you’re a giant talking snake.”

The snake turned its head to direct its gaze at the Gryffindors. It hissed yet again.

Diamond also looked at the Gryffindors, taking in their vertical achievement. “They do that when they’re scared. Once again, giant talking snake.”

Professor Babbling took her wand off the threat long enough to point it at herself and murmur, “Scourgify.”

The snake hissed again.

“I have no idea how they keep their balance.” Diamond said, swapping forms and standing as a human. “I think it has something to do with the way they stick their wings out. Though that might just be to make themselves look bigger.”

“Yer not helping,” Apple Bloom said from the bottom of the stack.

“Draco, stop standing in front of me. Get behind me!” Silver Spoon demanded.

“Told you,” Pansy said.

“Children, be quiet and let Miss Tiara parley.” Professor McGonagall’s wand never left the snake.

“What does parley mean?”

“Miss Aloo!”

“Right, shutting up.” Scootaloo complied.

The snake hissed again.

“You could try being smaller,” Diamond said. “A lot smaller.”

The snake hissed again.

“Couldn’t hurt asking,” Diamond said, still hiding behind Professor Babbling.

The snake hissed once more.

“It was an accident. A hole just appeared in the floor of the bathroom and we just kind of wound up here,” Diamond said. “We’re sorry to disturb you. We can be going if you like.”

The snake hissed.

“Waiting for me?” Diamond shuddered. “I’m just fur and bone. The professors are all much bigger.”

Another hiss.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that.” Diamond sighed in relief. “Why don’t you talk to Professor McGonagall instead? She’s an adult.”

“Hisssss.”

“She can’t? Then why can I?” Diamond questioned.

“Hisssss.”

“Really?” Diamond took her wand out of her wrist-mounted holster and looked at it critically. “Are you sure?”

“Hisssssssss. Hissss Hisss.”

“It is so unfair that Sweetie Belle and Hermione can’t understand you. They might have comprehended that.” Diamond pouted. “Or one of the professors, for that matter.”

In the gloom no one could see the look of nonchalance on the blue pegasus.

“Hisss.”

“Only half a year.”

“Hissss.”

“Great, more studying.” Diamond Tiara was starting to lose some of her initial fear only to have it replaced by another dread.

“Hisss.”

“How long have you been waiting?” Diamond asked.

“Hiss.”

“Really? All by yourself?”

“Hissss hissss. Hissss. Hisssss.”

“That’s awful.”

“Hisssss hisss. Hisss. Hisssss.”

“You don’t say.”

“Hisss Hisss. Hissss.”

“You poor thing.”

“Hisss. Hisss hisss.”

“No! I wouldn’t make you do anything like that!”

“How is it possible to be so scared and so bored at the same time?” blurted Ralph.

“Mr. Godfrey!” said Professor McGonagall.

“Sorry professor. I’ll be quiet.”

“Hisss. Hisss.”

“No, he’s not mine, at least not yet.” Diamond shrugged. “He didn’t mean to be rude by interrupting.”

“Hisss.”

“What do you mean ‘not yet’?!”

“Mr. Godfrey!”

“Hisss.”

“Yeah,” said Diamond Tiara. “Just to be clear, there are no threats to the school or students. All ponies and humans are off the menu.”

“Hisssss.”

“No, I don’t have a problem with you eating spiders.”

“Hiss.”

“Let’s go with the same rule of hoof human use. If it can talk or beg for its life, it’s off the menu.”

“Hissss.”

“Sure, with the exception of spiders.”

“Hey!” Sweetie broke in. “Where’s Magah?”

“She showed some horse sense and ran for it,” Tracey said. The green pony was no longer glowing. Instead, the spot where she was standing was deep in shadows that somehow defied the torch light.

“Hisss.”

“Yeah,” said Diamond Tiara.

“Hiss Hisssss.”

“Mmmmm hmmm,” said Diamond Tiara.

“Miss Tiara, please ask him what kind of snake he is.” Professor Flitwick spoke up for the first time.

“Hisss?”

“He wants me to ask you what kind of snake you are,” Diamond Tiara said.

“Hissss.”

“A basilisk? Sorry, can’t say I’ve heard of your kind before.”

“Hissss.”

“A basilisk!” Professor McGonagall’s voice was tight. “How are we all not dead?”

“Relax, ma’am,” Diamond Tiara said. “He says he’s here to protect the school population. In fact, he’s really upset that the last speaker to talk to him forced him to put students at risk.”

“Hisssss.”

“I don’t know if he’ll be coming back,” Diamond admitted.

“You misunderstand, Miss Tiara,” Professor Flitwick said. “The gaze of a basilisk is supposed to be lethal.”

“Really?” Diamond asked.

“Hisss.”

“He says that your gaze is supposed to be lethal,” Diamond relayed.

“Hissss.”

“Yes, it would be rather silly if you couldn’t control that. It would make having a conversation rather difficult,” Diamond conceded.

“Woah!”

“Look out!”

“Eek!”

Diamond Tiara turned around in time to see Magah retreating with Seamus and Parvati hanging from her mouth by their tails. A pile of Gryffindors now graced the floor.

“Hissss.”

“Mmmm hmmm,” said Diamond. “Ignore them.”

“Hisss.”

“No.” Diamond shook her head. “Why, don’t we get back to your story?”

“Hisss Hissss Hisss. Hissss.”

“She’s doing it again,” said Harry.

“Magah, stop it!” commanded Sweetie Belle. “Oooof!”

“Magah, come back here with them!” added Hermione.

“Hissss.”

“Like I said, ‘ignore them’,” Diamond said. “Please continue.”

“Hisss Hissss Hissss Hisss.”

“Oh!” Diamond gasped “Oh my!”

“I just realized I have echolocation,” Abagail commented.

“Really?” said Luna. “Teach me.

“Girls, focus,” said Lavender.

“Hissss Hisss Hissss.”

“You don’t say,” Diamond prompted.

“Magah! Stop it!”

“Hisss Hisss.”

“I can see your point.” Diamond nodded.

“I can’t believe we are having a conversation with Slytherin’s monster,” Professor Babbling said.

“I can’t believe we aren’t all dead yet,” Professor McGonagall said.

“I can’t believe no one can keep their mouths shut,” Spike added.

“He’s not a monster,” Diamond objected. “He’s just misunderstood.”

“You’ve been hanging out with Fluttershy,” Scootaloo accused. “Whoops! Magah! Bad unicorn!”

“Hissss.”

“Yes, sorry,” said Diamond.

“Hissss.”

“Oh, that won’t be a problem.” Diamond waved a dismissive hoof. “I’ll just send you home until we can be sure he doesn’t come back. That way, we don’t need to test whose commands take precedence.”

“Hissss.”

“No, he’s not going to find you there. It’s in a different dimension.” Diamond said. “You’ll be fine. Just ask for Fluttershy.”

“Magah! Really! That’s enough!”


Applejack gave a frustrated huff. An idle mind was Grogar's playground, and the tedious chores now gave her too much time to think. Eons of evolution had made ponies natural worriers; those who were not generally fell victim to some foreseeable misfortune. Applejack was from a long line of survivors, and consequently, she had a lot to worry about.

Her contact with the human world had been a mixed blessing. On the positive side, many of her former worries had been successfully resolved. Apple Bloom had insisted on paying off the massive loan the Apples had taken to recover from the last parasprite infestation, keeping the family farm out of the hands of the bankers. The tide had turned in the losing battle to save for Granny's hip replacement when Andi Tonks had taken up the case pro bono. The human witch had vanished the arthritic joint before giving the elderly mare a horrible-tasting potion to grow a new one. The prospect of having no descendants to carry on the family line had been diminished by Applejack's unexpected marriage.

New worries had replaced the old faster than a Sonic Rainboom, and they all focused on her new stallion, her husband. Who would have thought that she would end up in a herd with Zecora? Who would have thought that they would have landed a thestral? Who would have thought that they would be in the crosshairs of an entire race of ponies?

Everything had been going too well to be true. Of course, as soon as she had thought that, they had received news that their stallion was in the hospital. They had almost lost their stallion before finishing their honeymoon. A talk with Twilight was in order, despite there being no way that she could have known that her machine would have caused so much damage. Luckily, the danger had passed before Applejack had been made aware of it.

Now, if only she didn’t need to worry about the mare who was apparently stalking him. Even with Zecora being on site to watch over him, it wasn’t a pleasant situation.

Grumbling to herself, Applejack tossed a bag of feed onto one of the storage shelves. Winter should have been a time to relax; however, the foals had a greenhouse that needed tending. With the children off at school, the work fell to her. On the bright side, herbs that would normally not be available until spring were now growing nicely inside the building. Zecora would have the ingredients she needed for the potion that the human ministry was breathing down the zebra’s neck to produce.

“Groooowwwwwllll!” came the complaint from behind the farmpony.

‘Quiet, Albert.” Applejack scolded. “Ah’ve already given y'all yer food. Yer not getting any more right now.”

“Growl!”

“An’ quit yer pouting. Ah ain’t falling fer it.” It felt sort of wrong to deny a hungry individual seconds, but Sandy had warned that over feeding would result in an unwanted growth spurt. Albert was enough of a hoofful as it was.

Applejack was in the process of picking up a watering can when a burst of flames warmed the greenhouse, announcing Philomena's arrival. The panicked look on the bird was a bad omen and, when Philomena started urgently squawking and pointing with both wings, Applejack concluded that it was time to put her worries on the backburner.

“Calm down; calm down. Is somepony hurt?” Applejack gave the bird her undivided attention. “Is somepony in danger?”

Not being able to talk, Philomena stuck out a leg, displaying the scroll attached to it.

“It’s only been a couple days.” Applejack reached for the scroll with trepidation. “They couldn’t have gotten into that much trouble.”

Philomena’s look clearly said, “You can’t possibly believe that.”

Applejack sighed and retrieved the scroll. She spat it onto a table to read. Looking back at the bird, she said. “A pet fer Diamond Tiara? Why didn’t ya’ll take it directly to Filthy Rich?”

Philomena let out a small chirp.

“Ah wish Fluttershy were here,” Applejack grumbled. “Well, whatever it is, it can’t be scarier than Fluffy.”

Philomena chirped again.

“Did y'all just say ‘you wish’?” Applejack directed a worried look at the bird.

Philomena nodded.

Applejack sighed.


Mr. and Mrs. Thomas were having a worrisome day. After coming home and learning about their daughters' friend, they had asked Eva to use the floo to contact the Ministry. After experiencing typical bureaucracy and being passed around for a good hour, they were put in contact with someone who could help. The wizard had given them a funny look before committing to talking to the centaur herd immediately.

It had been another two hours before he had gotten back to them. The news was not at all what they were expecting, though. The centaurs did not want the little filly back. They had said something about her being divested of destiny and thus a threat of some kind. Their wizard contact had then shrugged and informed the Thomas adults that they were now the proud guardians of a centaur filly. Before they could recover from the shock of the declaration, he had retreated back through the floo, leaving the family with their new guest.

This had led to a family dinner that required special accommodations for their new charge. To compensate for her inability to sit in a chair, Mr. Thomas had dragged the family room’s coffee table over for her to stand on, allowing her to reach her plate on the dining table.

The frustration of dealing with bureaucracy and the worry of unexpected parenthood had been offset by the joy exuded by the girls. After school, the three children had spent the afternoon playing together and getting to know each other better.

“Well,” said Grandpa Thomas to the centaur filly. “it looks like you’ll be staying here for the foreseeable future.”

“Okay.” Licenta said, unable to hide her smile.

“You don’t want to go back to your family?” Mrs. Thomas asked as she started spooning out the meal.

“I will miss my mother,” Licenta said.

“What about your friends?” Granny Thomas asked.

“No one wants to be friends with a dead filly; it would be a waste of time and cause undue heartache,” Licenta said, obviously parroting something she had been told.

“Nonsense,” said Mrs. Thomas. “Everyone needs friends.”

“Yes,” Licenta said with a voice that could only be described as bitter.

“Now you have some,” Mr. Thomas said, gesturing toward his daughters.

“Yes,” Licenta said the same word, only this time it contained something that lifted the spirits of all present. Pandora’s box was opened a second time, and its last occupant was released to suffuse the little girl. A new sensation filled her being, and she practically glowed.

“We’ll set you up in Dean’s room,” Mrs. Thomas said, “after we’re done eating.”

“What is this?” Licenta asked, staring down at the table.

“It’s tuna casserole,” Granny Thomas said. “Eat as much as you like.”

“Thank you,” Licenta said reaching for her meal.

“Use your fork, dear.” Granny Thomas said.

“What’s a fork?”

In response, Granny Thomas brandished her own utensil before demonstrating how to use it properly.

“Oww!” Licenta said after poking herself.

“You’ll get used to it,” Rosie said helpfully, before starting on her own plate. “Tuna casserole is kinda icky, but you need to finish if you want any pudding.”

“What’s pudding?” Licenta asked, making a second attempt. “This is good!” she proclaimed.

“We are happy you like it,” Mr. Thomas said with a smile. He had opened his heart to his stepson, giving the boy his last name. He would do the same for this child.

Though an offensive was being deployed, the tide of battle had yet to turn.

Fate had received a right cross to the nose.

Chaos had gained two new powerful allies.

The eternal conflict continued.