Equestrian Vacation

by Dragonboy111

Chapter 16: Shopping Trip

When Twilight noticed Harry had fallen asleep, she couldn't bring herself to move him, he deserved his rest. Plus, he wasn't bothering her. She smiled fondly at Harry.

You know, for being one of the most unintentionally paranoid boys in this school, he looks so peaceful when he sleeps. It's kinda cute.

Twilight blushed as she realized how closely she was paying attention to Harry's sleeping form.

He's struggled so much, he deserves something nice in his life. If I can supply a happy memory or two, who am I to deny him friendship? Besides, it's not like I'm asking him to be my special somepony for Hearts and Hooves Day.

Twilight quickly brushed those embarrassing thoughts away as she returned to her books. Harry had earned his rest, for now, she should focus on the spell. She was positive she had the spell done right this time. She had already cast it on the quill Harry brought, which now was lime green instead of black. She was ready for pony- er- human testing.

"Ah, I see you've found yourself in the school library," said an old voice. Twilight tried not to jump and disturb Harry; luckily, his gentle breathing remained unchanged. Dumbledore let out a very soft chuckle. "Sorry to disturb you two, but I would feel like a poor host if I left our new arrival in the library past curfew."

"There's a curfew?" Twilight whispered. Was she in trouble!?

"Yes, there is. I'm surprised Madame Pince didn't remove you from her library when she closes it at eight o'clock."

"What time is it now?"

"Nearly midnight. I was about to start another search for you two. You seem to be forming a terrible habit," he said humorously.

"Sorry, I just got caught up in my work," she said, floating one of her books up to Dumbledore. He squinted as he tried to read the title.

"Eye of the Beholder? An interesting choice, if a bit harsh on the eyes."

"I suppose it is, but I was done with these anyways." Twilight sent the books back to their proper spots with a wave of her hand. "So, you mentioned curfew?"

"Yes. I was going to request Harry return to his house's dormitory for the night, and there are several guest rooms I believe you may find satisfactory," Dumbledore said. Twilight gently rocked Harry's shoulder.

"Harry, wake up," she said softly. Harry stirred awake.

"I'm up, I'm up." Harry stretched out. "Oh, professor, hi."

"Good night, Harry. I'm here to escort you both to bed. If you're ready, we can go now." Dumbledore gestured toward the door, waiting.

"I think I'm ready to test my spell," Twilight said as she and Harry stood. Twilight closed her eyes as she waved a hand over her face. Her skin shimmered like a heat mirage, the color slowly becoming undeterminable. When the haze faded, Twilight's skin was not purple, but a perfectly normal color for a human. Her hair had not changed a bit, but Harry thought it looked great, beautiful, even. "That should do it. How do I look?"

"Brilliant," said Harry.

"I believe you will be able to join the students for meals without raising suspicion, with the Beauxbatons here you will fit right in," Dumbledore commented. "Now, I believe you ought to be off to bed."

Dumbledore exited the library, Harry and Twilight close behind him, all ready to get some rest.

---

"Harry..."

Harry was sound asleep in his dorm room. It was so comfy, he hadn't gotten a good sleep in a while.

"Harry..." the voice said again.

Harry shifted in his covers more. Why was Twilight bothering him? He was having a good dream. He and Twilight were at Hogwarts, and Harry had a nice study session with her in the library.

"Harry!"

Wait, that wasn't a dream!

Harry shot up, awake. His sudden awakening scared Twilight Sparkle, who was standing next to his bed. Remembering he was back in Hogwarts, Harry shook the sleep away as he looked about the dormitory. The room was mostly empty, the only person left was Ron, who was still snoring loudly. Harry looked at Twilight next to him. Her skin still had the illusion from last night placed over it, and she was wearing a longer skirt and shirt.

"Morning, Twilight. How did you get here? The Fat Lady won't let you through without the password," Harry asked.

"I teleported. I wanted to see you before we start the day," she explained.

"Good thing too, if I woke up I would have thought yesterday was a dream," said Harry.

"I suppose so," Twilight admitted. "But it can't be weirder than your first visit to Equestria. Anyways, McGonagall dropped by earlier, she wants to see me before breakfast."

"I'll get up."

"Oh, and one more thing," Twilight said absent-mindedly. "I found these under my pillow last night." Twilight waved her hand, and six pieces of paper dropped into her hand. Letters.

Harry jumped out of bed in the blink of an eye. He was about to start changing when he remembered an important fact: Twilight was in the room. He felt heat flare up in his face.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked, confused.

"Oh, well, you see..."

"Yes?" she asked innocently.

"I need to get changed...

"..."

"...and humans normally don't do it with someone who's..." Harry gestured at her. Twilight's cheeks turned scarlet.

"Oh, right, nudity taboo. Sorry...! That's going to take time to get used to," she gushed, blush slowly receding. "I'll, um, be outside." She disappeared out of the dorms.

Harry smiled to himself, a little embarrassed. He had almost forgotten that detail too, it really showed how comfortable he was being a unicorn. Good thing he had remembered when he had, and not midway through the process of undressing. Harry was quick to change into more casual clothes than the school uniform he had fallen asleep in. When he was done he grabbed his bag before exiting the dorms, waving hello to Twilight.

"Oh, good, that was fast," she said. Harry nodded.

"So, letters or McGonagall first? I think letters."

"I was going to say teacher. It may be something important," Twilight argued.

"True, but you said she wanted to see us before breakfast. I don't think she told you, but we have some time before it starts," Harry reasoned, looking out a window. Breakfast probably wasn't for a little while yet. "Why don't we read them now?"

"The common room was empty when I walked in, we can read there." Twilight and Harry walked down to the empty room, where a fire was roaring in the fireplace. Twilight and Harry sat next to each other on the large sofa. "We've got six letters. One from Celestia and each of our friends. It would be polite to start with the princess's." Twilight opened the letter marked with Celestia's royal crest. She read its contents aloud for Harry.

Dear Twilight Sparkle.

My words cannot express my relief to hear that you are safe and sound. I was afraid I had lost another student. Your friends have expressed similar sentiments. I have reassured them that I will bring you home. I have read the notes sent by your assistant and can now replicate your mailing spell, it is rather impressive, well done. I will forward you any letters your friends send me until you can be returned to us. I will inform you when I feel it is safe to test the summoning spell to return you home.

For now, stick with Harry as best you can, I trust he will not lead you astray. A familiar face can go a long way in strange places. Remember to conduct yourself accordingly as my pupil. Be safe, my most faithful student.

Your teacher,

Princess Celestia of Equestria.

"You're going home!" Harry exclaimed.

"I can go home!" said a relieved Twilight.

"That's good, Celestia is working to get you home!" Harry said. "And we can send letters whenever we want. That's wonderful."

"Let's read the others." Twilight spread the other five letters out between her and Harry.

Applejack's was first.

Dear Twilight and Harry.

Thank Celestia you two are alright. When we heard Discord banished you, I thought Fluttershy was going to lose her mind. I sure hope you two are fine with staying there for a while. Stay safe you two.

Your friend,

Applejack.

Fluttershy's letter was next.

Dear Twilight and Harry.

I do hope you two are okay. I was so scared when you two didn't turn up yesterday. Discord said you two checked out, I should have seen his mischievous look. I'm going to give him a stern talking-to tomorrow, he should know better! I'll make sure he won't do it again, and try to convince him to bring you back.

With kindness,

Fluttershy.

Next was Pinkie Pie's letter.

To my dimensionally displaced friends. (That's you!)

What's it like over there? Did someone throw Twilight a welcoming party yet? Do they have balloons there? Oh, what if you threw each other a big party! I'll see if I can mail balloons to you! Have fun!

With jubilation,

Pinkie Pie.

The next one had the messiest hoofwriting, Rainbow Dash's.

Dear Harry and Twilight.

I'm glad you two are okay. Can't say I'm not a little jealous. Twilight, you are the first pony to visit Harry's world. On the other hoof, I don't know how much I could stand not having wings. The time Discord took them was enough to last a lifetime. Have an awesome time you two.

Your fastest friend,

Rainbow Dash.

The last letter in the pile was also the longest one, Rarity's.

Dear Twilight and Harry.

I must say I was rather distressed, hearing you two got banished back to Harry's world. Knowing Twilight is now a human must be disturbing. I couldn't imagine not having my glorious horn and luxurious coat. But I'm sure you two can manage, Harry adjusted just fine.

On a FAR more important note, if I'm not mistaken, the Yule Ball is only a few days away. I distinctly recall discussing the potential of Twilight or myself being Harry's partner. But, seeing as Twilight is already there, I'm presuming she has already proposed to go. Twilight should start practicing dancing, and finding something to wear. Speaking of, seeing as Twilight most likely has none on her, I'd be more than happy to make her a dress robe for such a unique opportunity. And Harry must have a matching set. It will be a wonderful opportunity to practice my craft with non-pony customers.

Please send the requirements for the clothes, both your measurements and anything of note for a seamstress making clothes for humans.

Sincerely,

Rarity.

Harry and Twilight set down the notes and looked at each other. It was a minute before Harry spoke.

"Discord is going to get a tongue-lashing from Fluttershy." Harry held up Fluttershy's letter, trying to contain his laughter. Twilight joined in a second later, imagining Discord cowering under 'the stare' from Fluttershy.

"I guess he won't be bothering us for a while." Twilight picked up Rarity's letter. "Now Rarity's offering to make me a dress robe. And she wants to make you one."

"Mrs. Weasley already got me one," Harry said.

"I doubt she'll take no for an answer."

"We can worry about that one later. There's no negotiating with her sometimes. Come one, let's go."

Harry rolled up all the notes and stuffed them in his bag. They could reply to everyone later. For now, McGonagall was probably waiting for them. Harry stood up, walking to the portrait with Twilight close on his heels. They exited the portrait and walked down the many halls of the castle. Twilight was very impressed by the moving staircases, if a little concerned for student safety. The halls were empty enough for Harry and Twilight to walk without drawing attention to each other. There were some odd glances directed toward her, but most of those were from older Hogwarts students. It didn't take long to enter McGonagall's office. The room was absent of living things except for a cat sitting on her desk.

"Wasn't McGonagall supposed to be waiting for us?" Twilight asked.

"She is," was Harry's reply.

The cat jumped down from the table, and in her place stood Professor McGonagall, looking slightly amused at Twilight's dumbfounded look.

"Good morning, Miss Sparkle. I see Potter has been kind enough to direct you to my office." She took a seat at her desk and pulled out a single sheet of paper. "Dumbledore has tasked me with ensuring your needs have been met for the duration of your stay, or at least until you may have the necessary items transported from your homeland. Some clothes, perhaps. And seeing your arrival was... impromptu, I guess you'll need a dress robe, correct?"

"Yes, I will need one of those. I have a friend back home who can make one in a day, she'll just need my measurements. Harry's too, she'll want to make him one," Twilight said. McGonagall nodded slowly.

"Does Mister Potter not have one already?"

"Oh, I do. However, Rarity's insisting." Harry answered. "She's not the Element of Generosity for nothing, but she does take the title a bit too seriously at times." McGonagall looked like she wanted to ask about the last sentence but instead, reread her paper.

"I received notice Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions should be open all day today, the number of last-minute purchases has shot up. Normally we don't allow students to leave school grounds, but I think we can make an exception with Potter for extenuating circumstances. We want Hogwarts to make a good impression," McGonagall said. She made a quick note in her paper before folding it up and stashing it in her robes. "If you two are ready, we can go before breakfast and beat the crowds." When neither Harry nor Twilight said anything in opposition McGonagall stood up to exit the classroom. "Follow along, we will be using the floo network to save time."

The three moved through the castle until they returned to the Gryffindor common room. There she explained that all the fireplaces were connected to the floo network, but required express permission from faculty to use. She had Harry go first, as Twilight was unfamiliar with the method of travel. But eventually, all three manage to stand in the Gryffindor fireplace, say "Diagon Ally", and disappear in a burst of green flame.

Twilight wondered if this was what Spike's fire felt like to paper.

When Harry reappeared from the fire, he was back in Diagon Ally. It was less busy than the last time he was here, but there were still plenty of comers and goers. Snow was lightly dusting the ground between the cobblestone pavement. Twilight wasn't far behind him, stumbling around at the sudden transport. She shivered at the cold but looked too curious to care.

"So this is where you got all your school supplies?" she asked, looking from shop to shop.

"Yes. But we're here for robe measurements, so we'll need to visit that building." Harry pointed to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Now, one thing before we go, try to not look at the shops, there are some items you and I may find... disturbing."

"Like what?" Twilight looked over Harry's shoulder and paled immediately upon seeing an item. "Dragon hide gloves...?! I think I'm going to be sick..." Twilight doubled over, hands on knees as she tried not to dry heave. Harry gently rested a hand on her back.

"I know, it's okay, I don't like it either. Just take a breath, we don't have to go until you're ready," Hary said. Both stayed where they were until McGonagall appeared behind them.

"Oh, you don't look good. The first floo use can be... disorientating," McGonagall said, to which both shook their heads.

"Twilight saw the...um, gloves." Harry said, pointing at the dragon hide gloves. McGonagall looked confused at Twilight's reaction. "It came as a shock."

"I don't understand, wizards across the world use a dragon's parts for many things. My own wand uses a dragon heartstring core. I didn't know you had an aversion for them."

"My Spike is a dragon!" Twilight said savagely, before having to hold back another gag. Thankfully, her stomach was empty of anything to regurgitate.

"Your what?" McGonagall sounded extremely perplexed by Twilight's dislike of the items. Even wizards who worked with dragon colonies allowed for the collection of some necessary items. Heartstring collection required a large number of dragons to be available at any given moment. Harry turned his head to the professor.

"Spike is a dragon Twilight hatched. He's her best friend and assistant, he's family to her, like a son or brother. He's a good kid. Wouldn't cat skin clothes disturb you, at least a little?" Harry countered.

McGonagall started to understand. Not long after becoming an animagus, she had nearly lost her lunch when she saw a muggle animal control worker. And if this dragon was like family to Miss Sparkle, it would explain her reaction.

"Do you need more time, Twilight?" Harry asked gently, rubbing her back. Twilight weakly reached out for Harry's hand, which he took without hesitation.

"We can go," she said, keeping her eyes firmly on the ground in front of her. Harry turned back to nod at McGonagall, and she and Harry guided Twilight to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

When they entered the store McGonagall requested Malkin take Harry and Twilight's measurements for a "foreign designer" Twilight knew. Said girl also requested the measurements have notes as though the seamstress had never made human clothing. Madam Malkin didn't question further as she continued to measure the two. She continued measuring and writing until she had a small set of papers ready. The notes contained both humans' measurements, and some basic things of note for a seamstress. Harry took them and sent them off to Rarity almost immediately. When they were done Harry paid a small fee before they exited.

"We'll be side-along apparating back to Hogsmeade then walking to the castle." McGonagall said when they left the shop. Harry spotted something as he left the store.

"I'll be right back." Harry vanished with a jade glow, much to McGonagall's irritation.

"Mister Potter!" Harry didn't return at McGonagall's call. "Where is he going?"

"Beats me if I know, Harry's been impulsive since the day we met. Probably saw something he deemed important," Twilight guessed, still looking at the ground. A few seconds later, Harry reappeared next to her.

"Alright, good to go," he said. McGonagall frowned crossly. "I saw a perfect Christmas present, I couldn't refuse," Harry explained.

"That'll be five points from Gryffindor, Potter," she said crossly. "Come along, we need to get back without any more delays."

Author's Note:

Oh, would you look at that, Harry got a Christmas gift. I wonder what it is? I already know, but can you guess?
This is probably the last day of two updates in one day. From here on out, it's once per day. After this Friday, this story will be caught up with fanfiction.net, and will follow its once a week schedule.

Comments

[Da Fennec]

Ahh the difference between HP dragons and Spike. Love how Harry makes McGonagall understand. If the muggle animal control worker disturbs her wonder how badly the pound would've disturbed her

[Fox Jones]

Dragon-hide gloves... Ouch!