Potion Hijinks [Private] [Closed]

[Tayari]

Seventh of December, Noon

In the West Residential District of Manehattan sat a tiny building. From the outside, it didn't seem to pride itself on attractiveness with its lack of a proper coat of paint and its mildly deteriorated state. The main things that would draw anyone's attention to it would be the pair of glowing bottles hanging by the doorframe and the sign illuminated by them: 'Potent Prepared Potions.'

Through the surprisingly thick door into the front room of the building, a guest can see a simple wooden room. Here at least there are signs of a dark green coat of paint, though this is still chipped in several places. A counter sits a little behind the center of the room, from the left wall to a metre short of the right wall; on the counter sit a number of vials, with a clear space in front of the front door.

Behind the counter, through an empty doorframe, to the right and another very thick door, the zebra owner of the building sits in a cluttered alchemy room. Stacks of paper are about, some with writing on them listing recipes in various states of completion, others just notes labeling mysterious vials, others simply blank. Behind him, a ladder leads up to a trapdoor to the roof which is locked at the time, and hidden from the skies by a tarp. Several alchemical supplies, herbs and gems and tools, also lie about, with a cauldron in the centre of the room. In short, the room would be best described as a state of organized chaos.

With the crunch of plant matter in a mortar and pestle, the precise addition of water to get the mixture just right; several utensils and ingredients are involved in the process. Eventually, the process is complete...

...Tayari starts eating the sandwich he made for his lunch break, and taking a drink from a glass every few bites. If nothing calls him to the front room, he'll probably be a few minutes.

[Hijinks]

Hijinks was happily skipping down the street, humming a small tune to herself. The rain that came earlier in the day had left behind a fresh supply of puddles, and Hijinks took every opportunity to jump in one. When her little tune came to a close, she decided to take in the sights around her. There was nothing really interesting here, a few buildings, a few ponies continuing their dull lives and a few birdies picking out scraps among the trash. But something caught her attention, a small building that looked boring at first glance, but upon further inspection reveled it to be a shop. One that sold potions. Magical potions.

Hijinks eye's lit up like fireworks and a imaginary light bulb lit up above her head. 'What if they have a potion that could give me wings?' she thought to herself. Such an opportunity could not be passed up, and Hijinks made her way to the entrance to the building.

Hijinks didn't have any bits though. She relied on the many fascinating things ponies and griffon throw away in the trash. So, as quietly as she could, she made her way into the room with every intention to steal, checking left and right for the occupants. Satisfied that nopony was home, she trotted up to the counter and started looking through the many vials on display.

"Let's see what we got here" Hijinks quietly whispered to herself. She picked up a dull green potion with a label on it. "Tee arr eighty eight? these are just random letters!" She carelessly threw the potion behind her, which created a loud smash when it made contact with the floor. Hijinks however, was totally engrossed in the potions now, and was sifting through all of the vials looking for something that looked nice, occasionally discarding a potion onto the floor after reading the label.

[Tayari]

Partway through his meal, Tayari heard the crashing sound of the potion vial. Muttering, "What the buck...?", he stood and made his way to the door. Taking a few seconds to open it and close it behind him, he continued through into the main room.

Seeing that it was a little filly looking through his potions, he calmed himself a little, though it was made difficult by her careless treatment of the vials, not to mention the effect on the store.

Clearing his throat, Tayari asked, "Can I help you?" Despite his best efforts, he couldn't quite hide the irritation in his tone.

[Hijinks]

Hijinks' ears perked up at the voice of a pony. A pony that wasn't her! Not bothering to look up at the pony who addressed her, she instantly turned around and started heading towards the exit. Unfortunately, she forgot about the various potions she had tossed about the room, and as she passed over the liquid, her hooves lost friction with the ground. Hijniks was sent snout first into the ground, letting out a yelp of pain. Now sprawled out on the ground, she brought her hooves up to her snout, cradling her wound. "Owie owie owie" she repeated to herself. Today was not her lucky day.

[Tayari]

Tayari somewhat expected such a reaction from his appearance. Granted, he would have expected the reaction from an older pony or griffon who'd been caught stealing rather than a filly... Still, it wasn't entirely surprising to see her try to flee.

It was surprising to see her slip and fall on her snout, though. As soon as he registered what had happened to her, he made his way to the filly to try and help, asking, "Are you alright?"

[Hijinks]

Hijinks was violently brought back to her senses when the pony talked. Her imagination was going wild, and she expected the pony to be a giant earth pony with huge fangs, that will gobble her up for dinner.

However, as she turned to look at the pony, she was slightly disappointed to find he was just a average black stallion with white stripes. As she was preparing 'escape plan B', something clicked in her mind. 'White pony with black stripes... That means he is a zebra!' she thought excitedly to herself.

From all the bed time tales her mother sang to her in bed, she was well aware that zebras had the mystical powers to grant a good little filly 3 wishes. With this is mind, Hijinks jumped up off the floor, forgetting about her 'injury', and launched herself at the zebra aiming for a hug. If the zebra were to step back, she will most likely end up on the floor again. (but that would be a very mean thing to do).

[Tayari]

Tayari was surprised by the sudden hug, but didn't step back from it; by the time he'd realized what had happened, it was clear she wasn't trying to kill him.

Of course, Tayari only knew that this was a young filly he didn't know who had hurt her snout after most likely think she was about to get in trouble for messing the store up. Believing her to be upset, he hugged her back in an attempt to comfort her.

[Hijinks]

The zebra didn't push her away when she hugged him like most ponies do. This is a good sign! Hijinks looked up at the zebra with a wide grin. "You're a zebra!" she exclaimed. 'he's a zebra!' she repeated to herself. 

"You have to grant me a wish mister zebra!" She begged, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I've been a good filly, i promise!"

[Tayari]

Tayari blinked. Not only because the filly sounded very happy, but because of what she was saying. Letting go of her, he asked, "I'm sorry, what?"

[Hijinks]

Hijinks bounced around the zebra, barely able to contain her giggles. "You're a zebra! that means you grant wishes to good little fill-". Hijinks was cut off though as she took in the devastation of the room. Hijinks made a mess. Good little fillies don't make messes.

Hijinks let out a squeal of terror. Hijinks has not been a good filly! "I can fix it, i can fix it!" She shouted. She rushed over to the floor where all the broken vials were scattered and began trying to pile the broken glass into one big pile.

However, flesh and broken glass do not mix well together, and she received a few small cuts for her efforts. Hijinks didn't care though, this was her one big chance, and she wasn't going to ruin it.

[Tayari]

Tayari didn't know what the little filly was talking about, but he didn't have the opportunity to really think about it as she started messing with the broken glass and spilled alchemical concoctions. Stepping forward, he tried to pull her away from the pile, saying, "Stop! That's dangerous in so many ways!"

[Hijinks]

Hijinks struggled against the grip of the zebra, openly voicing her complaints. "No! I can fix it and make it all better!"

But the zebra was too strong for her and she finally gave up, slumping her head in despair. "I just wanted to have my wish". She turned around and looked up at the zebra with huge watery eyes. "Please let me fix it, I promise I can make it all better!"

[Tayari]

Tayari looked at the pile of glass and potions. "I'll take care of the mess; it's not worth it to get your hooves covered in cuts and random potions." His hold on the filly relaxed as he asked, "And what was that about a wish?"

[Hijinks]

Hijinks panicked. She couldn't let the zebra clean up HER mess, she would never get her wish then. 

"Nooo, you have to let me help!" She wrapped her hooves around the zebra's legs, stopping him from moving. "If I don't help, then I'm a bad filly, then my wish won't come true!".

[Tayari]

Tayari raises an eyebrow. "I think it would help a little if you let me know what this whole thing about a wish is."

[Hijinks]

"I think it would help a little if you let me know what this whole thing about a wish is". Hijinks' ears perked up at that. Help! that's what she wanted to do!

"Mommy always told me that zebras are magical, and that they grant three wishes to good little fillies". Hijinks looked back up at the zebra again. "That's why you got to let me help! If i don't help, I'm a bad filly and I won't get my wish!"

[Tayari]

Pausing for a few seconds to think about this, Tayari is left completely confused. "I... don't think that's..."

Another brief pause later, he considers whether to tell this filly the truth, or to play along in a way that doesn't make her hurt herself. Eventually, he decides on the latter. "Well... I haven't had much experience with granting wishes. It's hard in this city to find a good filly who deserves a wish, so I haven't had much practice. I might try granting you yours, though, if you help. In a way besides getting your own hooves cut on glass."

Thinking for one more second, he concludes, "If you can watch the shop for a couple of minutes while I clean this up, that would be excellent. Okay?"

[Hijinks]

Hijinks let out an excited gasp. She gets to help! and not only that, all she has to do is watch things! "Thank you, thank you Mr Zebra! none of these potions will escape under my watch!" She threw a particularly red potion a small glare just to prove her point.

[Tayari]

Tayari nodded. "Alright then." Walking behind the counter and through into the alchemy lab, he looked around the cluttered area for a mop, bucket, a dustpan and a brush. Finding them all fairly close to each other, he spent a bit of time trying to figure out how to carry it, eventually settling for leaving the mop and bucket behind to use later.

Taking the brush and dustpan with him now, he headed back to the main room, having been gone for perhaps two minutes, roughly.

[Hijinks]

Hijinks tried to stay still, she really did. But she couldn't help herself! It was sooooo boring. In fact, the whole room was boring. A mischievous look found its way onto Hijinks' face as she pulled out her favorite pink pen.

After two minutes, most of the walls were covered in pink hearts and smiley faces. What was left of the remaining potions that Hijinks didn't get her hooves up were rounded up in a pile and were tied up with rope. A red potion was left on the outside, its contents spilled out on the floor. A yellow face with crosses for eyes, drawn on the side.

Hijinks stood next to the pile of potions, looking quite pleased with herself. The zebra will be sure to love how she prettified his home.

[Tayari]

Tayari's jaw dropped as he took in the sight of what his store had become, the brush and dustpan falling to the ground. Standing frozen for several seconds, he finally sputtered, "What did you do!?"

[Hijinks]

Wow! the zebra sure does look impressed! "I made everything pretty!" showing him her favorite pink pen. "And I made sure these potions could never escape!" Pointing to the potions. She gave him her best grin.

[Tayari]

Appalled, Tayari tries to think of how to deal with this. Finally, he decides on running back to get the mop and bucket, along with three bottles of clear liquid.

Hurrying back to the main room, he drops the mop and bucket and places the bottles more gently beside the bucket. Picking up the brush and dustpan and holding them in one leg, he looks at the filly. "Okay, new task. I want you to do one thing, just one thing: Pour those three bottles into the bucket. Alright?"

Not waiting for an answer, he makes his way to the pile of smashed glass and starts sweeping it up.

[Hijinks]

Oblivious to the Zebra's distress, Hijinks gave him a brisk salute. "You can count on me!" 

Hijinks uncorked the first bottle and began draining the contents into the bucket. It wasn't the most exciting job, but this was her best chance of getting her wish. Once the bottle was empty, she repeated this for the next two bottles of liquid. Once finished, she was disappointed with the end result. It didn't look very good. 

A light bulb lit up in Hijinks mind, and she rummaged through her satchel looking for something. Her eyes lit up as she found the item she was looking for, a small bottle of bubble stuff. She added it to the bucket, content with the finished result. "I did it Mr Zebra!" she looked at the zebra for approval.

[Tayari]

Tayari finished the sweeping of the broken glass onto the dustpan, which he then placed on the counter for the time being. Moving to the mop, he missed the presence of bubbles in the mixture.

Picking the mop up in his forehooves, he started stirring the mixture quickly with the opposite end from the mophead. Strangely, he saw the mixture froth rapidly; even as his stirring ceased, he could see bubbles forming until they spilled over the top. "...What the?"

Dipping a hoof into the bubbles, he inspected them. As the bubbles popped, they revealed his hoof. His now dark-green-coloured hoof. "...What did you put in the bucket?"

[Hijinks]

Hijinks showed the zebra her now empty bottle of bubble mixture. "Bubbles for extra fun, of course!". She will still oblivious to the zebra's growing irritation and still had her signature grin plastered across her face.

[Tayari]

Tayari facehooved. Naturally, he did it with the green hoof. "Okay. Okay then. Now... just..."

Tayari removed the hoof from his face and looked around at the state of his store. "Just... Ugh. I'm gonna have to close early to clean this up..."

Looking at the filly, he said, "Okay. You know what? There's one thing you can do right now to at least begin to make up for this. Go in my alchemy lab; that's through the doorway and to the right. Grab a blank piece of paper from a stack, and come back here. Just grab the paper and come back. Can you at least do that without adding your 'personal touch'?" he asked, exasperated.

[Hijinks]

Hijinks gave the zebra another salute before making her way through the doorway and into the lab. The room itself was much more to Hijinks' tastes, potions and complicated papers were littered everywhere. Beautiful chaos. There was also a sandwich. Hijinks pulled out a bottle of soap and began applying it to the innards of the sandwich. 'nutritional and clean!' she thought to herself.

Once finished, Hijinks began looking around the room in awe, forgetting her former mission. There were potions of so many sizes and colours. She considered drinking one in case it was a wings regrowth potion, but decided against it, just in case it gave her a second head instead. One potion did manage to catch her attention however. A vial with the label 'Explosive Experiment #147' on the front. Naturally, this excited her. She picked up the vial and looked at it, turning it around with her hooves. 'Maybe if I do super good, Mr Zebra will let me have this' she thought to herself. Hijinks' eyes widened as she remembered her mission. "Oh right the paper!", unfortunately, in her excitement, the vial in her hooves almost dropped to the floor. she tried to grab the vial again but she couldn't get a good hold on it. 

Hijinks' eyes grew wide as the potion went sailing through the air, towards the innocent sandwich. "Uh oh".

[Tayari]

While the filly left to get paper from the alchemy lab, Tayari looked around his counter for a pin and a writing utensil. Finding each of them in the cash register-equivalent underneath the countertop, he took each and looked around for the chaotic filly.

Reasoning that she should have been back already, he placed the pin and pencil on the counter, away from the broken glass. Walking to the alchemy room, he was just in time to see the vial hit his sandwich.

The resulting explosion was fairly pitiful, really, but it was more than enough to startle the zebra, destroy his sandwich, and send a few embers flying towards some of his notes on experimental potions, which were burning to ash by the time he took in what was going on.

When it became apparent that the consequences ended there, Tayari focused his full infuriated attention on the filly who was responsible for it all.

[Hijinks]

Hijinks was rather disappointed by the explosion, she expected better. As she turned to exit though, she was met with a very irritated zebra. Hijinks was no mastermind, but she could tell the zebra was not happy with her. She tried giving him a smile but it came out as an awkward smile.

Suddenly remembering her former mission, she took a blank piece of paper from a pile, brushed off the bit of sandwich on it, and offered it to Tayari. She gave him a nervous laugh, "ah heh, oops?".

[Tayari]

Tayari scowled at the filly. "You know, I believe there's a saying...'"

Picking her up, he began to carry her to the front room. "Once is an accident," towards the front door, "Twice is ignorance."

Opening the front door, he placed the filly outside and concluded, "Thrice is malice. I feel at this point that that's a fitting saying," pointing at the state of the inside of his building.

[Hijinks]

Hijinks gave out a yelp of surprise as the zebra picked he up. At first worried, she actually enjoyed it, it made her feel like she was flying again.

As she was put down and the zebra finished off his mystical zebra poem thing, Hijinks looked at the current state of the room. Personally she enjoyed the improvements, but boring people like boring things she guessed. She gave the zebra another awkward smile. "I can fix it?" she offered.

[Tayari]

"NO! No, you won't fix it. You wouldn't be able to fix it even if I were willing to let you try! Now leave!" Tayari yelled.

[Hijinks]

Hijinks was startled by the zebra's outburst and she fell backwards onto her rump. "But- but I". The zebra hated her. Now she will never get her wish. And she will never be able to fly.

Hijinks got back up and started to run away from the building, not daring to look back. A few tears rolled down her cheeks as she disappeared from sight.

Reaching an alleyway, she finally gave herself enough time to calm down. She raised her hoof to her cheek and was surprised to find that it was wet. 'But i never cry' Hijinks thought to herself. Hijinks was a big filly now, she can't be sad, and she can handle anything that comes her way! A determined smile found its way onto her face. She can fix this, she will fix this! Hijinks ran out of the alleyway, but not back towards the shop. She was going to need something really good to make it up to the zebra. 'Now what do boring people like?' she thought to herself.

[Tayari]

Tayari wasn't aware that he'd made the filly cry; what he was aware of was that she was finally gone. And that she'd left a huge mess behind for him to clean up.

Walking back inside, he grabbed a fresh piece of paper and the pencil, and wrote down, 'Store is closed for the rest of the day due to Exceptional Circumstances'. Taking the pin, he attached the note to the front door for the benefit of anyone who might otherwise have been a customer.

Looking wearily at the state of the shop, he began the process of cleaning the front room. And there was enough to do after that to last him a while; especially those potion notes he now had to replace.

He sighed as he got to work; he couldn't even eat the rest of that sandwich.

[Hijinks]

Summary

Characters: Hijinks, Tayari

Hijinks 'visits' Tayari's potion store and causes a mess. Once caught, Hijinks attempts to mend the situation, under the belief that doing so would get Tayari to grant her a wish. Her 'help' only makes the mess worse. After being pushed to his limits, Tayari kicks Hijinks out of the shop. Hijinks runs away, with the intention of finding something that will make Tayari forgive her.

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