Banana's Witchcraft Store
It was a sunny day at Echo Creek, and at Britta's Taco, Aurora and Sam were seen sitting at a table, most likely having lunch here. Aurora hadn't even touched her taco yet, as she was too focused on polishing the crystal on her necklace. Sam however, was shown eating his taco with pleasure.
"These are so good." he praised. "But to tell the truth, they feel a bit small in my opinion. If only there was a way to make them bigger." he wished.
Aurora didn't seem to listen however, as she kept her eyes glued to her crystal. Pulling out her wand, the princess put it over the crystal and a charged battery icon came on the faceplate. Aurora saw the wand read a 57 percent on the crystal's brightness level. Aurora sadly tosses the last piece of her cleaning products into a nearby trash can, one that was already filled to the brim, and sank her face in the table in disappointment.
Sam looks at this with a raised eyebrow, not really understanding why Aurora was going through all this. "You already spent over a hundred dollars on cleaning products. Don't you think you're overdoing it a little." he asks her.
Aurora raised her head and looked at Sam with an annoyed look. "You probably didn't know this, Sam, but this crystal on my neck acts as another kind of protection. It keeps interdimensional portals from opening anywhere near me." she told him. "And the strength of that power depends on how bright it is. And if it loses that brightness, it'll stop working, which will leave me at the mercy of whoever it is that shot that arrow at me!" With that said, the princess rested her head back on the table.
Sam took a moment to think about how to fix this before suggesting, "Why not use a spell to clean it?"
"I would, but I don't wanna risk breaking the crystal in the process." Aurora replied. She then let out a defeated sigh. "What's the use? I don't even have the proper cleaning tools. Magic crystals can only be cleaned by magic cleaning products. And where in the Earth Dimension am I going to find any of that?"
A loud scream was suddenly heard and the two turned to see that it was a woman and her son running away from what looked like a pumpkin with an unfriendly face. Not wanting to see anyone get hurt, Aurora quickly leaped out of her chair and aimed her wand at the killer pumpkin.
"SUPER SUNFLOWER DEVASTATION!"
A ray of burning sunflowers shot from the wand and struck the pumpkin, bursting it on impact, revealing it to be just a balloon. Aurora recognized that kind of product. "That was an assorted pet pumpkin balloon. They can be made to either love or kill its owner. Those kinds of items can only be found at magical item stores like Quest Buy." That in mind, she went over to the woman and her son she just saved.
"Thank you, young lady." the woman thanked Aurora, the princess giving a respectful curtsy in return before asking her a question. "Can I ask you something? Where exactly did you get that kind of product?"
"Oh, that thing? It came from a shop that's just around the corner." she said with frustration, already regretting buying the darn thing. "If you're smart, you'll be better off staying away from there." she advised as she started leaving with her son in tow.
With this knowledge in mind, Aurora turns to Sam with an excited expression. "Sam, this place may have the cleaning product I need." she said enthusiastically. But Sam felt a little wary after what he just saw with the pumpkin balloon and the woman's warning. "I don't think it's a good idea, Aurora. That place could have other dangerous things like that pumpkin."
"Sam, didn't you hear what I said about the crystal losing its brightness?" the princess reminded him. "If it goes out, it'll be easier for that runaway killer to find me."
"Yes, but I'm also worried about what else that shop will have." Sam tried to counter.
Aurora decided to end this now and said with a serious tone, "I'm going regardless, so as my bodyguard, you have to protect me where ever I go, even to this magic store. And if You don't wanna come, then that's fine with me."
Sam let out a sigh on defeat, knowing he won't change Aurora's mind. "Alright, you win." he sighed. With that, the two began walking along down the street to where the woman said this magic shop was found.
Upon reaching the place, they saw it as like any other market store. Looking up, they saw the sign on the roof in large numbers.
"Banana's Witchcraft Store." Aurora read. "Must be a new business."
The two entered the store to see all its shelves stocked with all sorts of magical items. There were many here that Aurora recognized, such as Pear Grenades of Anguish, Scary Garden Dwarves, and Rememballs. She looked all over the shelves for any sign of the crystal cleaners she needed, but couldn't find any place they would be.
"Looks like we're gonna need to ask the manager for help." she finally decided. She and Sam went over to the counter at the back of the store and rang the table bell for service.
"If you're an unsatisfied customer coming for his money back, you might as well forget it. I don't take returns." a feminine voice was heard screaming from behind a veil of beads hanging over the doorway behind the counter. Soon a hand came out and parted the beads and revealed herself to the princess and her bodyguard. Much of her was covered in a black cloak.
"I'm not looking for trouble." Aurora said a tad nervous. "I just came here to see if you had any crystal cleaners."
The mysterious figure came over to the counter to get a good look at these two new customers. She soon realized there was something familiar about the girl. "Wait a minute." she said when she instantly recognized who she was. "Aurora?"
Hearing her name made the princess jump back in fright and draw her wand at this mysterious figure, with Sam getting into a defensive position in front of her.
"How do you know my name?" she demanded.
The mysterious figure responded by opening up her cloak with her arms, revealing the store uniform underneath, and taking her hood off her head, showing her to have tan skin and dark blue hair. Aurora looked at her with a curious expression, feeling like she's seen her before.
"I didn't really expect you to recognize me right on the spot." the store owner said calmly with a smile. "After all, you were only a tyke the last time we met. I'm one of your parents' old friends. My name is Janna Ordonia."
Aurora gasped in surprise from hearing that name, as she now realizes who she is. "Aunt Janna?" she exclaimed with surprise. She was an old friend of her parents, who was so close with them that she considered her an honorary aunt. The princess quickly put away her wand and ran into her aunt's welcoming arms, hugging each other and laughing happily at seeing each other after so many years.
"You little sunburst." Janna chuckled playfully ruffling her niece's hair. "What are you doing here on Earth?" she then asked, curious why Aurora is here and not back on Mewni.
"It's a long story." Aurora replied with an embarrassed tone as she waved off Janna's question.
The front door opened and a woman with an angry look walked right over to Janna. "What kind of prank are you trying to pull?!" she said with frustration as she pulled a swimsuit out of her purse. "This swimsuit I bought for my daughter isn't helping her swim like it said it would. I want my money back!" she demanded.
"Maybe you should read the instructions." Janna countered in an angry tone.
"I did, but it still didn't work!" the customer shot back.
Aurora didn't like seeing people fight and took this moment to get between the two before it got any worse. "Excuse me? Maybe I can offer a suggestion." She turned to the customer. "If you need a swimsuit to help your daughter with swimming lessons, you should try one that's made with mermaid scales." She walks over to where said swimsuits hung and took one that was blue. "You should buy this one, since those made with blue mermaid scales are perfect for swimming in freshwater."
"Why, thank you, sweetie." the woman replied happily as Aurora gave her the swimsuit and smiled at her.
"There's a small problem though." Janna interrupted, not really wanting to be a killjoy. "Due to how highly valued mermaid scales are, they're fifty dollars more expensive than regular swimsuits." she said with a sad sigh.
Aurora quickly put some thought into this problem and instantly came with a solution. "Maybe you can return the swimsuit and get a thirty dollar discount, that way you'll only have to pay the difference instead of the full price." she then suggested to the customer.
"That actually sounds like a good idea." the woman said in agreement. Aurora turned to face Janna, who reluctantly agreed and took the swimsuit. She entered the trade credits and allowed the woman to buy the blue mermaid swimsuit at only fifty dollars, allowing her to leave satisfied.
Sam found himself amazed at Aurora's mathematical skills. "How did you solve that kind of problem?" he asked the princess.
Aurora looked at Sam and her Aunt Janna and just shrugged. "Since I'm going to be queen one day, I should be able to learn numbers to help with some of the people's problems. It was something I learned when I attended Mewni Royal Academy back home."
This made an idea suddenly pop in Janna's head. "You know, I think I have an idea that can benefit us both." she proposed. "You see, as that woman showed, my store has had a lot of unsatisfied customers, so business hasn't been really booming lately." She then came over and put her arms around Aurora and Sam's shoulders. "But maybe you guys can help me change that."
"How can we do that?" Aurora asked a bit confused.
"Simple. If you can help me improve the store's image, then in return I'll give you the cleaning products you're looking for at no cost." Janna replied. "I'm pretty sure I have some left in stock somewhere in the back."
Aurora took some time to think about this, and after checking the brightness level of her crystal, the level getting a bit lower, she agreed. "Alright. And besides, it'll be nice to spend some quality time with my aunt." she added in hugging Janna, her doing the same to her niece.
Throughout the day, Aurora and Sam worked hard at helping Janna improve the store's image and raise its popularity. Both of them were given a different assignment. For Sam, it was to dress up as the store's mascot, an anthropomorphic banana named Banana Jeff. From the deadpan look on his face, it was quite clear that Sam found this a little embarrassing. But he chose to endure this humiliation for the sake of Aurora helping her family. So as part of his assignment, he held up a sign that tells about the store's advertisement and gently waved it in the open, continuing to wear the "what did I do to deserve this?" expression on his face.
A woman soon passed by and took a good look at Sam, lightly chuckling under her breath from seeing him in that banana suit. "Hey buddy, you advertising for a big Dork Convention?" she mocked before walking off laughing, making Sam feel more annoyed.
"I really don't like that woman." he muttered under his breath.
Soon after, a woman with short brown hair, light skin, and light green eyes came by. "Um, excuse me. Is this Banana's Witchcraft Store?" she asked politely.
"Why yes it is." Sam replied putting down the sign and gesturing for her to come in, happy to finally meet someone who doesn't mock him.
The customer smiled at Sam's gentlemen behavior and entered the store, where the stocks were shown to now be more organized, courtesy of Aurora. The princess decided to organize the products by dividing them into sections based on their primary purpose. One section held all those that were meant for combat purposes, another was made of those that were used for gardening, another for exploring, and so on and so forth.
"Welcome to Banana's Witchcraft Store." Aurora greeted the customer while now wearing a work apron. "Can I help you?"
"Actually, yes." the woman replied with a smile. "I was hoping you had something that could help me with my hair and make-up."
Aurora instantly knew what kind of magical item could help with that. "I think I know something." She gestured for the customer to follow her and brought her to the shelf where she put all the magical items that help with styling. The item she had in mind was a silver hand-held mirror. "This is a Cinderella Mirror. You can use this to help you do your hair and make-up." she told the visitor. "But you should first ask the owner how it works before purchasing." she advised so she wouldn't get frustrated in the future.
The woman nodded and accepted the mirror and walked over to the counter, where Janna was seen sitting in her chair and reading a magazine while she waited for customers to come. On close inspection, the cover was a picture of a girl with light skin, mint green eyes, and long platinum blonde hair with an aqua streak on the left side wearing different outfits and holding different kinds of boards in each one's arms.
"Excuse me." the woman said getting Janna's attention, And Janna quickly recognized her when she saw her face. "Chantal. Nice to see you." she greeted happily to one of her old friends.
"Thanks." Chantal replied shyly before holding out the mirror Aurora gave her. "I actually have an interest to buy this mirror, and one of your employees said to ask you how it works first."
"Now that's a wise decision." Janna said with a smirk. "All you need to do is visualize what kind of look you want in your mind while looking in the mirror and the magic will do the rest." she instructed. "You can test it out first if you want."
Chantal decided to do that and held the mirror in front of her face. Taking a breath, she closed her eyes and visualized the kind of look she wanted. When she opened them, she saw her hair now styled in a ponytail and had purple mascara around her eyes.
"It works." she said smiling.
"Glad to see my little helper picked wisely for you." Janna commented before getting to the cost. "That'll be fifteen dollars."
Chantal gave an okay shrug and pulled out her wallet, taking out the fifteen dollars and giving them to Janna. "Have a nice day." she said as Chantal left satisfied.
This process repeated itself throughout the day. Sam attracted customers with the sign and the costume, Aurora organized the shelves and guided customers to whatever it was they were looking for, and Janna instructed customers on how to use the products before they made the purchase.
When it became the late afternoon, the store's business hours came to an end, and Janna closed the cash register with a very positive balance. "Now that's what I call a job well done." she praised before turning to her niece and her friend. "All right, Squirt, a deal's a deal." She pulled out the crystal cleaners she promised from behind her back and tossed them to Aurora, the princess catching it and smiling joyfully.
"Thank you, Aunt Janna." she thanked.
"Don't mention it." Janna said playfully ruffling Aurora's hair before turning to Sam. "And since you showed the guts to wear the banana costume to help, you can also have something from the store free of charge."
Sam felt happy with this reward and wasted no time in searching for anything that interests him. Looking around the store, he soon came to a section of products that had a variety of unique purposes, also known as the miscellaneous section. Looking at the stuff in this shelf, Sam soon spotted something that resembles a megaphone. "What's this?" he asked interested.
"Now that's an interesting choice." Janna said coming over and taking one off the shelf to demonstrate. "It's a Magic Amplifier. It magically amplifies the size of whatever you put through it."
"Sweet." Sam said in awe as Janna gave him the amplifier. "This is so cool. Thanks, Janna." he thanked before he and Aurora went out the door and started walking home, Janna waving goodbye to them. "Feel free to come again." she hollered to her niece.
Back at the Diaz household, Aurora was seen sitting on the couch in the living room cleaning her crystal with the magic crystal cleaners, this time getting better results as the shard started glowing brighter when she was done. She took out her wand and checked the brightness level, this time with it at one hundred percent.
"Ah, Aunt Janna was my saving grace today." she sighed with relief before asking Sam, "Have you figured out what your new amp does?"
"I sure did." Sam replied with happiness. He demonstrated by setting the dial on the amp's side to two, then pulled out a taco and shoved it through the small end, which came out the other end twice as big. You were right, your aunt was our saving grace. Not only did she help you in getting your necklace's strength back, but she also helped me in making my tacos much bigger." He then took a bite out of the now-large taco, moaning with pleasure from the taste.
Aurora just shook her head with a smile and rolled eyes before putting something into thought. "I still wonder though, where do you think Aunt Janna is getting all those magical items? They're not something you can find on Earth."
"We might never know." Sam said continuing to eat the taco, Aurora choosing to come over and help him finish it.
Meanwhile, back at the shop, Janna was seen coming out the back door leading into the alley behind it. Here is where she spotted a scissor blade come out of nowhere and cut open a dimensional portal, with a sloth clerk from Quest Buy came out, several others following with boxes in their hands.
"Hey guys. Nice to see you again." Janna greeted with a calm tone. "So is this my monthly stock?"
"If by stock, you mean the extra stuff we don't have any room for on our shelves? Then yes." the clerk answered in his classic deadpan expression before taking out a clipboard with a sheet on it. "Just sign here please."
Janna wasted no time in taking the pen he held out and signing her signature. With that, the sloths returned through the portal back to Quest Buy while Janna started bringing her new wares inside her store.