Next morning they gathered in the main room of the Golden Oak Library for a belated but filling breakfast. They'd also picked up a few additional participants in the meantime.
"Um... thanks so much for inviting us," said Fluttershy. The butter-colored pegasus smiled. "This is going to be such fun!"
"Not a problem, my dear," Rarity replied. "The more the merrier, in this case."
"Yeah, yeah," said Rainbow Dash impatiently. The sky-blue pegasus was hovering in the air above them, wearing her "cool" shades. Her forehooves were crossed in a bored pose. "Let's get on with it!"
"Ya know, Rainbow," Applejack grumbled, "if'n you don't wanna to come along you don't have to."
Rainbow casually stared at the ceiling. "Yah, well... I really don't have anything else to do today --"
"Aside from settin' another record for nappin'?"
Rainbow gave her an annoyed look. "So I might as well tag along, just to see what happens. Heh! Two bits says it fizzles out after the first store."
SLAM-SLAM!
They all looked to the Library's main door, which had just slammed open and then immediately slammed shut again. Pinkie Pie, the radioactively pink party pony, was leaning against it in a panic, breathing heavily. She held up a hoof, paused a moment to catch her breath...
Then dropped to a sitting position on the floor, completely at ease. "Hey gals! Applejack-Rarity-Fluttershy-Rainbow-Twilight! Whatcha doing?"
"Uh, hey, Pinky," Twilight said cautiously. "Is... something the matter?"
Pinkie looked puzzled. "Why d'ya say that, Twi?"
"Wahll..." Applejack said, just as cautiously, "ya did kinda bust in here like Nightmare Moon herself was a length a'hint ya."
"Oh! That's because my Fun Radar was going off!"
"Fun... Radar?" Rainbow asked, disbelievingly. "Is this like your Pinkie Sense?"
"Yep! And I knew there was something super-duper-uber-wowa-gonzo-FUN going on over this way, so I raced on over here, afraid I'd miss it. But you're all still here, so I didn't. Wheeee!"
She managed to turn a cartwheel in place, and then sat down again, smiling at them.
"Yes, well..." Twilight said, "Applejack and Rarity suggested we all go on a shopping spree today, just for a change of pace. You want to join us?"
"You know it, Twilight! Count me in!"
"All raight, then," Applejack said. "Let's go over the rules we agreed on afore we get started. First, we'll all pool the bits we wanna contribute, and each of us gets an even share. That way nopony has an advantage, money-wise."
"Ante up, as they say!" Rarity plunked a jingling velvet bag on the floor.
Applejack looked askance at her. "Rarity, I know your parents are made'a money and all, but you don't have to chip in that much! We all decided we'd contribute a reasonable amount, so we wouldn't feel pressured to overspend."
"Well... I did come into a bit extra from my latest design, and I can't think of a nicer way to spend it." Rarity replied. "Besides, I'd hate to think somepony felt like she had to pass up on something nice, simply because it would mean going over an arbitrary budget."
"Oh, all right. We can use this as the kitty." Applejack picked up the bag and added her coins to it, then passed it around for each of them to add to.
"Oh, Spikey-wikey!" Rarity called, when it got back to her.
Twilight's assistant Spike, a small purple dragon with green spines, was already floating in the air beside her, love-lights in his eyes.
"... yes, Rarity? ..." he breathed.
"Be a dear and look after this for us, won't you?"
"Absolutely!" Spike took hold of the bag. Rarity released it, and Spike immediately plummeted to the floor. Twilight had to put a hoof to her snout to suppress a laugh.
"Um, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked. "Isn't Spike going to be looking after the Library while you're out today?"
Twilight shook her head. "It's been a slow week, and I doubt anyone will mind if the Library is closed for one day. I'll just put out the returns box and the request clipboard, in case anyone comes by."
"Already done, Twi!" Spike said.
"Thanks, Spike!" She fondly scuffed his green spines with a hoof. "What would I do without you?"
"Next," Applejack went on, "We each pick our favorite store, write 'em down, and put 'em all in the hat." She set her hat upside down in front of her. "We'll each take turns at bat, and when it's our turn, we draw a store from the hat, and that's the one we shop in next. The one who drew the store needs to find something that they want there. That way each of us is equally out of our comfort zone, so to speak."
"Oh! What if we draw the one we put in?" Fluttershy asked.
"Hmmm... okay, if you draw your own pick, you put it back and go again. Oh and just for variety's sake, you cain't write down the place you work at. Otherwise I'd just put down Sweet Apple Acres, obviously. And Rarity would likely put down the Carousel Boutique."
"Awwww!" Pinkie looked devastated. "I was gonna pick Sugarcube Corner!"
"Sorry, Pinkster! But don't give up hope, maybe someone else will. Also, it cain't be a store where everything's super-'spensive, like the jewelry store. And it needs to be someplace that sells gifts and the like, so that leaves out the cafe, the arcade, bowling alley, and so forth."
"Ah, geez! I was gonna pick the Arcade!" Rainbow Dash said. Then she looked at the ceiling again. "That is... if I was playin'..."
Applejack pointed at the velvet bag. "Still time to buy in, gal."
Rainbow Dash held out a moment longer, then gave in. "Oh, all right!" Flying over to Spike, she added her bits to the velvet bag.
"Uh... shoot, I forgot," Applejack said, looking around. "Gonna need some paper to make slips with."
"Gotcha covered, A.J.!" Pinkie rummaged in her cotton-candy mane and came up with sheets of paper, all different colors, and a small scissors. She industriously began cutting out slips of paper, and managed to provide each pony with a slip that matched her coat color.
Applejack stared at her. "Pinkie, how in tarnation did you manage to be wandering around with all that stuff on ya?"
"They're pre-confetti!" Pinkie chirped, stuffing the sheets of paper back in her mane.
"Pre..."
"...confetti! It's what confetti looks like before it's cut up into all the little pieces!"
"Pinkie, you know that's just colored craft paper, raight?"
"Oh, come on! Get out! Would I load anything but the BEST in my party cannon?" She beamed.
Applejack gave it up.
"All right, everypony!" Rarity said breezily. "Pick your store!"
Twilight used her magic to fetch quills from her desk, and they spent a busy few minutes thinking, writing, and adding slips to the hat. When they had all finished, Applejack tucked a hoofkerchief in over the slips.
"That'll keep 'em from fallin' out while we're walkin' around." She set the hat back on her head. "Now, one more rule. When it's your turn to shop, you need to find something up to but not over your bits. That's so nobody feels like they need to hold back. Anythin' left over you can spend however you like during the day, but each of us needs to find at least one thing we want with our share."
"I think we should allow," Rarity said, "that we can spend our spare bits to help another player, if they find they're short or over the limit!"
"Fair 'nuff! And at the end of the day, we can have fun comparing notes on what we come up with!"
"Aw, come on!" Rainbow Dash objected. "You gotta make it interesting! I say at the end of the day, we all vote on who made the best choice. Win, place, or show! Huh? Who's with me?"
"Ooh! Ooh! I am!" Pinkie said, bouncing up and down. "Wait, what?"
The others were less enthused, but there was general agreement.
"All raight, gals! Just give Rarity a mo' to count the kitty for us and figger our shares, and we're off to the races!"
"Oh, um..."
"Yeah, Fluttershy?"
"Is... um... would it be okay if... um... I go first?"