“Alllllrighty then!” grunted Rainbow, stretching her arms out wide and enjoying the warm air that blasted her as she entered the mall. She took off her light blue jacket and tied the arms around her waist. “Where to first?” she asked, turning to Sunset.
Sunset, meanwhile, didn’t even notice the change in temperature since she was busy looking around to make sure she wasn’t being stalked like last time. She still hated the mall, but she now also hated being ambushed. She was at least thankful the the mall was slightly less crowded today. “Well how would you know what to get someone?”
Rainbow scoffed and started walking forward into the mall. Sunset followed closely behind. “That’s easy. Just get them the same thing you would want.” Behind Rainbow Sunset chuckled quietly. “That way if they don’t want it then you just keep it. No sense in letting a good gift go to waste.”
Rainbow looked around and spied the local sports store. “See? Perfect. Applejack’s almost as athletic as me so let’s get her something from there.”
Sunset shrugged and decided to follow her. “If you’re sure.”
“Of course I’m sure. Just don’t tell anyone. It needs to be a surprise, ‘kay?” Sunset nodded and they both made their way towards the store. Rainbow opened the door and they went inside. Sunset looked around with interest, having never been here before. She never considered herself the “athletic type.”
The entire area was decorated with a striped white and black color scheme that resembled a referee shirt. Sunset could imagine what Rarity would say if she walked in here. Sunset however, knew exactly what she herself would say about the amount of leather and other animal hides being used here. She grimaced at the smell.
Rainbow, however, looked around with the same kind of passing glance that one would give if they were simply looking for anything new or out of place. “Let’s see, what do you think Applejack would want?”
“The skin back on her cows,” Sunset grumbled.
“What was that?” asked Rainbow, turning around.
Sunset shook her head. “N-nothing.” Apparently, just being here put her in a bad mood. “Maybe,” she looked around and her expression fell somewhat. “I don’t really know. Does Applejack even play any sports?”
Rainbow thought on it. “She runs track with me, but I think that’s a mandatory thing for her. She’s not part of the team or anything. The most I see her play is in gym class.”
Sunset walked over to a stand and picked up a basketball bat to inspect. “Then I don’t think she’d need anything from here. She wouldn’t really use any of the stuff you’d buy for her.
Rainbow, currently trying on a few different hats, turned to look at her. “Hey, if she doesn't want it then I’ll keep it,” she shrugged.
Sunset swapped out the wooden bat for the slightly heavier metal one. She had to admit, Applejack was right about Rainbow. “But aren't you supposed to buy things that other people want for Christmas?” she asked, curious to see if she could convince her otherwise.
Rainbow sat the hat back and turned to look at Sunset. “Hey, you asked me for my advice and…” she ran over to her. “Nice!”
Sunset flinched back as Rainbow grabbed the bat from her hands. “Wh--” Sunset quickly ducked when Rainbow began swinging it. After putting a good sized distance between them, she continued. “What do you mean?”
Another swing. “This is perfect! She can use this to knock her apples down.”
Sunset’s brow furrowed with intense confusion. “I’m sorry, what?”
Rainbow turned the bat upside down and leaned on it. “Didn’t you help AJ with her farm one time?” Her eyes widened, almost as if she herself still couldnt believe it. “Haven’t you seen how she just kicks some of them to get the apples? I mean at least if she uses a bat she won’t hurt herself.”
Sunset, still looking skeptical, honestly didn’t know how to respond to that. Luckily, she didn’t have to because the sound of guitars started to play out from somewhere. It started out soft but the volume quickly increased until everyone it the store began to look around.
"I could save my lonely soul for you~
but the feeling in my heart can't follow through.
You can give your broken heart to me~
cause you know that I‘ll stay with you.
That's why they call me loyalty~"
Sunset, still searching for the source of the music, turned her head back to Rainbow and frowned. The girl was bobbing her head to the song and even began to rock out on the bat. “Is that your phone?” she deadpanned.
Rainbow’s eyes popped open and she quickly fumbled to find the pocket on the jacket that was wrapped around her waist, dropping the bat in the process. Finally she managed to find the phone and answer it. “Hello?”
Sunset watched as her friend’s face went paler and paler in fear. She herself started to get worried when Rainbow looked at her nervously then turned away from her.
“B-but, I… Yeah, well I…. No, It was him! He wouldn’t…” Rainbow slumped over. “Yes sir.”
Sunset walked over to her and hesitantly put an arm over her friend's shoulder. “You alright? Who was that?”
Rainbow looked up at her with a large sad frown. “That was my dad,” she muttered. Then she seemed to get mad and clenched her phone. “He heard about my detention! I bet Cranky called him! That stupid...” she growled, trailing off not even needing to finish to get her point across. It took a few moments but she managed to calm herself down. “Whatever. Dad wants me to get home so he can talk to me about it.”
“Did he sound angry?” asked Sunset.
Rainbow shook his head. “I don’t think so. But then again it’s not him being angry that scares me.” She shrugged Sunset’s arm off and put the bat back in the rack. Afterwards she and Sunset exited the store. Rainbow turned back to her with a smile and a wink. “Anyway, I should get home, and fast. But don’t forget what I told you. Just buy whatever you think she’d actually use. And if she doesn't want it then you keep it. I think that bat would be nice.”
Sunset blinked in confusion. “That’s not what you--”
It was too late, Rainbow had already began running towards the exit of the mall. “Later!”
Rolling her eyes, Sunset glanced back at the sports shop behind her and wondered about the bat and whether or not it would make for a good gift. Soon her thoughts shifted to something even more incredulous. “Applejack kicks the apples off of her trees?” she mumbled to herself.
~~~
After making the decision to come back to the sports store later, Sunset headed towards the stores that she and Coco had missed the first time around on the first floor. To her surprise there were more stores here than she remembered. But then again she didn’t like coming here anyway, and even when she did most of the things she needed would usually be on the second floor.
“Something they’d use, something I’d want, but also something meaningful,” muttered Sunset, examining the various stores for something she could use. Finally, she spied a store that fit the bill. “Party City?” she muttered, reading the store sign. She’d never seen one before but from the name, and the look of the place, it would be the best place to find something for Pinkie… If she hasn’t already ransacked the place looking for her own gifts.
With an amused smile, Sunset walked into the store.
Instantly, she was bombarded with hundreds of possible things she thought Pinkie would love. Masks, party hats, toys, candy, costumes, and fun things galore. It somehow looked like an even bigger store on the inside. She hadn’t seen so many bright colors since her time in Equestria; it was almost too much to look at.
After a few moments of standing at the entrance and looking around, Sunset composed herself. “Well, I guess I’ll be here awhile.”
Though as soon as she took a step forward she heard a male voice calling to her from the side. “Can I help you, miss?”
Sunset turned to see a young man waving to her from behind the counter. He wore a light blue vest and had wildly curly darker blue hair. She thought about it for a second. “If I’m gonna buy something from this huge place, I might as well make it easy on myself.” Shrugging, she walked over to him.
“Hello, my name’s Party Favor. I’m the assistant manager here in charge of balloon animals,” he chuckled. “You were standing there so long, I figured that this was your first time in here.” Sunset nodded. “Well that’s how most people look when they see this place for the first time, so don’t worry about it. How can I assist you?”
Sunset took a second to examine the man. He didn’t look all that much older than she was. She also couldn’t help but feel like there was something familiar about him. Something about his energetic voice and cheery-slash-excited demeanor. “Yeah, I’m here to get a present for one of my friends. I imagine she probably shops here often. So I’m gonna need to find something that she doesn't have.”
Party Favor looked at her with interest. “Really, what’s her name?”
“Pinkie Pie.”
His eyes went wide at the mention of that name. Then he reeled back from the counter with a hiss. “Yeeeeah, I can’t help you then, sorry.”
Sunset blinked. “Why not?” she almost yelled.
Party Favor nervously rubbed the back of his curly curly hair and gave her a sorry look. “You see, Pinkie is our best customer. Like, our best customer. I don’t know how she does it, but she frequently buys out entire sections of our party supplies area. We actually have to regulate her purchases!” he said, looking at her in disbelief. Sunset mirrored the expression wordlessly.
He looked around the store. “Basically, I don’t think there’s anything we sell here that she hasn’t bought at least one of… As weird as that may sound. I’m not saying you can’t try, but… Wait. Where are you going?”
By this point, Sunset had facepalmed, made a complete turn, and headed out the door, sighing, “I should have guessed.”
~~~
“Ughhhhh,” Sunset groaned loudly, not caring who stared at her. “I wish Coco was here. At least then I’d have someone to talk to. This is impossible.” Sunset trudged her way down the mall pathways, only sparing passing glances at the stores around her. So far she had passed several food stalls and a clothing store. She briefly thought about getting something for Rarity from there, but then she wondered about the redundancy of buying a dress for a dress maker.
“Maybe I could get her a new sewing machine…” she muttered to herself. “I don’t wanna show up Applejack though. If she finds out that Rarity hasn’t been using her present, I don’t know how she’d react.” Sunset craned her head and watched as a Build-a-Bear passed by. She stopped and turned around. “Maybe I could--”
“Hi, Sunny!”
Sunset jumped at the loud voice in her ear. She quickly spun 180 degrees to see Pinkie Pie standing behind her with her usual bright smile. Sunset was about to say something when she noticed that said girl was carrying no less than 10 bags on her; all of them looked like they were from different stores. A myriad of different things stuck out from them.
“Hey… Pinkie,” she greeted, still staring at the bags. “Doing some shopping?”
Pinkie nodded happily. She raised one arm and pointed to each of the bags. Sunset marveled at the the sight of her effortlessly lifting so many things. “I got presents for the Cakes, the babies, my family, Cranky Doodle, Vice Principal Luna, the balloon club, the party club, the club club, the student council, Party Favor, Cheese Sandwich, Rainbow Dash...” She lifted her other arm but Sunset stopped her there.
“I got it,” she said, holding her arm out. Sunset looked at the bags once more and gave a crestfallen look. “Glad you know how to do this.” Pinkie tilted her head in confusion. “Hey, Pinkie. I’m having some trouble buying presents, you think you can help?”
Pinkie’s face exploded into a huge smile. She immediately grabbed Sunset by the arm and dragged her down the hall. “Silly Sunny! Buying presents is easy!” she giggled.
Sunset, struggling to keep up with her, grumbled. “Says you. Where are we going?”
“To the best place to buy gifts!” she answered, bulldozing through the crowds. It didn’t take long for her to figure out where they were going. A large toy store appeared on the horizon that covered the mall’s entire back wall.
Not paying attention, she slammed into Pinkie’s back. “We’re here!” Pinkie cheered.
Sunset rubbed her nose and looked up. She let out a low chuckle. “A TOYSЯUS store? Why am I not surprised?”
Pinkie rolled her eyes good naturedly. “Well duh, come on!”