Jingle Half the Way

"Nurse Bloomheart to Surgical Ward. Nurse Bloomheart to Surgical Ward," the comm yelled out across the hospital.

"Ugh, really? Feels like I'm the only nurse here sometimes. No offense, Trina," Bloomheart told her associate.

"None taken. I know how you feel. Last week I actually was the only nurse on staff," Trina replied. "They really should take these comms out of the break room though. We can hear them enough in the halls without them blasting right in here. Break room my flank."

"Hah! Yeah. Probably why I don't even come in here that often. I'll usually hang out in one of the waiting rooms. Nopony seems to bother me while I'm there. They usually think that I'm actually trying to do work," Bloomheart explained.

"Really? Damn. I should try that out sometime. Everypony comes here to get me cause they know this is where I go. Honestly. I think that without us two the entire place would come apart." Trina took a sip of her copy and let out a sigh that you can only let out after working a twelve hour shift.

"Nurse Triage to Emergency Ward. Nurse Triage to Emergency Ward," the comm yelled out.

"Gotta go!" Trina yelled out, looking instantly revitalized. She dashed out the room, leaving Bloomheart to sip her coffee by herself.

"Wonder how long I have before they call for me again," Bloomheart wondered. Normally she wouldn't put off her nurse duties like this, but she had been working for eight hours without any rest. At that point the amount she cared about her job was equal to how awake she was.

"Nurse Bloomheart to-Oh. Cancel that, Nurse Bloomheart. Nurse Salve is here," the comm said in the most beautiful tone ever.

"Ah. Bless you Nurse Salve, whoever you are." Bloomheart started to lay her head down on the desk and rest her eyes. It would only be a couple minutes.

"Hey Bloomy!" somepony yelled at her.

"Gah!" she yelled out. "I wasn't sleeping! I was just resting my eyes!"

"Don't worry, Bloomy. I won't tell. Can you do the same?" the pony asked. It took Bloomheart a moment to clear her eyes before realizing that she was talking to Cathy the Intern.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Well, I'm sure that my coltfriend has a little special something he'll be doing for Hearth's Warming Eve. Something possibly involving a ring perhaps," she said, bouncing around.

"Congrats," Bloomheart replied halfheartedly. "Wait, who're you dating again?"

"Dr. Suave Studewell," Cathy said dreamily. "Wouldn't that be perfect?"

"What? No. That's not gonna happen," Bloomheart told her. "That stallion is so loose and doesn't stay with a mare for more than a month. You're time with him is running out, so don't get yourself hyped up."

"What makes you say that this time it isn't different?" the hopeful mare asked.

"He was just hitting on me three days ago. He's been doing that ever since I've started working here, even after I told him I was married. He says he's just 'checking in' whenever he asks. Hell, reporting him to HR doesn't work since he manages to woo his way out each time."

"Oh." Cathy looked down on the floor, feeling like the bridesmaid and never the bride.

"Hey. Don't feel bad. You're young, look great, and still have your energy this late in your shift. Most ponies who work this job can't say the same. I know that I'd have quit a long time ago if it weren't for my little pick me up," Bloomheart told her.

"Really? What's that?"

"Call for Nurse Bloomheart. Call for Nurse Bloomheart," the comm interrupted.

"Geez. Sometimes I wish your mom would just say things once over that thing and not repeat everything over that noisy mic of hers."

"You think that's bad? She actually does the exact same thing at home after every sentence," said Cathy. "We don't know why, but we think it might be her OCD acting up. Luckily she's really good at being an announcer. You should see her at soccer events. Everypony thinks that she's just really excited about the game."

"That explains so much," Bloomheart said, thinking about all the awkward conversations she would have with Cathy's mom. "Anyway, I better get that call. See ya, Cathy." Bloomheart went to one of the phones in the hallway and picked it up. "Bloomheart here. I have a call."

"I'll patch you through," the secretary told her. A couple of beeps later and her call went through.

"Hey honey! How's your shift?" Pepperoni, her husband, asked.

"Oh. It's been hectic. I've had to help give three wards their medication today without any help. Honestly. It's like nopony actually wants to work at Ponyville Hospital. Feels like nopony works here sometimes."

"Sorry to hear that. If it makes you feel any better I made a Veggie Pizza with your name on it. Keeping it in the kitchen just for you."

"Aww. Thank you, dear." Pepperoni knew how to cheer her up. "Has it been busy today?"

"Yeah. It's lunchtime right now. I think I'll start getting customers to start clearing out within the next hour. The special promotion we did for Hearth's Warming Day is really working though. Last night we were packed, remember?"

"Yeah. Hopefully when Cleversong comes home for the holidays we can really get help when it gets bad."

"Oh don't worry about us. I just wish we could somehow help you out over there. It'd be really awesome if they just allowed us non-medical ponies to help out."

"Pepperoni, dear, I'm fairly sure you would want somepony who actually know the difference between hypothermic and hyperthermic when dealing with your health."

"What's the difference?"

"And that's why you make pizzas and I help save lives." The two laughed at that joke and then talked a little more about the coming holidays before hanging up. Bloomheart looked energized once more and was ready to continue her rounds when she came across Cathy again.

"So, that's what gets you up again?" Cathy asked.

"Eeyup. My better half has always kept me sane with this job. Ever since I started interning myself he's always been there to support me. Always calls at about noon to keep me in high spirits." Bloomheart loved that bit about her husband. No matter how many quirks he had, he always knew how to care for his family. "So, you gonna dump Dr. Studwell before he does the same to you?"

"Nah. I'm gonna see how far I can go. I won't be heartbroken if he does dump me though. It's just fun to date the most gorgeous colt in the entire hospital." Cathy started to slip out of it again, but realized she was making a scene. "Anyway, I'm off in an hour. What about you?"

"Same here. I just need to finish checking with the patients and see how the seniors are doing and I'll be set. I'll be free for the rest of the day then." Bloomheart felt happy that she was getting off soon, but then realized her horrible mistake by telling Cathy about being free.

"NEAT! We can totally do stuff together afterward. I know this neat place where we can totally shop for gifts for Hearth's Warming Day. How's that sound?" Bloomheart saw Cathy's expression and knew there was no way out of this. She just revealed that she had nothing to do and couldn't bear to destroy the mare's hopes and dreams. That would come later.

"Sure. Why not?" she said, defeated.

"Awesome! I just need to figure out how to sign off this form and I'll be done!" Cathy said.

"You...you just need to sign your name at the bottom. That's all." Bloomheart was worried for the future if this was what awaited the medical world.

"Oh! That's so simple! Most things I work with have TONS of stuff I need to write up. I'll just sign here...and now I can help you finish up early!"

"Hurray."

Of all the things Bloomheart expected to see today, Cathy being efficient and fast at her job was not one of them. She managed to make her way through all the seniors in a matter of minutes and finished up the rest of Bloomheart's work while she went to get a drink of water. While the intern may not be good at paperwork, she knew her way with the patients. In a moment, the two had signed out and were already at the new shopping store in Ponyville Square.

"So Bloomheart," Cathy asked while looking through the new mane products, "what're you gonna get your family for Hearth's Warming Day?"

"I'm not really sure," she replied while looking through earrings. "I wouldn't worry about it though. I always figure out something to give. That's guaranteed."

"Oh! Glad to hear. I think I know what I'd give to Suave," she told her, chuckling.

"Cathy dear, I really think that with all the ladies he's been with-"

"Not that! Sheesh. You think that a girl laughing after saying that she's gonna give her boyfriend a special gift means just that? I'll have you know that my special gift involved getting him a hairbrush that he'd been eyeing. His old one is starting to get ruined and you can't let hair like that just get ruined."

"I'll give him that. He really does have great hair." Bloomheart remembered the first time she ever saw the doctor and thought that she was in one of those soap operas from how good he looked. "Say, I just realized something about him."

"What is it?" Cathy asked, trying on one of the hats.

"I've had my little girl chats with some of the ladies he's dated and something always seemed off. Every mare he's dated has said that he never even tried to put the moves on them. You know what I"m saying? Actually, they all said that when they were hinting that it'd be okay, that's when he'd break up."

"Yeah. Probably because of his issues with commitment and the fact that he's actually so self conscious that he would worry about giving a bad impression if he needed to do something other than depend on his good looks." Cathy noticed the surprised stare she got from Bloomheart and said, "What? I also majored in Psychology."

"Huh. Learn something new every day. But back to business-"

"Wait a moment," Cathy said. "You were going to warn me about all the other ladies he'd been with before, but then just told me that he had never actually done the deed with all those other girls."

"Oh. Yeah. Huh. Guess I did," Bloomheart moved away from the earrings and started looking around for other stuff.

"Yes. Yes you did." Cathy started giving Bloomheart a suspicious stare. She felt like she was hiding something from her.

"Wow! Will you look at the time? I should head home and help out my husband. He's probably gonna be packed with the holidays and all. See ya!" She ran off, leaving the intern to wonder what could be going on.

I should probably let her know Bloomheart thought to herself as she galloped off. No. I couldn't possibly tell her my secret. Not even my husband knows. She felt a twinge of guilt after remembering that little fact. For the last ten years she's kept it a secret and tried to hide it from him, but nothing could stop the weight of her sin. The horrible, icky sin. I'm going to end up telling him tonight, aren't I?

"Hey honey!" greeted Pepperoni as his wife entered the restaurant. "How was the rest of your shift?"

"Surprisingly easy. The girl who's interning at the hospital really knew what she was doing. Say, you have a moment to talk privately?" Bloomheart was nervous about telling him the truth.

"Sure." The two of them went behind the counter and into the kitchen, away from the customers. "Now, what's happening?" he asked with is trademark smile.

"Well, there's something I've had weighing on more heart for the past ten years. It's really hard to say, so stick with me, okay?" Bloomheart took a seat and a deep breath and began to talk. "You see, there was this party that we had at the hospital about ten years ago. It was the holidays and everypony was having a really good time and then somepony brought out the Poison Joke Juice." She was getting nervous and starting to shake but continued her story. "Well, I drank about three bottles of the stuff and, uh, you know Dr. Suave Studwell?"

"The colt that makes all mares swoon? Of course! Why?" Pepperoni was not good at adding two and two together.

"Well, I kinda forgot that I was married for a moment, and, um, kinda made out with Dr. Suave in the broom closet." She waited to see her husband's reaction and that moment felt like it lasted forever.

"Huh."

"Really? That's all? 'Huh?' You're not angry?"

"Well, to be honest, he IS suave. And quite a stud. Honestly, it actually makes a lot of sense." Pepperoni seemed completely unfazed by his wife's confession. "Also, you were feeling awful at that point. Didn't you have mono at that time also."

"Yeah. Funny thing is that I actually ended up giving it to Studwell after that. Felt really bad about that as well." Bloomheart felt like she was taking a weight off her back. "Apparently it's still incubating in him as well. So he won't get rid of that anytime soon."

"Actually, did he know you were married? That's what I'm wondering now."

"You know, I can't recall if I told him at that point." She thought back and realized that before that party Studwell had never made any moves on her. "I don't think I ever needed to tell him."

"Well, it's in the past. I don't hold it against you. I know I do dumb things when I've had a bit too much to drink." Pepperoni remembered the drinking contest he had with his mortal business enemy, Burger Belcher. "Also, he's challenged me to a rematch, so I'm fairly certain I'll do even more stupid stuff! Remember that you're the one who got that Medical Degree while I'm making pizzas and getting into drinking competitions against business competitors."

"Aww honey!" She gave him the biggest hug she could possibly give, relieved that she finally told him about that party long ago. She was lucky that her husband wasn't angry. Even though she cheated on him. With the most attractive colt any of them had ever known.

"Is something wrong dear?" Pepperoni asked as he noticed her facial expressions changing.

"Nah. I just wondered why you didn't get angry or anything like that. I mean, another stallion did touch your lady. Most men would feel something about that."

"I probably would, but after reading that horrible Affair Arc in "Hoof of the South Star" I'm fairly certain I'd do anything to avoid even associating myself with it," Pepperoni explained.

"Wow. You really hated that arc. I mean, I guess I should've realized that when you threatened to throw Sound out of the house if that arc didn't end soon." Bloomheart remembered how tense things got when those issues were released. Pepperoni could barely contain his anger at what he thought was an arc that made the characters do things they'd never actually do and told Sound that if she didn't tell the writers at where she worked to finish it or drop it that she'd be kicked out. Things were pretty awkward for a while after that.

"Yeah. I think I get a bit too emotional when it comes to those characters. Well, better get back to making pizzas!" he said. Bloomheart walked away and went upstairs, tired from her shift. She really needed to rest. She was emotionally and physically exhausted. Hopefully some time in bed would help out. She immediately went to the bed and plopped down, dozing right off.

"Huh! What?" Bloomheart woke up from her nap and tried to regain her senses. She first wanted to see how long she'd been asleep. She saw the clock and saw it was about 5PM.

"Wow. I was pretty tired. Guess I should go down and see what's going on." She went down to see if the restaurant needed any help and was glad that she felt better. On her way to the kitchen she could overhear what was going on at the counter.

"So, is the saying about the size of a pegaus' wings true?" a mare asked.

"Maybe. I'm not totally sure which one that is. Mind explaining?" a voice she could tell was Pepperoni's asked. Bloomheart realized something was going on up at the counter and decided to listen in.

"I could show you if you'd like it. When do you get off?" the sultry voice asked.

"I usually close up at around ten. I could come check it out at around nine though. If you want to show me what it is we can do so in the broom closet. That way we don't disturb anypony else who might be here." Bloomheart's heart sank when she heard this. Was her husband flirting with this hussie?

"Ooh. Alright. See you then." Bloomheart desperately wanted to see the mare but was afraid she might be spotted if she did. Pepperoni came into the kitchen and saw his wife just standing there.

"Hey honey! Have a nice rest?" he asked innocently.

"Yeah. Sure," she responded coldly. She was still shocked by what she just heard. Her husband had just agreed to a flank call in their own restaurant. Their own home.

"You know if Sound's still in her room? Haven't seen her all day. She must be working on a new issue. Can't wait to see what happens, can you?" he asked enthusiastically.

"No," she replied dryly. She saw some dishes in the sink and attempted to wash them, fumbling around with the plates.

"Yeah! That was a pretty big cliffhanger. Oh, also do you know any phrases dealing with a pegasus' wing span? A customer just asked me and I said I'd show her later, but I think I'd rather hear it from you and not bother a customer."

"Wait, what?" Of all the things for her husband to ask her, the fact that he was telling her about the mare asking him that was the least expected. "You really don't know what that means?"

"No. Is she asking about how fast I can fly? I really don't know what she means." Of course Pepperoni would be the only colt not to know that joke.

"Let's just say she was hitting on you. That's all." Her fears of her husbands infidelity were shot down right then, and she could only feel guilt right then for thinking that way about her own husband.

"Oh. I'll have to decline her then. Thanks!" He then went away to get something from the walk-in.

"Great. I bet she was gorgeous as well," Bloomheart said to herself, thinking about how she was getting older and how many other younger mares she knew. She wondered how many other times mares had hit on her husband and not even known about it. This was not her day.

It was now nine and she was feeling pretty angry. Bloomheart  went out to one of the tables in the restaurant and sat down, waiting to see who the home wrecker was. Her husband was cleaning up and was doing fine on his own. Now she waited.

"Bloomheart?" somepony asked. She turned around to see it was Cathy.

"Cathy? What're you doing here?"

"I came across this stallion that worked here and, well, I thought we'd chat. We're supposed to meet up now." Honestly, Bloomheart didn't know how to react to this news. "In case you're wondering I probably will dump Dr. Studwell if things work out here. Just don't want to limit my options, you know?"

"Yeah! Say, have you met my husband? He owns this place actually," Bloomheart told Cathy, hoping to lead up to a big reveal.

"No. Is he here?" she asked absentmindedly.

"Eeyup! Pepperoni, dear! I'd like you to meet somepony I work with!"

"Coming, honey!" he called out. Pepperoni walked out of the kitchen and approached Cathy, her yellow coat turning pale. "Hey there! You were the one who asked me about wing sizes, right?"

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-" she said, stunned.

"Oh yes! I heard that conversation from the kitchen. Cathy, darling, would you mind clarifying what that phrase means?" Bloomheart was starting to have some real fun.

"It, well, it means you're a good flier," she stuttered out. "Well, nice seeing you two here. Gotta go!"

"Oh, Cathy, before you leave, I wanna tell you two things," Bloomheart yelled out.

"What is it?" she asked nervously.

"One is that Suave Studwell has a permanent case of mono, so be careful with that. Also," she grew a smile on her face, saying, "you better stay away from my man, you bitch, or not even the emergency ward will be able to save you. Understand?"

"Yes mam!" Cathy saluted before galloping at full speed.

"And that's how it's done. Well, I'm heading off to bed. Can't believe how exhausted I still am. At least tomorrow's my day off. Wonder what I need to do," Bloomheart said out loud.

"Yeah! I'll be making cookies. Wouldn't be Hearth's Warming Eve without them," Pepperoni said.

"Eeyup! Those are some-WAIT! WHAT?!"

"Hearth's Warming Eve's tomorrow, so I'm making cookies. Something wrong?" Pepperoni could NOT know under any circumstance that Bloomheart had totally forgotten to get them gifts yet. Or even what to give. It would be a rush to the deadline.

"Hey, uh, I think I need to...oh...wow." Bloomheart's stance started to sway as she moved back and forth.

"Honey, I think you need to go to bed. You don't look that great," her husband said.

"But...alright." She went upstairs with her thoughts still racing in her mind. Tomorrow would be the only day she could buy her family gifts, and she had no idea what to get them yet. She didn't want to straight up ask what they wanted; it'd be too impersonal and there'd be no surprise whatsoever. She'd need to rely on gut instincts and her family's friends.

"Okay. The plan is to wake up early and then head down to the shopping center. Also I really need to try and find some of Sound's friends. They'll know what she wants. VICTORY WILL BE-" was all she could yell out before falling asleep on the bed.

The alarm clock for Bloomheart's early morning shift rang, intentionally left on so she could wake up early that morning. With all the intensity and vigor of an extreme early-bird shopper, Bloomheart grabbed her scarf and boots and went out to shop. It would be a difficult quest, but she knew it needed to be accomplished.

"Alright. I need to figure out where to go first," she said to herself, drawing a mental map. "Now, I think what we need to do is find somepony who could give us some information on what would be good to buy. For that, we should head over to the shopping center and we can then find out what would be appropriate. Also, I'm apparently royalty now. Huh." Bloomheart went to the mall and was happy to find it open this early in the morning. Apparently they were ready for any last-minute shoppers that would be coming in. The moment she entered the doors of the place she was greeted by a greeter.

"Hello there! Do you need any assistance?" the unicorn asked.

"Yes! I'm desperate to find a gift for both my daughter and husband. I know that's a broad statement, but is there any way you can help me with it? I can tell you a bit about them if that'll help." Bloomheart was glad that she arrived this early. She now had this greeter all to herself.

"Hello there! Do you need any assistance?" she repeated again.

"Uh, yes. Did you hear what I said the first time?"

"Bessie, come on. Get your coffee and then get to greeting. You're no good to us in this state," another unicorn in a greeter's outfit told her. She walked away slowly, the smile still plastered on her face. "Sorry about that. She was actually asleep. Now, I'm Finder. How can I help you?"

"I really need a gift for my husband and daughter and husband and have no idea where to start. Please help me," she begged.

"No problems mam! We help with that sort of stuff all the time. What you can do is tell me some of your family's interests and I can direct you to a shop where they have materials they may be interested in. Once there the employees in the store will be able to help you out," explained Finder.

"Oh, thank you so much! Alright, the first one I think I'd like to find gifts for is my daughter. She's an illustrator for comic books and likes animation. I usually get her art supplies and such, but I want to change it up this year," Bloomheart told him.

"Alright then! I'll take you over to The Pencil. It's our finest animation related shop in the mall. There you can find hundreds of art related supplies and animated shows that you normally wouldn't see anywhere else. Follow me!" Finder led her into the shopping center and into an area where shops were plentiful.

"Wow. I'd never seen a shopping center like this before," she commented.

"We actually don't call them shopping centers. Most of the time we just call them malls. It's pretty much a store that contains other stores within it." Finder explained. At that moment there was a loud foghorn that blew just as he finished talking about stores within a store. "Also, that means it's about five now. Other stores should be opening up."

"Do you know if mine will be open?" Bloomheart asked.

"I think so. After all, it is the holidays. They should be ready for all the ponies that would have last minute shopping," explained Finder. He led her to the shop he told her about and found that there were ponies already waiting outside the gates, hoping to get in.

"The sign says it's supposed to be open by now. Why isn't it?" one large stallion in the line asked.

"The manager should be here soon to open up the shop. Until then just stay calm and remember the real reason for the holidays, alright?" he told them. "Sheesh. These ponies are like hyenas. I'm surprised none of them tried to break down the door yet. But yeah, you should find something for your daughter here. If not, then I'd also suggest a The Dragon's Laboratory. It's this comic shop that's supposed to have good deals going on at this time. Good luck," he said, looking as if he knew something horrible would happen to him today.

"Alright everypony! Stay calm while I open the door," somepony in a red jacket told the crowd. She took the keys out of her pocket and unlocked the gate. She then carefully slid in through the doors, followed by others wearing the same jacket. "Now, just wait a minute while we get set up."

"Oh, please let them have something good," Bloomheart said to herself, bracing for when the "OPEN" sign was finally flipped. She calculated that if somepony could hold the doors open, she could possibly fly over the crowd and get inside. Maybe she could see something from above.

"Welcome everypony!" the manager yelled, flipping the sign and ducking out of the way. A stream  of customers flooded in, both on the ground and in the air. Bloomheart abandoned her flying plan and just decided to go with the flow. Within thirty seconds everypony had entered the store with some already lined up at the register with their purchases.

"Wow. That escalated quickly, and then ended abruptly," she commented to herself, deciding to browse the wares. "Now, I usually end up getting Sound some art supplies, but this time will be different. What could she possibly like that deals with animation?" She looked over the art supplies and then noticed rows of DVD's. Before trotting over there, she saw one of Sound's friends.

"Cloverbud? Is that you? I haven't seen you in so long!" Bloomheart said, approaching the pony with a stone face.

"Oh. Hey Bloomheart," she replied. "Sorry I haven't visited your home in a while. Been busy at Trot Comics checking over the new IP we'll be releasing. How about you?" Bloomheart remembered that Cloverbud was Head of Quality Control over at Trot Comics. She also remembered several months ago that she had attempted to seduce her husband unknowingly. This sort of thing was happening far too often.

"Oh, well, I'm just beyond busy working as a nurse at Ponyville Hospital. Say, have you found a coltfriend yet? Or somepony else not my husband?" she told her with a smile on her face.

"Uhhhhh....please don't hurt me?" Cloverbud asked.

"Don't worry. I know you didn't mean that. At least I know that I got a good stallion before anypony else, you know?" The two laughed, cutting the tension. "Anyway, what're you doing here?"

"I'm checking out some supplies to get while they're on sale. We usually buy our stuff in bulk, but some artists like personalized tools, so that's what I'm here for. And you?"

"Oh, I'm trying to get something for Sound, but I'm drawing a blank here. I wanna try and get something different this year, so I think I might try to get a DVD of something." Bloomheart, realizing that her friend could help, asked,"Say, what do you think Sound would like?"

"Let's check out what's here so we can get an idea," Clover suggested. The two of them looked through the rows of DVDs, Bloomheart having no idea what she was looking at. She hoped to refer any questions she had to Clover.

"What about this one?" she asked, pulling up a DVD with mares in school uniforms.

"Nah. Hey, I think I know waht you should get her," Clover said, picking up a DVD from an cordoned area of the store. She showed it to Bloomheart, who tried to read the title.

"Boku No Numa? What's that?"

"It's a pretty good show. Only three episodes, but they're very well done. I'm sure that she'll love getting this from you," Clover told her, a smirk on her face.

"Oh! Thank you SO much!" Bloomheart grabbed the disk and went out to checkout, but not before asking one other question. "Hey, Clover?"

"Yes?"

"What exactly did you think it was that attracted you to my husband?" Bloomheart really wanted to know why it seemed like everypony she knew was now hitting on her husband.

"Well, aside from my general loneliness, it has to probably be that he's really handsome and his age actually makes him look much more mature. Also, you see the size of his wings? And his flank?" Clover was starting to feel awkward discussing this.

"Huh. Well, I can't disagree with anything you said. I guess that I thought home wreckers would be more interested in bulkier, more muscular stallions. No offense."

"None taken. Just know that you're lucky. Well, I'll get my stuff and check out. See you later," Cloverbud went out to the self-service checkout and quickly got out of the store.

"Well, guess I'll check out with this then. Afterward I can think up something for Pepperoni." Bloomheart got in the line and waited for a solid ten minutes before reaching the register.

"Hey Miss Bloom!" Curveball, one of Sound's closer friends called out.

"Curveball? I didn't expect to see you working here?"

"Yeah, well, it helps with money now that the weather's bad for coaching. So what are you getting? Any last minute gifts?"

"Oh yes. I actually forgot how close it was to Hearth's Warming Day and didn't buy anything yet. I was about to get this for Sound and then figure out where to go for my husband." Bloomheart showed Curveball the DVD she was about to buy. The mare's reaction to it was somewhere between shock and laughter.

"WOAH! WOAH! WOAH!" was all she said at first. "Miss Bloom, you have any idea what you were just about to buy?"

"Uh, no actually. Cloverbud actually helped me pick this one out," she said, confused about what was going on. "What's wrong?"

"Ah. Cloverbud suggested this. That explains a lot. She's actually a pretty sadistic prankster. You see the foals on the cover?"

"Yeah.?"

"Well, those are colts. And, um, they...can I whisper this to you? It's not something you say out loud and feel okay with."

"Sure." Bloomheart bent over the counter and perked her ears up to listen.

"In the show..." Curveball explained the contents of those three episodes to the nurse, her face somehow becoming more and more horrified as the explanation went on. Just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, it clearly did. When she had finished explaining, Bloomheart's face was contorted to show the inability of her feelings.

"Three?" she asked quietly.

"Yes. Three," Curveball replied. She remembered the fateful day when she had been dared to watch one of these shows at random. What she did was that she picked one from a list and swore to watch in full whatever she chose. What happened next was a blur, mainly because she actually ended up in therapy for a short while after  seeing it.

"Wow. That would've been awkward to give her. Do you have any gift suggestions for Sound?"

"I actually can't remember right now. I've got to get to these customers, but I suggest that comic place. Right now they're having some raffle for a secret expensive comic in mint condition, so you could try that out," Curveball saw the line growing and said, "You gotta go now. Good luck!"

"Thanks. You too!" Bloomheart said, hoping that this lead would work out better. She looked for the nearest information booth and found the location of The Dragon's Laboratory. Galloping past the other shoppers, she saw a large poster board of a dragon wearing glasses and knew she'd found the place.

"Hello mam! Do you need any help?" a bald unicorn asked.

"Yes. I heard that your shop is performing a raffle for a rare comic. I'd like to buy a chance if there are any still available." Bloomheart looked around the shop and saw a plethora of merchandise hanging off the walls. See saw miniature figures of famous comic book characters and blown-up posters of well-known comics. She wondered if she should get any of these for Sound as well. She then saw the prices of said merchandise and started calculating how much love was worth in currency.

"Why of course! It's a special mint-condition first issue of a famous comic book series! It's worth in current condition would sell for three hundred bits," the store owner explained.

"Wow! That'd make a great gift. How much is it to enter the raffle?"

"Ten bits," he told her.

"Alright. Sign me up!" She handed over the money and signed the ticket. It was then placed in a large box with the other tickets. She considered putting in more chances, but then realized that she'd feel like a fool if she spent all her money on chances for a raffle and didn't even win. "Now, when do you pick the winner?"

"Today at noon, mam. You can shop around and come back around that time to see if you won," he explained.

"Thanks!" she said as she trotted away with a smile on her face. "Now while that's going on, we'll try and find something for Pepperoni. We think we'll checkout some stores for older gentlemen. Also, We're talking using the royal 'we' again for some reason."

Bloomheart decided to then check out the nearby sporting goods store and see if there was anything that Pepperoni might like. He never went out anyplace where there was nature, but who knows. She ended up coming across a shop called The Survivalist and decided to give it a look.

"Hello mam. How may we help you?" an pony wearing a hunter's uniform asked. He spoke clearly even with the large pipe he had in his mouth.

"I'm not sure. I'm just trying to find something for my husband, but don't even know if he's into this sort of thing," she said, aware of how bad it sounded.

"Ah. Last minute gifts then. If you want, I suggest that you get him something that allows fishing," he told her.

"Fishing?" Bloomheart thought over the activities her husband would normally do, such as betting, heavy drinking, and...apparently she had a really bad impression of her husband's activities. "I think he'll like it."

"Good! Let me get you some supplies he'll need if he's a beginner." The dapper store owner walked away while humming "Hail Celestia" to himself. Only after he left did Bloomheart notice that he had a Blunderbuss strapped to his back. Obviously this would be one store in the mall that wouldn't fall to the zombie apocalypse.

"Actually, I think we need a smaller pack. Those larger ones can get real heavy if you pack everything in there," a familiar voice said. Bloomheart looked around the next aisle and saw Pawpads talking to her boyfriend (or fiance) Apple Cider. She remembered that Apple Cider was gonna propose, but never heard anything else after that.

"Hey you two!" she called out, greeting both of them in a surprise. "Didn't expect to find you here."

"Miss Bloom!" Pawpads called out, approaching the mare and giving her a hug. "A.C. and I were just looking through packs to take on a camping trip we were planning sometime in Spring. Our last trip into nature did not go so well."

"Really? When was that?"

"It was on Hearts and Hooves Day and we were travelling through the Everfree Forest with that zebra, Zecora, guiding us. The two of us were standing near a lake for a moment with A.C. about to say something when a huge hydra came out of the water! Luckily Zecora was able to beat it into submission, but needless to say we were pretty shocked."

"Ah." Bloomheart realized that A.C. was probably going to propose at that moment, but got cut off. After that, he must've gotten cold hooves after being attacked by a hydra. Not exactly a good sign.

"Yeah. So anyway we're getting things while sales are going on. Better prepared than regretting. Right, A.C.?"

"Exactly. Say, you think we should get one of those Blunderbuss things as well? You know, just to be safe?" he asked.

"Come on, A.C. I doubt that if we did come across anything on the trip that a simple Blunderbuss would stop it. Besides, those things are inaccurate. If we're going for accuracy and portability, I would suggest we take self-reloading crossbow. After all, they're silent, compact, and ammo is retrievable in case it's needed." Both Bloomheart and A.C. didn't know how to react to Pawpads sudden knowledge of weaponry. Instead, A.C. decided to say something else.

"Say, Pawsy, you mind checking out the tent area? I wanna talk with Miss Bloom about something."

"Sure!" She gave him a peck and went off. A.C. approached Bloomheart and wore his serious face.

"Alright. As you know we aren't engaged yet. That little incident in the forest gave me the creeps and I just don't know if I've got the guts to ask the question now," he confessed.

"Aww. A.C. dear, don't fret. It's not a sign that you two would be a bad match. It's a sign that you need to choose better travel spots," she explained. "Besides, I have insider knowledge from Sound that Pawsy over there was really looking toward getting a special ring."

"I already heard the same thing from Sound. The thing is that I don't know if I'M ready." He looked around to see if the coast was clear before saying anymore. "I think I'm falling for this other mare."

"WHAT?!" Bloomheart screamed out, alerting everypony else looking around the shop. She quickly hid behind a rack, hoping to cover herself. When everypony finally looked away, she starting whispering frantically to A.C. "What do you mean that you're falling for this other mare? Who is she?"

"Well, she's this nurse-" Bloomheart immediately put her hoof over A.C.'s mouth the moment she heard that.

"Would her name happen to be Cathy?" she asked in as menacingly a calm voice could sound.

"Uh, yeah. You know her?" Oh boy. Did Bloomheart know her.

"Yes. Let's just say that you're better off not getting hooked up on her. She has a way of, how you say, having a terrible choice of attempted relationships. Last night she attempted to hook up with my husband and didn't even know that he was married. I don't think she even knows about Pawpads. But let's just say that she isn't something you should worry about." A.C. actually looked relieved to hear that. He'd been trying to get rid of his temptations somehow.

"Thanks Miss Bloom. I thought I'd end up giving up the one truly good thing that's been in my life and end up being some player again. Hope that fishing gear works out for Pepperoni."

"Same here." A.C. trotted away to where Pawpads was comparing different hats. He put his hoof around the mare and gave her a big hug, surprising her. Bloomheart was happy to see those two together and hoped that Pawpads would finally be blunt and tell him to marry her. Otherwise, Bloomheart suspected she might need to get A.C. a pair of something to finally give him the courage to ask.

"Here are the basic supplies, mam," the dapper pony said, giving her a fishing line, some wire, a box of bait, and an instruction manual.

"Oh, we won't need the bait or the instruction manual. I know at least one of my husband's friends likes to go fishing and usually has lots of bait to share. He's actually invited us a couple of times, but we never had the stuff. Actually, this really is a perfect gift then. He and Mr. Bates can finally go off and fish then."

"Ah! Mister Bates. He's a regular to this shop when it comes to supplies. He's also quite efficient when it comes to using bait, sometimes only using one tool to capture a whole bucket of fish," the store owner told her.

"Really? So he's quite good at baiting then, correct?" Bloomheart asked, her face forming a smirk of anticipation.

"Why, yes.He is truly an expert with bait." The pony was falling straight into her hooves.

"So, would you consider him a master baiter then?"

"Yes. That's a proper title for one with such skill. A master baiter." The dapper pony couldn't help but notice his customer barely containing her composure. “Mam, are you alright?”

“Oh, yes. Of course. It’s just amazing to learn that one of my husband’s friends is a master *phht* baiter. Must have taken him a long time for him to get there. Do you know if he started as a teenager?” Bloomheart was going to go all the way here.

“Why, even younger than that! I remember when his father first-“

“BWAHAHAHA!” She couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Oh…oh. I’m sorry. Just remembered a funny story I once heard. Anyway, thanks for helping me get these gifts!” She took out her wallet and paid him his bits. She was glad to cut back on all the extra stuff for the fishing gear. It gave her plenty of wiggle room with the budget.

“Now, what else to buy? The raffle for Sound’s thing will be in about five hours, and I’ve got something nice for my hubby. I guess I should just relax a little for now. My hooves are starting to kill me.” She saw a couple stores down what appeared to be a café and couldn’t help herself. She went over and immediately found the comfiest seat possible and made it hers.

“Hello mam!” one of the baristas greeted. “What can I get you?”

“Oh. I’ll take a small coffee,” Bloomheart responded.

“How would you like that coffee, mam? We have a wide variety of ways to make it.”

“Hmmm. Darker than a moonless night. Hotter and more bitter than hell itself,” she ordered. The barista’s face twisted as she tried to understand what this strange pegasus just asked for.

“Oh. Alright! Coming right up!” Bloomheart felt a bit guilty for using a reference that nopony got, but also knew that she never had any other time to say that. She decided to lay her head back and just relax for a moment. She wasn’t one for feeling tired in the morning thanks to her job. She just worried about the eventual crash that would probably come in the evening.

“Well, I have several hours to waste now. Feel like I need to do something else, but just can’t remember what,” she said to herself, going over the mental checklist. “I’ve got stuff for Sound and Pepperoni, so I should be set for my family. What else could there be?” Bloomheart scratched her head, desperately trying to remember something she felt was missing. “After all, I’ve gotten a gift for each of them to give tomorrow. Actually, I wonder if we’ll decide to do it tonight when Cleversong comes over for-“ She suddenly remembered that shocking fact that had eluded her; Bloomheart had two daughters, not just Sound.

“Excuse me, mam? Your coffee is ready,” the barista told Bloomheart. Too bad she had forgotten all about her order and was rushing out of the café. “Mam! Your coffee!” she yelled hopelessly.

“What was that about?” her coworker asked.

“She ordered this dark and bitter coffee and then just rushed out,” she explained. “Oh well. I’ll just keep the coffee here and wait for her.”

“Crap! How could I forgotten about Cleversong!” Bloomheart was galloping around the mall with no reason in her rushing. “I have no idea what to get her and…and…CRAP!”

“Mam, would you mind keeping it down?” one of the nearby shop owners asked. “You’re scaring away customers.”

“Sorry. I just remembered that I have another daughter that I need to get gifts for. I’m just freaking out now,” she explained.

“Oh! Well why didn’t you say so! Come in, come in!” beckoned the owner. Bloomheart looked up to see the name of the store she was entering.

“Mr. Morrium’s Wonder Emporium. Huh. Guess I could check it out.” Seeing her choices were still up in the air, she decided to check it out.

“Now, my name is Mr. Morrium and I’m here to help you out. What’s your daughter’s age and interests?”

“She’s a singer who’s studying to be a pharmacist. Also-“ The strange shop owner put his hoof up and shushed her, attempting to concentrate.

“I think I know what you can get her. Hold on just a moment.” He dashed away to the back of his strange shop, crashing sounds heard along the way. The store was almost completely empty except for a desk with a notepad on it. Actually, there was nothing actually set up on the shelves. Bloomheart wondered how a shop like this could run.

“Here we go!” Mr. Morriam said, coming out of the back room. “I think this should be good to get her.” He took out two items form his bag. One was a fountain pen with Cleversong engraved on it. The other was a book entitled "Warlords of the World". “The pen I knew to get for her since I heard her name being screamed. The book I just feel could come in handy just in case.”

“Thank you so much! These seem perfect. Well, at least the pen. I think I’ll take the book as well, just in case.” Bloomheart handed over the bits and took the bag containing gifts. She was exiting the store before she realized something. “Hey. How did you know what would be a good gift for a pharmacist?”

“It’s actually my special talent. I’m really good at getting the gifts ponies need. Not want they want necessarily. Now, good luck!” He went into the back room again after hearing his merchandise crashing down.

“Well, I just dodged a bullet right there. Guess I can go and relax now.” Bloomheart was heading back to the café when she noticed a new store out of the corner of her eye. “Costume Command? I thought those shops only existed before Nightmare Night. Guess this one closed later for some reason.” Out of pure curiosity, she decided to check out the shop. “Hello? Anypony there?”

“Is…is that a customer?” somepony in the store said. “Creepy! Get out here! There’s a customer here!”

“Crawly, no there isn’t. You’re just hallucinating again. Nopony would visit a costume shop this time of year.”

“Look! There she is! Please tell me I’m not dreaming.” Crawly grabbed Creepy’s face and focused it on the mare. It was as if they’d been on a deserted island and hadn’t seen somepony in years.

“You’re right! There IS somepony in here! Please, come in. Do you have any ideas? Any desires?” Creepy’s face was that of a very desperate stallion.

“Well, I dunno. I was just passing by and…is that outfit supposed to be a magician’s outfit?” Bloomheart looked at the costume and had a couple of ideas come to mind.

“Why, yes it is. Does that interest you?”

“Possibly. First, I need to check if you guys have anything that resembles a top hat.” Bloomheart saw this outfit as the perfect opportunity to finally put together her cosplay for Zataran, The Southern Magician Girl. She was always surprised to find that there weren’t any shops with proper clothes for a magician.

“Absolutely. Crawly, you know where those hats are, right?”

“Eeyup! Just give a moment.” Crawly finally managed to come out of his stupor of disbelief and rushed to fetch a top hat. Within a minute he had selected what Bloomheart considered to be the most immaculate top hat ever.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, marveling at its shine. “I’ll take the outfit.”

“She’s actually buying something! We made a sale!” The two danced around in joy at the prospect of finally selling a costume in the dead of winter. “We can finally leave this place!”

“Wait, what?” Bloomheart got confused by what he just said.

“Our boss said that we needed to make one more sale before we broke even with the rental on this place. Apparently he ended up renting the place for an entire year instead of one month. We’ve been here just waiting for somepony to buy something so you could finally leave this place,” Crawly explained.

“Why didn’t you just buy one of these costumes yourself then?”

“Well, they’re kinda expensive. But who cares! We’re free! FREE! WE CAN FINALLY GO HOME! CLOSE IT UP, CREEPY!”

“I’m on it.” Creepy grabbed a sign and walked over to the door to the shop. Casually, he placed the sign on the door so then it read ‘Closed’ to everypony outside. “It is completed.”

“Alright! Mam, I’m afraid I must ask you to leave now. We’re officially closed,” Crawly said calmly. Deciding that she’d had enough crazy stores for today, Bloomheart decided to head back to the café.

“Hello mam! What would you like to order?”

“I ordered a small, black coffee earlier. Do you still have it?” Bloomheart asked.

“I’m sorry, but that must have been the other café in the mall,” the barista explained.

“Wait, so you’re saying that there are two of the exact same café in the same mall?”

“Exactly! Now, would you like that small, black coffee with anything else?” she asked.

“No. That’ll be it.” She paid for her coffee and sat down, hoping that now she could relax a little. Looking up at the clock on the wall, she saw that it was almost nine now. Three more hours until the drawing. “Well, now I can enjoy some of this delicious coffee.” She took a sip from her black coffee and inhaled the aroma, feeling alive once again. “Ah. Just how I like it.”

“Excuse me, but is this seat taken?” a strong, enticing voice asked. Bloomheart looked up to see her coworker, Dr. Suave Studwell, standing right over her.

“Studwell? Didn’t know that you had the day off as well.”

“Well, you know how little I actually take time off from work. It’s not like I should handle the lives of everypony in the town,” he boasted. “So, what’re you up to?”

“Shopping for Hearth’s Warming Day gifts for my family. Including my husband,” she emphasized. “And you?”

“Shopping as well. Getting some hair products along with some nice gifts for my family also. Anyway,” he said, taking a seat next to her, “it looks like we’re having coffee together.”

“Ugh. Suave, we’re only having coffee together in the literal sense. Nothing more.” She hoped that he would at least be a little less aggressive with his advances while dating Cathy. Now Cathy seemed to be acting more like him. At least they’ve got something in common now.

“You don’t have to shut me down immediately. After all, you remember that party we had exactly ten years ago today, don’t you?” Bloomheart almost spat out her coffee when he reminded her of that.

“No. You know that was just a fling that happened. We were both drunk and things just got out of hoof. Besides, why on earth are you still into me? I gave you a disease that won’t go away and could be given to anypony you have a relationship with. How could you think that I’m something worth chasing?” Bloomheart was tired of chasing him away and wanted answers.

“Well, that’s a question I’d like to answer, but first I’d actually like to buy you another coffee or a muffin or something. At least let me be a gentlecolt.” He gave her a pleading but strong look and she decided to cave in.

“Fine. Get me a strudel.”

“Maria! One strudel!” he said. The barista came over quickly with a strudel and giggled as she went back to her register. “Here you go, madam.”

“Uh, thanks?” She took the strudel from his hoof and took a bite out of it, realizing how hungry she was. Without realizing it she wolfed down the pastry and downed her coffee.

“Wow. Guess you forgot to eat this morning. I’ve adjusted to not eating breakfast. Takes time out of saving lives.” Bloomheart couldn’t tell if Suave was just being hammy or serious. He was pretty odd that way.

“Well, you’re not saving lives right now. Eat something! You can’t look that good all the time without feeling hungry,” Bloomheart said instinctively. She just realized what she’d said and immediately started drinking her coffee again to hide her face.

“Well then,” he said, going up to the counter and selecting a wide variety of things to eat and putting them on a platter, “I say let us eat.”

“Oh wow. That looks too good. You mind?” she asked him.

“Go ahead.” Bloomheart took a muffin from the platter while he took a slice of the marble bread. The two enjoyed their food, especially Suave. It seemed like forever since he’d eaten a breakfast. Everything tasted delicious and he couldn’t believe how long he’d gone without this meal.

“Wow. I never knew how good this stuff could be,” Suave said as he ate a cake pop. “Maybe I avoid it because I know too much about nutrition to eat it.”

“Screw nutrition! We’re doctors! Or at least you are. If any of us get fat we can count on you for liposuction.” The two of them cracked up at that joke. Suave accidentally spat out some food and started snorting as he laughed. That only made the two of them laugh even harder.

“Oh wow. I usually try to not end up snorting. Doesn’t look good.” The doctor looked embarrassed at the prospect of appearing unsexy.

“What do you mean? I think it’s cute. It’s one of those funny little things that ponies never really appreciate. I sometimes end up squealing if I laugh too much. THAT’S more embarrassing,” Bloomheart told him.

“Really? I’ve never heard you laugh like that.”

“Well, I’ll show you. Tell me a really funny joke and you’ll see.”

“Hmm.” Suave thought about jokes he knew and couldn’t think of anything too funny, so he relied on an old-yet-reliable joke. “An atom walks into a bar and tells the bartender ‘I think I’ve lost an electron. Would you help me find it?’ The bartender then asks ‘Are you sure?’ to which the atom says ‘I’m positive.”

Bloomheart started blankly at his face for a moment, making Suave feel like a fool. Suddenly, Bloomheart started cracking up, unable to hold back. Suddenly, she started making squeaking noises while laughing, catching the attention of several other patrons.

“Oh…oh wow. Can’t believe I just did that in public,” she said, her face flushed. “Anyway, that’s what it sounds like when I squeal while laughing. Now you know how lucky you are that all you do is snort while laughing.”

“At least your thing sounds natural. My thing sounds like a pig wondered into the room and started eating. Yours was adorable.”

“Oh stop that,” she told him, her face still red. She never really had many conversations with Suave that went on this long. Most of the time she’d blow him off and just walk away, never really giving him a chance. Now that she finally got to chat with him, she saw what other mares could see. “Hey, Suave, you never answered my question,” she told him, scooting closer. “Why exactly are you attracted to me?”

“Well,” he said, also scooting closer, “I think it might be your personality. You always keep your energy up, even late in your shift and always make an effort to do your best. You can deal with stuff most nurses would cringe at, like doing needles with the foals. You might get embarrassed easily, but you never regret the thing you did to make yourself feel that way.”

“Is that all? Just my personality?” the nurse scoot a little closer now, chairs almost bumping against each other. Part of her had no idea what she was doing while another part of her really wanted to see where this went.

“Well, I’m sure it’s Ad Naseum for you to hear at this point, but you are gorgeous as well. I mean that green mane that just glows in the light. Your beautiful white coat and perfectly trimmed wings. The way your eyes just glimmer with life. Is there any question why one would be interested in you if not simply for those reasons? Some say that if somepony simply wants you for your body then they’re shallow. However, if somepony wanted you simply for your body, then they’d be a pony who knew that nothing else could be better than the moment they first laid eyes on you.”

“Oh, Dr. Studwell,” Bloomheart said, quivering. It was only at that moment she noticed she had moved herself directly next to the doctor, their faces only an inch apart. She suddenly moved her head and noticed everypony else in the shop was looking at the two of them, the mares bearing a wide smile on their faces. “I…um…thanks for breaskfast!”

“No problem. Take care,” he said calmly as she rushed out with her bags.

“Okay Bloomy. Get it together.  Remember the regret you had when you gave in last time. Remember your loving family. Remember that…um…I think I’m gonna look around a bit more. Yep. That’s what I’ll do,” she told herself as she tried to forget the handsome doctor.

It took about another hour of wondering aimlessly around the mall, but she finally got her mind off the stupid sexy doctor. Now she was interested in checking out some of the technology stores.

“I really wanna check out these computers. I know Sound has one, but she really doesn’t want me using it,” she said, wondering why somepony would feel that way about letting somepony else use their computers. “I mean, what’s the worst thing I could do or see on there?”

After getting lost because she couldn’t tell where she was in the mall with her outdated map, she found a store called Tweaked and Wired that advertised having computers for sale. When she entered the store, an alarm went off, freaking her out and flying up before she knew what’d happened.

“Sorry! Our alarm’s been on the fritz lately. Anyway, how can I help you?” a pony with a bright blue dress shirt asked.

“Oh, I’m just looking around for now,” she explained, floating back onto the floor. “Though I do wonder how much your computers cost. I know my daughter has one, but I’ve never really gotten into that sort of stuff.”

“Well, that I can help you with! Follow me.” He led her through several aisles in the shop containing cameras and batteries before stopping at an area containing large, glowing boxes that Bloomheart guessed were computers.

“Are these the computers?” she asked, knowing nothing of this sort of stuff.

“Yep! These guys are brand new and can handle any needs, business or pleasure, that are currently available. Now, the basic price for a computer like this will run about five hundred bits, but for a really-“

“FIVE HUNDRED?!” she yelled. “What do these things do that they cost five hundred bits?”

“Well, you can type documents, create graphs, research things using the internet, and many more,” the salespony told her.

“Wait, what’s the internet?” she asked.

“Well, um, it’s this connection of other computers in the world where people share information and other things. It’s actually quite complicated to explain. Easier to see it in action.” He turned on a computer and clicked on some symbol on the screen. The screen then changed to display a different page. Bloomheart watched curiously as he explained the fine parts of the internet to her and how it worked. Sound usually groaned whenever she asked how it worked and would usually say that it’s hard to explain. Guess she just didn’t want to bother trying.

“Would you mind if I tried to use it?” Bloomheart asked eager to see what awaited her online.

“Sure! What do you want to try out?”

“Well, I think I want to search something that’s nice and relaxing. Something…fun. Yes. Honestly this day’s been crazy for me so far. I think I’ll look up ‘Mares having fun’.” Before she could type in the phrase, the salespony interrupted her and took the keyboard away quickly.

“Mam, I’m REALLY sorry, but that might not be the best phrase to search for, at least in public. It can lead to some very…interesting results.”

“What do you mean? The internet’s a public place so what could possibly come up?” Bloomheart would later realize that she sounded just like her innuendo oblivious husband.

“Uh…well…,” he muttered while scratching his head. “See, the internet had lots of…stuff.”

“Stuff? Come on. Be blunt with me. What’s so bad with a search about mares having-OH! That’s what you can find on the internet?” Bloomheart had never realized that computers could be used for such a purpose.

“Yes. Lots of that stuff. Unless you set your search settings to a safe search. Then you’re more likely to avoid it.” Bloomheart felt embarrassed to make the salespony tell her that. It probably was the most awkward thing he could have dealt with that day.

“Oh. I’m so sorry. Um…thanks for telling me about computers though. I might be interested in one in the future.” She trotted away, hoping not to look back at him. That would just make things worse. “Well, I might as well check out what else is in the store.”

For the next half hour she explored the store and ogled the gadgets she knew she’d probably never use but would love to own. She touched the thing black devices called ‘tablets’ and had lots of fun just touching everything on the screen. After reading one of the sample stories on the device, she went over to check out the music area.

“I know it would cost a lot, but I really want one of these music players someday. They’re just so neat and useful,” she said, looking at the boxes full of tiny players. “I wonder how you get the music on them though.”

“You buy the music online with a computer or through the device itself. Depends on what kind of player you’re using.” She looked to see who was talking and saw another one of Sound’s friends, Silent Study, looking through several of the CDs.

“Hey Silent! You enjoying your winter break?” Bloomheart remembered that as a Teacher’s Assistant he wouldn’t have to go to work.

“I guess,” he said casually, glancing over the disks. He sighed and looked at Bloomheart. “Miss Bloom, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Sure, sweetie. What’s bothering you?” She noticed him blush when she called him that.

“Well, I don’t know why, but I just can’t seem to get in the spirit of the season.” He postioned himself against a wall of boxes while piano music played in the background, saying, “I feel like I’m the only one who can’t get into the mood. I mean, I like the thing about getting gifts from my parents from the city. I also like how everything is served with cinnamon this time of year. I just don’t feel happy though.”

“Silent Study. You might be the only pony I know who can turn a perfectly happy holiday and turn it into a problem.” Bloomheart couldn’t help but feel like déjà vu right then.

“I know. I think it might now be related to the holidays, but just something else I’m worrying about right now. I know it’s dumb, but I can’t help but worry.”

“Well, why don’t you tell me about it? I studied psychology as a minor for Nursing, so maybe I can help somehow. Let’s sit down first.” The two found a couple of chairs and sat down. Bloomheart sank in her chair, trying to figure out why a technology store needed such big chairs.

“Well, it’s about this girl.” Silent stopped talking and let Bloomheart get comfortable in her chair. Every time she moved it squeaked and she kept on sinking in.

“Continue,” she said, falling in once again.

“Well, it’s not about Cheerilee. I’m letting you know that before we start. Don’t want you to think that it’s anything with her. It’s actually some other girl I know.”

“Ooh! Details, please!” Bloomheart said overenthusiastically.

“Well, we met online and decided to talk to her. Thought she was pretty cool. Was honestly surprised that she responded to my messages in the first place. I honestly was worried because I give off this bad aura with mares.” Silent stopped talking once more as the chair started to eat Bloomheart again. “You know, maybe we should head back into the music area.”

“Good idea,” she said, flapping her wings to get out of the mess. The two walked back over there, right next to a new music player that could play songs simply by saying its name.

“Alright. Thing is that sometimes I’ll send her a message and, honestly, I just worry that she won’t respond. It’s weird. It’s not like there’s any reason we’d stop talking. I feel like when I was a young colt at school and for some reason all the mares thought I was weird. Maybe it was that I couldn’t cast magic. Maybe it was my mane. I never figured it out. Thing is that I worry it’ll happen again.”

“Silent, how exactly would you say you feel in these situations?” Bloomheart asked.

“Honestly, I feel like a creep, you know. It’s like-“

“Playing ‘Creep’ by Raiodhead,” the music player stated.

“What? No. Stop. I just want to talk. I don’t want any lyrics playing while-“

“Playing ‘Creep-Karaoke Version’ by Radiohead,” it told them.

“You think we should get someone to fix it?” Bloomheart asked.

“Nah. I think we’ll be fine,” he said when the song started to play. “But yeah, it was weird how they always avoided me. Made me feel bad. I wanted to feel…” he stopped talking before he said, “special.”

“Well, I think we all want to feel that way. It’s not uncommon to-“ She got cut off before she could finish her thought.

“But I’m a creep.

I’m a loser.

What the hell am I doing here?

I don’t belong here.” Apparently Silent was now singing the song that was on the music player.

“Silent, I think we’re-“ Before Bloomheart could finish, a group of shoppers and employees suddenly seemed to join in.

“I don’t care if it hurts.

(Doesn’t care if it hurts)

I just want to have control.

(Just wants a little bit control)

I want a perfect body.

(We all want that kind of body)

I want a perfect soul.

(We all want that kind of soul)

I want her to notice when I’m not around.

(Whenever we’re all gone)

She’s so really awesome.

(Yes she’s really awesome)

I wish I was awesome.

(We wanna be awesome)”

“You know what? I think I’ll just sit back and watch,” Bloomheart said, scared of what was going on. All her life she wondered what it’d be like to live in a musical. Now she knows how it’d be; scary. Ponies suddenly dropping what they’re doing and start singing a song in tune and they all know what to say. She sat through their rendition of the song and as soon as it ended everypony went back to what they were doing before with no reference to what just happened.

“Anyway, that’s the general gist of how I feel. Also, I worry that I may put too much thought in what kind of relationship we have. After all, we just chat online. I doubt I’m exactly the first friend that pops to mind. I just have to accept that,” Silent told her.

“Well, that’s always good to keep in mind. Doesn’t mean you should treat her any less. After all, she’s still your friend, and rank doesn’t matter in true friendships.” Bloomheart never knew she could give such good advice on relationships. Maybe she should try to be a matchmaker sometime.

“Yeah. I also just need to have hope. After all, I know she’s probably busy when she doesn’t respond. That, or the internet decides to be dumb again. Thanks, Miss Bloom! I’m feeling better already.”

“Take care!” Bloomheart collected herself and decided enough was enough. “I’m just going to hang out in that comic shop now. No more insane adventures for me.”

During the time Bloomheart waited for the raffle in the comic shop, she ended up helping a mother connect with her long-lost son, convince somepony not to commit suicide, and learn how to play Magic: The Gathering. It was a very busy hour.

“Alright everypony! Time for the raffle!” the owner announced. Everypony who’d entered that raffle was waiting there now, hoping for the chance to win the mint-condition first issue of the mystery comic.

“If I don’t win this comic after all the time I’ve spent in this mall I will eat something large and fatty,” Bloomheart said to herself. She knew that it didn’t sound very threatening or alarming, but at that point she probably wouldn’t care.

“Now, let’s see who our lucky winner is.” The pony reached into the pile of tickets and grabbed one in his mouth. He took it out and announced the winner. “The winner is, Blomheart!”

“YES! YES! YE-Wait, you mean Bloomheart, right?” she said, her heart sinking.

“Oh. Right. Sorry. Bloomheart.”

“HAH! EAT IT NERDS!” She went up to the counter and started dancing. She was about to get her final gift before heading home.

“Let’s see what mystery comic you’ve won, mam.” It what appeared to be slow motion, the drape covering the comic was taken away to reveal its papery goodness. “You’ve won the first ever copy of the comic, ‘Hoof of the South Star’! Congratulations!”

“What?” she said unenthusiastically. After all this time, all she ended up winning was a copy of the comic her own daughter worked on. That’d be like somepony making a book and then somepony close to them giving them a copy of the exact same story they made. “Um, can I trade that in for something else?”

“Hahaha! What a joker!” Everypony laughed at what she said and knew that she had just gotten herself in a pretty awkward situation.

“Heh, yeah, joke. You mind if I get two of those starter Magic decks as well?”

“Sure. Give her an applause, everypony!” Without another moment, Bloomheart grabbed her gifts and went straight home, hoping that it was all worth it.