It was another beautiful day at Canterlot High School. Another week had passed and that meant another weekend that was waiting to be enjoyed by many students. Upon the ringing of the final bell of the day, the students poured out of the school like water through a floodgate. The main seven, sans Sunset, met up at the statue to discuss their plans.

“I was thinking we could go for a hike in the mountains,” suggested Rainbow Dash excitedly.

“Or we could go to a nice restaurant for some exotic meals,” Rarity proposed.

“I was hoping we could spend some time at the zoo,” Fluttershy softly advocated.

“How about we all head down to the next state and spend the day at that candy-themed amusement park?” Pinkie requested. “What was it called again? I think it started with an ‘H’.”

“Maybe we could spend some time together in the library,” Twilight put forward. “I hear they’re switching to a new organizing system.” She then squealed silently in excitement while Midnight simply rolled her eyes from within.

“What if we all head to my place for a movie binge session?” recommended Applejack. “We could all bring our favorites and watch them one after another.”

“Hey guys,” said Sunset as she rushed over to the group. “I just heard that they completed that new mall downtown. How about we all head there and see what it’s all about?”

The others were excited as Midnight came forward and said, “I think I saw something about that online. It said that place was supposed to be the biggest one in the area.”

Sunset nodded and looked to the others for their responses. They were a bit skeptical, but Sunset showed them what it was supposed to have and they all seemed a bit more excited for it as they agreed to go.

Saturday was quick to come around as the main seven met at the mall entrance as the clock struck 11:00 AM. They all looked up at the massive structure in awe, including Midnight. “Damn,” she whispered. “Seeing pictures of this place being built doesn’t do shit compared to seeing it complete and in person.”

They all agreed and went in after regaining their composure. However, they were all quick to lose it again once they walked inside and saw the wide array of stores presented to them. It seemed to have everything from a movie theater to a bookstore and even a miniature golf course and indoor ice rink. They all regained themselves after another minute and consulted a nearby directory to see everything that was available to explore. They soon had their respective destinations in mind and agreed to meet at the food court for lunch in roughly two hours. With the plan set, they all split up with high expectations for themselves.

Rainbow Dash found herself taking a round at the mini-golf course before stepping into the arcade and playing most of the games it had. Pinkie made her way to the ice rink and proceeded to perform a wide variety of stunts that impressed almost everyone who witnessed her. Fluttershy found herself in a shop where patrons could make their own stuffed animals as well as a store that seemed to sell nature-based products. Rarity window-shopped around a fabric store as well as a craft shop before purchasing some items she thought would be helpful in future dress designs. Applejack wandered around for a bit before finding a hardware store and purchasing some tools and materials she thought would be useful on the farm. Sunset purchased a few books from the bookstore before walking into a video game store and buying some that she thought looked fun.

As for Twilight, she almost immediately went for the electronics stores and browsed around for items she thought would make for useful materials in future projects. After making her purchase and exiting the store, Midnight’s voice piped up from within her head. “So what exactly is the appeal of this technology stuff?” she asked.

“Glad you asked,” said Twilight while making sure that no one around could hear her. “For one, technology, and science in general, helps make our lives that much more convenient and easy to work through.” Her eyes then began to brighten as she continued. “Without technology, we wouldn’t have an efficient communications system, we wouldn’t be able to build massive structures like this mall in such a short time frame, and we certainly wouldn’t be able to live as long as we do.”

“Jeez, sorry I asked,” said Midnight in an exacerbated voice. “Well at least now I get why you love all this science and junk. But you have to admit, magic is really impressive too.”

“I do,” said Twilight somewhat defensively, “but I prefer the simple explanations that science offers as well as the rationality of it.”

“Rationality, huh?” asked Midnight challengingly. “Tell me something: if science is so ‘rational’ then what’s the explanation for things like a pouch for your dog that hangs on the side of your car? Or how about the genius who thought DVDs needed to be rewound? And let’s not forget my personal favorite, a hat that hangs toilet paper over your face thereby making you a social embarrassment!”

With each invention, Twilight found herself at a loss for words as she tried to rack her brain for a suitable answer. “Well,” she said with a pause, “I never said the rationality of science was perfect.”

Deciding to take her host’s answer, Midnight spotted a store that caught her interest. “Wait, stop!” she said suddenly. Twilight did so, though more out of surprise than compliance. She was even more confused when Midnight abruptly took control and practically ran into the store she saw, which turned out to be a shop that sold various goth-style attire as well as numerous pop culture swag. As Midnight browsed around, her eyes sparkled as she said, “I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

Twilight laughed at the implausibility of that statement as she looked around from inside her own mind. “You know, I think I’ve heard about this store,” she said internally.

“Well now you can say that you’ve been here,” said Midnight as she continued to browse and marvel at the wide array of apparel and swag.

“Just make sure you don’t make me go flat broke from this,” warned Twilight.

“Relax you worrywart,” said Midnight, “I might not be the nicest girl in the world, but I have the sense to not spend more than you can handle.” She then gave an apologetic look. “Especially considering what I put you through last weekend.”

“Well in hindsight,” Twilight said in reflection,“I kind of brought that on myself for taking a simple children’s show as indisputable fact.”

Midnight smiled as she walked to the counter and purchased her selected items before going to browse the rest of the mall. After noticing the time, she decided to head to the food court and meet the others.

They all soon found a table together after getting their lunches from different shops and exchanged their purchases and experiences. They also agreed to make the mall a regular hang-out spot for them as they finished their food and proceeded back to the bus stop.

Night had fallen over Canterlot City with Twilight fast asleep. However, Midnight had taken over her body at that point and decided to try on what she had bought at the mall. She made sure to only turn on as much light as she needed so as to not disturb Twilight’s sleeping consciousness before stepping in front of the mirror. Once she finished putting on her first outfit, she twirled a bit in the mirror and tittered at how she looked in it. She also felt liberated at getting to wear her preferred outfit instead of having to endure sweater vests almost every day.

Midnight ended up having so much fun that she failed to notice the sun rising from the window until she felt Twilight’s consciousness begin to stir. Twilight was soon awake within her and once she caught a glance at the mirror, she gasped. Midnight was somewhat concerned at what Twilight would say until she heard her say that it was different, but also interesting. Midnight then proposed a suggestion to Twilight, one that Twi was initially dubious of, but figured it would be an interesting social experiment.

Monday soon rolled around and everyone was back at school yet again. The main seven minus Twilight met at the school’s entryway and discussed what they had done with their purchases from the mall.

Pinkie confessed that she ended up spending more time at the ice rink than she initially planned because everyone wanted to see her do more tricks. Fluttershy pulled out a few of her new stuffed animals for everyone to see as well as some essential oils that she gifted each of her friends. Rainbow flaunted her new shoes as well as a certificate from the mini-golf place that congratulated her on getting a hole-in-one on each hole she played. Rarity presented everyone with some new thread she had acquired as well as some dyes and other accessories she planned to use for future outfits. Applejack showed pictures of her family using their new tools and getting more work done than before thanks to them. Sunset displayed her new books and video games to her friends and gave them permission to come over to her place whenever they wanted to play them.

As they wondered where Twilight was, they noticed her walking up the path and were shocked at what they saw. Twilight looked to be wearing black eyeshadow and lipstick as well as a shirt for a punk rock band they didn’t think she was familiar with. She had also let her hair down and put in black highlights in it. She even wore fishnet stockings and boots as well as some necklaces and earrings. As she approached the group, she simply said, “‘Sup?”

Seeing their shocked expressions, Twilight found she couldn’t hold her facade and longer and ended up chuckling at her friends’ reactions. She then told them that Midnight had picked out some things from a store they saw and thought it would be fun to see how they all reacted to her new look. She then reassured them that it was temporary and wouldn’t be seen for more than a few special occasions. After joining in on Twilight’s laughter, they all headed into the school for class and couldn’t wait to see how everyone else reacted.

Author's Note

Hey guys. I'm happy to see that so many of you have already added this story to various folders, but I'd be even happier is you told me what you thought of this story in the comments. I love seeing people talk about things like this and I can't wait to see what you all think as well.