Would You Like To Play Again?

Chapters

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four

Chapter One

Would You Like To Play Again?

Chapter One

“Guys… I really don’t think this is a good idea…” Button Mash stood unsurely right at the edge of the Everfree Forest, gazing into the depths of the darkness before him. He swallowed nervously as he turned to the three fillies next to him. “Seriously. Lots of your ideas have been questionable before, but this one is just crazy!”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders, his traveling companions, fixed their collectively adorable gazes upon him. “Button, you were the one who said you wanted to play a game with us!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.

“Yeah! And we asked what kind of game, and you said, ‘Any kind!’” Scootaloo chimed.

“But I didn’t mean THIS kind of game!” Button practically yelled, gesturing down at the costume that adorned his small form. “I meant a video game! Or a board game! Not a… Live action roleplaying game!”

His companions just looked at him for a moment. Button shook his head as he looked at them. Sweetie Belle wore the silver cloak of a Cleric of Ahir’Shazohl, which Button only knew because he’d played the video game version of this ridiculous excuse for entertainment. Scootaloo stood tall, or short, in her motley leather armor and bandit mask, which clearly demonstrated her allegiance to the Rogue’s Guild. And Applebloom, the appointed leader of their party, had upon herself a false horn, a blue and gold robe, and the hat of a Wizard.

And he knew exactly what they saw when they looked at him. ‘Cer Buttunmus,’ of Her Majesty’s Royal Guard, and a loyal member of the Fighter’s Alliance. Stupid name, stupid job, stupid class, STUPID HARD TO MOVE AROUND IN COSTUME!

“I own the game version of this at home guys! We could take all this stuff off, stay out of the heat, and just play co-op mode instead! C’mon, whadda ya say?”

He knew the answers before they even came.

“My sister stitched these costumes! Or, rather—”

“Now, just wait a gosh-tootin’ minute! You—”

“Rainbow Dash said that video games are for eggheads! I don’t want her to think—“

“…magical levitation stitched them. Same difference!”

“…can’t just dictate what everypony does! You gotta agree! And we voted!”

“…that I’m an egghead. Obviously, LARP’ing is WAAAY cooler.”

Button just looked at them. “Fine.”

“YAY! Cutie Mark Crusaders Live Action Roleplayers!” And with that, the three fillies went skipping off into the forest to join the rest of their party.

“But when somepony falls and breaks their neck and dies, I’m gonna say, ‘I told you so!’” Button shouted before following the scampering ponies.

```

“Are you sure it’s this way?” Sweetie Belle asked ten minutes later. She wiped the sweat from her brow and adjusted her cloak’s light blue broach.

“Well, I’m following the map that Twist gave me!” Scootaloo said, wagging a piece of paper in front of Sweetie Belle. “It should be just another…” She looked closely at the paper. “Oh. Whoops.” She turned the paper right side up without meeting anypony’s gaze.

“Scootaloo…” Applebloom began.

“Yeah, yeah, I was reading it upside down! C’mon, everypony’s done it before!”

“I’M SO BORED!” Button shouted, banging his head against a tree. The other ponies ignored him.

“Great! That means we’re totally lost!” Sweetie Belle stomped her dainty slipper-clad hooves upon the leaf covered ground. “The quest is totally going to start without us!”

“Bored…”

Applebloom took a deep breath. “No it ain’t. Lemme see that.” She took the map from Scootaloo’s hooves and set it carefully down on the forest floor.

“So, should we just retrace our steps?” Sweetie asked.

“Bored.”

“Nah, gimme a sec…” Applebloom traced a mirror image of the path they were supposed to have taken from their origin point. “Okay! That’s where we should be, and here’s where we are!” She jabbed a hoof onto the map. “So, all we have to do is cut across here…” She drew a line with her hoof. “And we should be there in no time!”

“Guys. Bored.”

“Are you sure Applebloom? That doesn’t look like the safest part of the forest that you want to cut through…” Scootaloo said.

“I agree with Applebloom. Scootaloo, maybe you should let somepony else worry about the maps for a while.” Sweetie Belle huffed.

“Hey, it was an accident!”

“BOOOOOOORED!”

“SHUT UP!” All three fillies shouted at Button. He gave them a fiery glare as they turned and continued walking. Button picked up his foam sword and followed them with a dramatic sigh.

Within five minutes, they’d come to a dark and tangled part of the forest that Button had never seen before. To their right stood a thick growth of jungle-like trees, and to their left loomed a massive cliff, complete with spiky rocks at the bottom. Button shied away from the edge. He’d played enough Minecraft to know what happened if you fell down there.

“Not too much further…” Applebloom murmured as they edged along.

“Man, this is so un-eggheady! Rainbow Dash probably LARPs all the time with her friends! Since it’s such a not-egghead thing to do! Because everyone who does this totally isn’t an egghe—“

“WE GET IT! You have an idol and want her to appreciate everything that you do! Sheesh, can you just cool it?” Button shouted in exasperation.

“Hey, don’t talk to Scootaloo like th—” Sweetie Belle’s retort was cut off by a deep, throaty growling coming from the bushes beside them.

The four little ponies backed away in horror and shock, mouths agape, as a lithe wooden wolf stalked out from the darkness.

“T-t-timber…wolf…” Applebloom stuttered.

“RUN!” Scootaloo shouted, and they all bolted.

Sprinting along the edge of the cliff, the four ponies attempted their escape. But at the first sign of movement, the Timberwolf leapt into the air in hot pursuit.

Left hoof, right hoof, left hoof, right hoof… Button concentrated solely on his running, trying to ignore the fear that threatened to engulf him, and the looming sense of dread that pulled at the edge of his mind.

Left, right, left, right, left, right, le—

“AHHHHH!” Button turned his head right as a shrill scream pierced the air. Sweetie Belle stumbled, tripping over her own cape. She gave a pathetic whine as she crashed to the ground, tumbling over.

“Sweetie! Hang on!” Button shouted, forgetting all fear in that moment. He turned around, his eyes meeting the glare of his foe… His foe, who leapt at Sweetie Belle, mouth agape and fangs barred.

“NOOO!” Button yelled, turning to run at the monster.

The Timberwolf flew through the air…

Button jumped to meet him…

The Wolf turned his gaze to the helpless pony below him, his next meal—

And Button crashed into him, tackling him with a mighty roar as the force of his blow sent the two of them careening off the cliff’s edge, tumbling again, and again, and again, and again, and ag—

```

Button gasped, and cold misty air filled his lungs. He stood, clothed only in his propeller hat, in a shadowed room that seemed to have no walls. Only darkness, continuing for an eternity. He looked about, eyes wide. “What the…”

A sad chuckle sent shivers up Button’s spine. “Poor little foal…”

Button turned around, looking through the darkness to try to see… There! A short ways away, a single light shone through the all consuming black. It came from a lamp, placed upon around wooden table. Upon the table rested an immense pile of papers, as well as a box of dice. But the papers and dice were not what truly drew his eyes.

Behind the table sat a massive bipedal creature. Cloaked in a robe that seemed to swirl at the edges, blending into the darkness, this creature sat, a pencil in one hand as he scribbled notes onto a piece of paper. He did not seem to notice Button.

“Button Mash, Level Zero Commoner, deceased. Cause of death: Heroic Sacrifice. Honorary posthumous class of Fighter Level One granted.”

Button stood shock still as the words rippled through the air. Deceased… that means dead. He didn’t dare to move a muscle, lest the cold consume him to his core.

“Day of death: Seventh day, eleventh month, 1001 After Banishment. Age: Six years, Equestrian Standard Reckoning.” The being rolled several more dice. “The fillies live.”

Gathering all the courage that he could muster, Button forced himself to move, or at least to...
“H-hello?” Button spoke softly, so softly.

The creature dropped his pencil, raising his head sharply. “What?” The being stood up, cloak rippling through the air. He turned around looking for the source of the voice.

“E-excuse me sir…” Button made sure to mind his manners. “I, uh, I think I’m lost.”

The cloaked thing walked carefully forward toward Button. “It can’t be…” He breathed as he neared the small foal.

Button shied away in fear. As the figure neared, Button got a good look at his face… or what should have been his face. All he could see was more darkness. A tangible darkness, sure, but the shroud of his hood obscured all features.

“You… You are Button Mash.”

Button turned his gaze down to the floor. “Um, yeah…”

The creature knelt, bringing a black gloved hand to Button’s head, and lifting it up. His formless face looked directly into Button’s. “How is this possible?”

Button felt tears well up in his eyes. The darkness, the cold, the figure, this talk of death...

And then the memories returned.

The Crusaders. The forest. Lost. The cliff. The wolf. Sweetie. Jumping. Falling…

“AHHHHHHH!” Button screamed, pulling out of the monster’s grasp. He fell to the floor, sobbing.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!”

Button felt a soft touch upon his back. “Did I hurt you?” The voice asked.

“I-I’m d-dead.” Button stuttered. “How can I b-be d-dead?”

“Oh…”

A moment later, a warm blanket drifted over Button.

“Here. Let me help you.”

Button turned his gaze to his companion, tears welling up in his eyes. “You said I was dead. Am I? How am I here… I want to go home! Mom!” Button wailed.

“Shhh, it’s okay.” The creature patted his back. “Remarkable…”

Button sniffed, clutching the blanket tightly. “W-what’s remarkable?”

“Button Mash, in my eons of running this Game, never once has a non-player-character come to life. And never has anyone other than a player entered my domain. And there have been no players for…” His voice trailed off.

“G-game? Non-player-characters? Players? What are you talking about?” Button shouted, the world spinning.

“My little pony… Rest. All will be revealed, in time…”

And then even the darkness faded from Button’s sight.

```

“Button Mash.”

Just one more minute, mom...

“Button Mash.”

Just… gotta reach a checkpoint…

“Button Mash.”

Uhhhhhhhhh—

“Button Mash.”

“I’M AWAKE, MOM!” Button rolled over, and felt the most peculiar sensation of falling. He landed on the floor with a yelp, and his eyes sprang open.

A fireplace. The first thing he saw was a blazing hearth which contained a great fire. The flames warmed the air that had once been cold, and provided light to the darkness.

He remembered.

Button turned around, looking for the voice that had awakened him. He noticed a large red couch covered in pillows and blankets. This must have been what he had fallen off. Behind the couch stood the shadowy figure from before. His back was hunched, and his hands fidgeted nervously.

“Oh, good. You’re okay.” The shadow moved over to him and placed him back on the couch. Button didn’t quite freeze at the touch. The fireplace made it too warm for that.

“I’m sorry to have disturbed your rest, but you had been asleep for so long, and I was af—” The shadow composed himself. “I feared that I would be alone again.”

Button wordlessly grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around himself. The two sat in an uncomfortable silence, neither looking at the other. Seconds dragged into minutes, and the minutes seemed to take an eternity. Soon, Button could take it no longer.

“So, this is wh—”

“I know you must h—”

Button fell silent as the creature spoke in the same moment he had. Shadow raised his hand. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“You say that a lot,” Button said.

“I suppose I do, little one.” The figure chuckled. “What were you saying?”

“I was going to say, ‘This is what death feels like.’”

Shadow gazed at him for a moment. “Actually, I don’t think it is.”

“Wait, what?” Button asked.

“I think I should explain.” The creature snapped his bony fingers, and the table from before materialized in front of him. “I suppose I’ll start at the beginning.”

“Yeah, good plan,” Button said.

“Sit up, little one. I must show you.”

Button rose to a sitting position, tucking his legs under his blanket. He sat next to the figure, looking down at the table.

“Button, what did your parents tell you about how Equestria was made?” Shadow inquired.

The foal thought for a moment. “Well, mommy said that everything that we could see or feel was created by Faust, and that She loved us and wanted us to have a happy life.” He took a breath. “Daddy said that we came from another ancient species of ponies who died off because we were way better, and that they had come from some other creatures that had come from other creatures, all the way back to the beginning of time when there never was an Equestria. They used to talk about it, but I didn’t understand. Maybe Faust guided the change or something? I dunno, I think it’s stupid to fight about.”

Shadow laughed. “Wise beyond your years, I see. Well, they were both wrong.”

Button shifted on the couch as he listened intently.

“Long ago, I and a few other… beings, shall we say, created a game. An odd game, something that had never been done before. A game that did not try to mimic life, but rather to explain it. Many things happened, and I do not wish to bore you with things you will not understand. Suffice to say that we were able to cast a spell that made our game real… But the magic came with a price.”

The Shadow stroked his face thoughtfully. “We were trapped here, forced to play our game forever, until we had won. I had created the rules, so it fell to me to be the Game Master. The players rolled their characters, and controlled them through countless lives. We knew that there must be a way to win the game, and we knew that if we won, we could return to our old lives. Or maybe we did not know… Maybe we just hoped…

“So we played. And we played. Until eventually, the players completed a life, and one of their number did not return to what we had dubbed ‘The Room.’ He disappeared, and we never saw him again. Next life, another disappeared. The players numbered only three now.”

Shadow stood and paced the floor. “We lost two more of our numbers that next life, until only one remained. We played, and we played… But he never disappeared. Until one day, when I found his body lying on the floor. He decided to take… another way out.”

“And then you were alone,” Button said softly.

“Yes. And I have been, for a lifetime and a thousand.”

Not a word was said for quite some time.

“So what happened to the others? Did they win?” Button asked.

“I… think so.” Shadow replied carefully.

Button cocked his head to the side. “‘You think so?’ Didn’t you say that you created the rules?”

A great sigh came from the figure. “Yes, I did. But the game was meant to explain life, allowing the players to live another life in a world that was explained in the most full way possible. The players could do anything, nay, BE anything! We never made a way to win, because it was never a game to us.” He sat down wearily. “It was life, with rules and dice.”

Button merely sat, deep in thought. “To win an unwinnable game…”

“Precisely. And so now you see why I do not know. If we had to win to be able to leave, and they left, it follows that they won… But it cannot be won…” He shook his head. “I have spent more centuries of thought upon this subject than days that you have been alive, little one. I still do not understand.”

“So this world you created, your game… It’s Equestria?”

The figure nodded. “Equestria was the last of may worlds that we created. It was the world where all the players… Left. So I never made another, and never wiped it from existence,” Shadow replied.

“You want to win too, don’t you?” Button asked quietly.

“With all my heart, little one.”

Button looked down at the papers on the desk, focusing on one in particular. ‘Button Mash, Level Zero Commoner, NPC,’ read the writing at the top. He swallowed as a cold sweat covered him.

“And since Equestria is a game, that makes me…”

“A Non-Player-Character, yes.” Shadow nodded. “Do you know what that is?”

“Yeah. It’s a computer or Dungeon Master controlled character. I played a lot of video games.” Button smiled grimly.

“Good. You understand, then, why I am so confounded by your presence here.”

Button nodded. “If I’m just a character not controlled by a player, how can I be here?”

“Mmm.”

Uncomfortable silence reigned over the room, broken only by the occasional crackle of the fire.

“Maybe… Maybe I’m not a Non-Player Character…” Button said softly.

“What was that?” His companion asked.

“Maybe, because I’m here… Maybe I’m a player.” Button raised his eyes to meet the shrouded face’s intent gaze.

“You may be right…” Shadow snapped his fingers, and a sharp pencil appeared in his grasp. He leaned over Button’s character sheet, and quickly erased something. Button stood up on the couch to look, and saw as Shadow wrote in the spot that had once borne the word ‘NPC,’ the spot designated ‘Player Name,’ the words ‘Button Mash.’

Suddenly, a brilliant golden light filled The Room. It flared brightly, and raced through the cavernous darkness, reaching Button and filling his entire body. The force of the light lifted Button into the air, filling him with the greatest feeling of exhilaration he had ever felt in his short life.

A moment later, he returned to the couch, panting, but filled with a joy beyond compare. He felt so… Alive.

“Yes, yes, YES!” The Shadow cheered, leaping to his feet. “You are a player! We… We can try again! We can try to win! I could go home!”

Button smiled, but his face fell a moment later. “But I couldn’t.”

The Shadow froze, and sat down. “Perhaps you could…”

“What?”

Shadow spoke the next several words carefully. “If you win the game… You return to your former life.”

Button shook his head, tears threatening to well up in his eyes, completely replacing the joy from moments before. “But my life was the game…”

Shadow chuckled, marveling at his own genius. “What is life but a game anyways? Are you any less alive than I am?” With another snap, a blank sheet of paper appeared in front of the creature. “If you return to the game and win, you could have your own life back. And I could too.”

Hope rekindled in Button’s heart. “R-really?”

“YES! All you have to do is find what all the other players found!”

Button smiled slowly. “I could see mom again…”

“You could. And you will! Because we are going to win this time!” The Shadow began to write. “You’ll need to start a new life in the game. As a new class.”

“O-okay…” Button said.

“Hmm, the first player to win was playing as a Wizard class. Any objection to trying that first?” Shadow asked.

“Casters are cool…” Button said, unsure.

Shadow seemed to pick up on his change in intonation. “What’s wrong little one?”

“How much… Of my real life will I remember?” He asked simply.

“When you are awake in the game… Nothing.”

Tears welled up in his eyes again.

“But wait! When you sleep in the game, you will awaken here, with memories from all previous lives as well as your current one. you can make plans and decisions while ‘sleeping,’ and you will vaguely remember them when you are awake. And if you practice, you may even be able to tap into those memories while awake.”

Button considered this. “So I won’t forget mommy or daddy?”

“Never.”

Button raised his eyes, confidence growing within him. “I’ll do it. I’ll do anything!”

Shadow chuckled as he wrote a few more words. “I’m not asking you to do ‘anything.’ Just to win.”

“Then I’ll win.” Button stood slowly.

“Good…” Shadow finished the last touches to the character sheet. “There, a Level One Unicorn Wizard. Aged six years old.”

“So I don’t have to start as a baby?” Button asked, quite relieved.

“No, certainly not. After each life is completed, you may start one level higher and two years older, to a maximum of Level Five and fourteen years old. Eventually, you can start each life with puberty mostly over,” he chuckled.

Button wrinkled his nose. “Puberty. What’s so bad about that?”

Shadow chuckled. “Oh, you’ll find that out soon enough.” He scooted the paper toward Button. “Merely pick it up when you wish to begin.”

Button gazed at the paper for a long moment. “Wait. I have to ask something first.”

“Anything, my little pony,” Shadow replied.

“Do you have a name? I should have something to call you, I think.”

Shadow chuckled. “I had a name, years ago.”

“What was it?”

He thought for a moment. “It was… Phil.”

Button smiled. “Nice to meet you Phil. Now, it’s time to win this game! I guess I’ll see you tonight!”

And with that, Button grabbed the character sheet. The entire room glowed with the same brilliant golden light, and everything faded...

```

...And he woke up in a bed as Button Shine, unicorn son of Twilight Velvet and Night Light. The first rays of dawn shone through his window. Today was the day that he would take the entrance exam to Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.

Alright, let’s go win this! an odd voice seemed to say in the back of Buttons head. It seemed oddly familiar... He shrugged and climbed out of bed. Today would be a good day.

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Button Shine walked across his room to look into the mirror hanging above his dresser. His multicolored mane hung about in knotted locks, betraying his recent sleep. He rubbed his eyes, trying to wipe away his tired. He shook himself as a grin spread over his face.

“Woo, yay, it’s today!” He hopped up and down, thinking about his upcoming test and hopeful success.

Sick rhyming skills, brah. Button stopped mid leap, falling to the floor and barely landing on his hooves.

“W-who said that?” He asked, his voice barely a whisper. But no answer came. He stopped for a moment, looking around. Who could that have possibly—

“Buuuuutoooon! Time to get uuuUUUppp!” His mother’s singsong voice drifted into the room, breaking his concentration.

“I’m up mom!” He shouted in reply, opening his door to see her smiling face.

“Oh, you always are so punctual,” she said as she wrapped him up into a big bear hug before grimacing suddenly. “Ew. But very stinky. I think your brother is out of the shower. Your turn now, and I’ll have some blueberry pancakes ready for you once you’re done.” She held him at arms length, but gave him a sweet pat on the head. “You both have such big days today! Oh, I’m so excited!”

Button followed her out into the hallway, making his way to the small bathroom. His family may not be monetarily rich, but they kept what little they had taken care of, and they smothered their little house with love. Button smiled as he knocked at the door.

“Just a minute!” A voice croaked from inside. Button’s grin widened.

“Shiny, your voice is doing that thing again!” He giggled at his brother’s breaking voice.

The door swung open, and a teenaged colt’s front hooves sprang out, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck. The other pony jerked Button inside, putting him into a headlock and swiftly applying a playful noogie.

“Shiny! Stop!” Button roared with laughter as the young stallion stopped his noogie just long enough to begin a swift tickle attack which had his adversary rolling on the floor.

“Never! The Royal Guard never surrenders!” Shining Armor said, pinning his foe to the ground. Not that it took much effort. The young colt’s laughter was a far more effective immobilizer.

“I-I-I’ll stop you…” Button managed between laughs and breaths. He tried to pull himself together and stand up…

And suddenly his mind filled with the sound of rolling dice and a deep voice...

You make a Will Save versus Immobilizing Laughter. You roll a three (plus four). Save failure.

Button didn’t even have time to think about the voice he had heard, since he was laughing so hard. “Shiny, please,” he said, but to no avail.

“Avast, ye pirate dog! Ye should have ne’er tangled with the Captain of the Royal Guard!” Shining cried triumphantly.

“Pirate?” Button asked. “I’ll show you pirate!”

The dice rolled again, and the voice returned.

You make a Will Save versus Immobilizing Laughter. You roll a seventeen (plus six). Save succesful!

Button leapt to his hooves, making a mighty counter attack!

You roll to grapple target Cadet Shining Armor. You roll a natural twenty. Automatic critical success!

Button grabbed his brother’s neck, taking him completely by surprise. The tables turned, Button now commenced his own special tickling attack. “How does it feel, lawful landlubber! Taste your own medicine!”

You roll a Tickle Attack versus target Shining Armor. You roll a seven (plus one). Low effectiveness.

Shining wheezed, “‘Thine,’ Button, not ‘your.’”

“Oh. Sorry,” Button recovered quickly. “Taste THINE own medicine!”

You roll a Tickle Attack versus target Shining Armor. You roll a fourteen (plus one). High effectiveness!

Shining rolled around, howling with laughter.

“Boys!” A deep voice shouted from downstairs. “It’s time to get ready! You’ll have plenty of time to play tonight!”

“Okay Dad!” The colts shouted down the stairs.

“You win this round, Captain Smarty Pants, but I shall triumph, come nightfall!” Shining boomed as Button offered him a hoof to help him up.

“Oh, Captain Armor. How wrong you are…” Button replied before they both let out a stream of very un-stallion-like giggles.

“Hurry up! Pancakes are cooking!” Mom said.

Shining raced away to his room, and Button hummed as he turned on the hot water.

Combat complete. Victory! Forty-two experience points awarded.

Button cocked his head to the side. “That’s weird,” he muttered. And yet, something about the voice just felt… Right. I didn’t seem to worry him at all. In fact, it probably hadn’t even been there in the first place.

Button Mash, I have turned off Game Master voice to your character’s mind. Now, only you, the player, will hear it. But he can still hear you.

Oh, sweet!

“Huh?” Button Shine said as he stepped into the shower. He could have sworn that he’d heard something…

```

Button jumped into his chair down at the breakfast table, a grin plastered across his face. He grabbed a fork and knife while his mom slid a steaming pile of blueberry pancakes in front of him.

“Oh, wow mom. This is rad! We should, like TOTALLY do this more often!” Shining Armor said, stuffing his face from his own plate.

“Uh uh! Not until we say grace!” Night Light chided, lowering his newspaper.

All four ponies bowed their head, until Shining blurted out, “Grace!”

“Shining…” Twilight Velvet said.

“Fine… Thank you Faust for this food, and for my wonderful mommy who cooked it. Amen,” Shining said, looking to his parents for approval.

“Better,” Night Light smiled. “Remember, the saying of grace is a great tradition going back centuries, as is the belief in Faust the Creator. Regardless of the truth of the tradition, it is a great way to express thanks to those who served you, and to—”

“Keep you humble. Yeah yeah, I know, I know,” Shining grumbled, digging into his pancakes.

“Maple syrup or strawberry, Button?” Twilight asked, levitating both containers over.

“Straw—”

Maple!

Button cocked his head to the side in confusion.

“Did you say strawberry?” Twilight asked, pushing it toward him.

Influencing your character using your prior knowledge or preferences requires a roll, just like any action your character makes. Your skill in doing so will grow in time. You roll an influence check. You roll a seventeen (plus zero.) Success!

“Actually, I think I’ll have maple this time, Mom,” Button said, reaching for the brown syrup. He poured a bunch of it over his pancakes before following his brother’s example and brutally attacking his food.

Oh, yeeeeaaaaaah…

“Mmm, good!” Button said, syrup dripping from the corner of his mouth.

“Button, mind your manners! If you’re accepted into the School, you’ll have to be on your very best behavior,” Twilight chided.

“And it’s better to start sooner rather than later,” Night Light agreed.

“Haha, glad I’m not going to some fancy-schmancy school!” Shining guffawed, putting his pancakes into his mouth with his hooves.

“Young stallion, if you are accepted into the JROTC program today, the expectations will be even higher for you.” Night Light handed his elder son a napkin and a fork. “You will eventually be an officer of the Royal Guard, and you will be the public face of the Princess. And the public face of the Princess eats his food with utensils.”
Button stuck his tongue out at the abashed colt, who replied in kind.

Thirty minutes later, the family walked out of the house to the taxi outside that had been awaiting their arrival. Button shrugged his shoulders, readjusting the saddlebags stuffed with his supplies and one super-secret hidden stuffed doll.

Aww, Smarty Pants is so cute! He reminds me of Gandalf, my stuffed elephant back home!

Button smiled. The voice seemed odd, but something about it was just so reassuring.

“Where to, folks?” The driver asked.

“First, off to Cer B. A. Blueblood Highschool, then… To Princess Celestia’s Palace!” Night Light replied, beaming down at his two smiling colts. “Big days for both of them! Shiny here is going to a one day basic training for his JROTC, and Button is taking the entrance exam for Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns!”

“Well, that’s mighty fine, sir! You must have some gifted youngsters there!” The driver took off at a slow trot once the family had piled in. “Gives a bunch of hope to a new father like myself!”

“Oh, just had your first little one?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, ma’am! My wife just gave birth to our little ray of sunshine last week! Why, just this morning, she managed to undo her gate with her magic, and started flying herself around the room! It was the cutest thing! It was so sweet that my wife…” The driver continued on, but Button’s mind was elsewhere.

Woah, this is so WEIRD!

The Summer Sun Celebration. Button remembered standing there, seeing her raise the sun. That moment, the time that had inspired him to study magic. And he remembered all the moments after, the long nights of joyful studying, the days spent with his nose in a book while Shiny was busy playing with his friends.

A grin spread across Button’s face. Today. Today, his dreams would come true. Hopefully.

Pfft, we got this in the BAG!

Button smiled at the reassuring words, even if he was the only one that heard them.

Hey,uh… Just so you know, you’re not crazy. There’s a reason for me being here, and I should probably ex—
The voice stopped suddenly, and Button creased his eyebrows at the oddity. The voice didn’t return for a while…

```

They dropped Shining off in front of the school park. He said his goodbyes quickly, and from there left to join the veritable herd of other young stallions standing about waiting for their orientation. Button gave his brother a hug and watched him go, but his mind still dwelled elsewhere. He didn’t even notice when the drove off, heading right for the palace.

The palace. Just the thought of it sent shivers down Button’s spine. Excitement? Fear? Button couldn’t tell.

The city seemed to zoom by, and before he knew it, they parked at the very entrance to the imposing structure.

“Well, good luck in there little stallion! I’m sure you’ll do great!” The driver gave him a kind smile, and Button nodded numbly in response. Night Light settled the bill and passed a rather large tip while Twilight and Button made their way into the entranceway.

A sign pointed them deeper into the castle, but they waited for a moment until Night Light caught back up with them.

“What a nice stallion,” Twilight Velvet said.

“Very. I do enjoy it when we get the good drivers. We’ll have to watch out for him again,” Night Light agreed.

“Ah, visitors!” A pony with a dignified business suit said as she walked toward the family. “Welcome! Are you here for the tour, or for the School testing?”

“The testing, ma’am,” Night Light said.

“Oh, you don’t have to call me ma’am. I work for a living.” The mare giggled. “I’m Jiffy Floo, and I work for the school’s board. If you’ll follow me, we can get your little one all ready for the tests.” She knelt down to Button’s eye level. “You don’t have to be afraid, cutie. The tests aren’t scary, and the administrators are some of my best friends, and you’ll never meet gentler ponies.”

“See Button? It’ll be just fine,” Twilight reassured.

Button nodded. Hey, I can talk again! Dude, you don’t need to worry. You’re INT score has to be soooo high, because you know stuff that I could never figure out back in Po— The voice cut out once more.

“This way please!” Jiffy said happily, leading the three ponies deeper into the castle. Eventually, they came to a roped off section marked ‘Testing in progress. Please be respectful!’ A long line stood along the soft velvet rope. There had to have been at least thirty other unicorns here… And Button knew that the only class each year only took ten ponies… And more ponies were coming up behind him.

Button gulped. Maybe it wasn’t as much of a sure thing as he’d thought…

“Okay, if you’ll get into line, they’ll have you fill out some paperwork, and then the testing will begin. I have to go back to greet more ponies now, but there will be another guide to help you when you get to the desk!” Jiffy gave Button another smile. “Good luck!”

It took half an hour to reach the front of the line. As the other foals and their parents entered the room, another would exit. By Button’s count, there were six stations, since it took six ponies entering for the same pony who had entered earlier to exit out the other side. And every pony who had exited left with slumped shoulders… Or tears streaming down their face. Button’s nervousness only increased.

Finally, they came to a smiling mare sitting behind a desk. “What’s your name, little one?” She asked.

“Button Shine,” he replied shyly.

“Ma’am,” Twilight whispered to him.

“Uh, Button Shine, ma’am,” Button corrected while blushing.

“So polite!” The mare gave him another sweet smile. Actually, all the adult ponies were smiling very kindly… But that didn’t seem to help the sobbing fillies and colts who were exiting the testing area.

“Here’s a name tag for you,” she said as she gave Button a sticker with his name on it. “And we have your paperwork right here! Now, if you’ll go into the first room, your parents will be able to fill out the paperwork while you take the first exam!” She gestured them into the first room.

Button opened the door with a trembling hoof and stuck his head into the doorway. The room was well lit, and within it were several chairs and an elderly mare sitting behind a desk. She smiled and waved them closer. “Over here, young stallion.”

Button took a seat at the chair across the desk from her. His parents sat at the chairs behind him and began filling out his paperwork.

The mare pulled out several sheets of paper and set them down in front of Button. “So, Mister Shine, is it?”

Button blushed. “No, I’m just Button, ma’am.”

The mare scribbled something down on a notepad. “Very well then Button. Now, you have taken an aptitude test at school before, haven’t you?” When Button nodded, she continued. “That’s all that this is. The questions aren’t very hard to start with, but they continue to increase in difficulty as you go. Please, get started.” She slid a pencil across the table to him. When he reached for it with his hoof, she stopped him. “No, use your magic.”

Button swallowed and concentrated. He put all his effort into his magic and…

You roll a Spellcast Check. You roll a two (plus ten). You succeed!

Wow, success on a two? Aww yeah, min-maxxing, here I come!

Button lifted the pencil with a sigh and started the test.

Five minutes later, he wiped sweat from his brow as he finished the last question.

“Well, that was fast!” The mare said. “It usually takes a good bit longer than that!”

“I’ve always been good at tests, ma’am,” Button replied. He gave a weak smile, some of his fear abated. If it’s just tests, it’ll be fine. He was good at tests.

So THIS is what being smart feels like! Heh, kinda makes me wished I’d played less video games before— And just like that, the voice disappeared yet again.

Button smiled at the voice, which the mare misunderstood to be directed at her. “Well, I’m glad you’re feeling more comfortable.” She scratched something more into her notebook. “Just remember, the fact that you are here means that you are special. You’re already a winner.”

Night Light put his hoof on his son’s shoulder. “She’s right, Button.” He smiled at the instructor.

They left the room, but had to wait for the pony in the next room to finish before they could proceed. “I don’t agree,” Button muttered.

“What was that?” Twilight asked.

“What she said about already being a winner. I don’t think so… I think that if I had already won that I’d be okay with failing, and I’m not. I want to win.”

“Button, it’s not a competition,” Night Light chided.

“It is, Dad! There are at least forty of us, and only ten spots, so we have to compete for them! If I think that I’ve already won, then I won’t try as hard, and then somepony else will try harder, and then they’ll win!” Button’s sides heaved. “And I NEED to win this!”

Yeah!

Twilight sighed. “Button. You don’t ‘win’ by being the best. We love you, so you’re already a winner.” She kissed his head. “Just enjoy it, Button. It’s an amazing opportunity.”

Button began to reply, but the door opened just then to allow him into the next part of the exam.

Almost an hour later, Button stood before the door to the final test room. His parents stood beside him, just as they had in the puzzle test room, the spell memorization test, and the mental agility course. Button thought that he had past all of them with flying colors, and his parent’s huge smiles seemed to agree. But still, a sliver of doubt remained.

Finally, the doors opened to him, and he saw a large open room that seated several judges. He stepped inside, and fear rushed over him.

He walked into the center of the room, looking at the three judges. These didn’t smile even a bit. He gulped, looking from side to side. His parents gestured for him to smile, so he did. A scared and rather forced one, but a smile nonetheless.

Another door opened, and Button jumped slightly. A stallion wheeled in a wooden cart that held a small pile of hay and a spotted purple egg. No, a spotted purple dragon egg. Button bit his lip, looking at it and then at the judges.

“Well, Mr. Shine?”

Button looked at them, then back at the egg. He laughed nervously, and the judges immediately whipped out notepads and scribbled furiously. Button broke into a cold sweat, his lip quivering.

Oh crap. Even I know that dragons are tough to affect with magic… Duuuude…

“Well, Mr. Shine?” The judge repeated. Another coughed before returning his gaze to the nervous unicorn.

Button turned back to the egg. He focused himself completely, steeling himself to cast the spell…

You roll a Spellcast Check. You roll a one. Automatic Failure.

OH, COME ON!

Button’s spell fizzled out. He tried with all his might, but he… Just… Couldn’t…

One of the judges yawned. The other, the one who had spoken, looked at her watch. “We don’t have all day,” she said derisively.

Button felt panic threaten to overcome him. He tried. And tried. And tried…

You roll a Spellcast Check. You have a Destiny penalty of minus fifty to this roll. You roll a nineteen (minus forty). Spell failure.

Dude, no way! What is this junk?

Sometimes you have to fail to succeed…

No matter what he did, Button could not do anything to the egg.

He gathered all his reserves for one final attempt, but…

You roll a Spellcast Check. You have a Destiny p—

Yeah, yeah. Penalty, fail. Whatever.

...But to no avail. He collapsed to the floor, his energy spent. He raised his head with slumped shoulders. Dejected. Beaten. Loser.

“I’m sorry I wasted your time…”

The judges scribbled onto their pads as he knelt ashamedly. But then, the sound of a great explosion ripped through the air. Magic suddenly filled Button, and his horn glowed with an intense power. Pain ripped through his body, and a beam of pure magical energy shot into the egg. It rose into the air, glowing with a bright light, and then…

You roll a Spellcast Check. You have a Destiny bonus of plus fifty. You roll a four (plus sixty). Critical Success!

It opened, revealing a baby purple and green dragon. Button screamed from the shock, his eyes widened, and everything went white. Purple energy and bolts of magic shot out from him, filling the room. He lifted the judges, transformed his parents into plants, and somehow made the baby dragon full sized, causing him to smash half the tower open.

The magic continued to arc out from Button until he felt a hoof on his shoulder. He controlled himself well enough to turn, only to see—

Princess Celestia. The shock and shame of having her see him like this broke the magic’s hold over him. The judges fell to the floor, his parents returned to their proper shape, and the dragon became a baby once more and immediately began sucking on its own tail.

“Button Shine…” The Princess began.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Button stammered. “I didn’t m—”

“You have a very special gift,” Celestia continued. “I don’t think I’ve ever come across a unicorn with your raw abilities.”

Button’s jaw dropped. “Huh?”

She isn’t mad? Dude, we blew up half the castle! Why isn’t she mad?

“But you need to learn to tame these abilities through focused study,” the Princess said earnestly.

“Wha—”

“Button Shine, I’d like to make you my own personal protege here at the school!”

Buttons eyes widened in complete shock. His mouth gaped, and he looked right into the Princess’ eyes.

“Well?” She asked, smiling.

He turned to his parents. They nodded excitedly, and his dad even whinnied slightly.

“YEEEEEEEES!” Button yelled leaping into the air.

Celestia chuckled. “And one other thing.”

Button’s eyes went wide as saucers. “MORE?” He fell to the ground and laid sprawled out before the Princess. She pointed a hoof to his flank, drawing his eyes to his cutie mark.

His cutie mark.

“My cutie mark?”

Our cutie mark?

“Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes—”

Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes—

“Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes…”

Okay, I think that’s enough…

You roll an influence check. You roll an eighteen (minus fifteen.) Failure.

Oh, what? But a seventeen succeeded last time!

Yes, but last time your character was indifferent. This time, he is passionate about something. It’s his cutie mark. Let him have this one.

Oh, alright. Oh, do I get to keep the dragon?

Phil chuckled. I guess you’ll have to wait and see…

Author's Note

Well, this segment went WAAAAY longer than I wanted. I had hoped to get further into the story than this, but about 4k words is about the limit of what I want to post per chapter. Hopefully I'll have another chapter up tomorrow or the next day, since it is a part that I am very excited about writing. Thanks for reading, and tank you for keeping the story on the popular list pretty much since it was published! Rock on guys!

~Doc

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Button Shine gently climbed into his bed, mindful of the small sleeping form occupying the other half of the mattress. The baby dragon lay curled up in his tiny crib which Button had insisted on having right next to him. After all, his father had told him that he was personally responsible for the adorable creature, so there was no way that Button would make him sleep on the floor.

“Do you think you know what to name him yet?” Twilight Velvet asked, poking her head through the doorway with a smile.

Button leaned over and hugged the dragon close to him. “I haven’t decided for sure, but I do have an idea,” he replied.

“Oh? What’s that?”

“S-”

Stormaggeddon, Dark Lord of All!

Button cut off mid-sentence. What?

It’s the most awesome name ever! He would totally love it!

You roll an influence check. You roll a natural twenty. Automatic critical success!

Well, if you say so…

“Well honey? What is it?”

Button cleared his throat. “I was thinking Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All.”

His mother looked at him for a moment, her eyes wide. The she suddenly burst out a quick laugh. “Button, you say the funniest things! Well, when you pick a real name, I’m sure it’ll be great.” She trotted over to him and gave him a quick kiss on his forehead.

“I love you mom,” Button said as he returned a hug.

“And I love you, you silly little colt. Sweet dreams…” She closed the door softly as she exited the room.

What? ‘Pick a REAL name?’ What’s wrong with Stormageddon, huh?

It is a kinda weird name. I was thinking that we could name him Spike!

Dude, boooooring. I grew up with a guy named Spike. Actually, he was a green and purple dragon too. And his mom’s name was… Oh. Oh. OH! Holy crap! Dude, I know who we are! We’re—

Hello? Mr. Voice? Eh. Weird. And with that, Button shine rolled over onto his side. He smiled as he looked at the dragon’s side going up and down in time with his breathing.

“Goodnight, whatever your name is…”

```

Button Mash came to back in the darkness of Phil’s room.

“Ah, good. You’re awake. Or asleep. Same thing, really.” Phil stood up from his desk as swept across the room to the red couch that still sat in front of the hearth. “Come, sit with me.”

Button shook his head, trying to clear away his disorientation. His propeller hat fell off, so he put it back on his head before trotting over and jumping onto the couch.

“This is the weirdest game ever, Phil,” He said matter-of-factly. “Why am I Twilight Sparkle?”

Phil chuckled. “Noticed that, did you? Well, let’s just say that the ‘Faithful Student Story Arc’ is one of my best campaigns, so I thought that it would be a shame to waste it. You have quite a magnificent adventure ahead of you.”

Button cocked his head to the side. “But I already know a bunch of the story. Isn’t that kind of unfair? Shouldn’t we just run a different adventure?”

“Allow me to explain.” Phil raised his hand to quiet the colt. “You will have noticed several things while you were playing. First, while you can influence your character and talk to him, you cannot control him directly. This is intentional.”

“But why—”

“Please. Allow me to finish before asking questions,” Phil said.

Button pulled one of the blankets from before over his body and nodded his head.

“Thank you. As I was saying, this is intentional. When we created the game, we realized that it was impossible for us to remain completely ‘in character’ the whole time we were playing. Our solution was this: We create the character and his or her personality, and then we live inside their head as a separate personality. The influence checks allowed us to move the character in a direction we would want to go, but not in an extreme way. Do you understand?”

Button nodded.

“Good. Next, you will note that the character accepts your presence within his mind quite easily. This is, once again, intentional. It would do no good for them to tell the whole world that they have another voice in their head telling them what to do.”

Button laughed. “Yeah. It would suck for every adventure to end in an insane asylum!”

“Indeed,” Phil said. “Finally, you will note that you did not recognize yourself as being Twilight Sparkle until the end of the day. This is because, as I said before, your memories of your life are suppressed. At least, they are supposed to be. As you get more practice, you will be able to remember more of your previous experiences and be able to use them to guide your character.”

“But why even put that in if you want to remain in character so much?” Button asked.

Phil laughed. “You are quite astute. I wonder if you’re picking up some of Button Shine’s intelligence already… Being in a character’s mind for a while will do that to you.”

“That doesn’t answer my question…” Button murmured.

“I suppose it was pride, or perhaps selfishness, that made us implement that feature. We had a dream of one day distributing our game and having others play it as well. So we added in a feature exclusive to our group: The longer that we play, the easier it is for us to access past memories from our actual lives that would apply to the game world itself, or from previous adventures. You can automatically remember non-critical information, but not information that would actually help you. That is why you could remember that it is a game and that you had a stuffed animal elephant, but not facts that you previously knew about Celestia’s School or Twilight Sparkle and Spike.”

“Hey! That’s totally not fair to the other players!” Button yelled. “Why would you guys do that?”

Phil sighed. “We were young and brash. We thought far less about others than we did of ourselves and our own enjoyment. It was a foolish choice, but one that we came to appreciate after centuries of playing.”

Button nodded in understanding before Phil continued.

“But what is odd is that you managed it on your first day in-game. I shall have to think about how that was possible… Well, there is one more thing you will have noticed. Whenever you try to give meta information about the game or knowledge from your previous life, whether it is helpful to the gameplay or not, your voice inside his head is cut off for a while. Once again, we did this on purpose. Well, I did it on purpose. Call it a fit of conscience after allowing my players such a large advantage from earlier.”

Button sat thoughtfully for a moment. “Okay. So I can remember unimportant information, but not important information until I’ve played the game longer. I can’t give important information to the character at all, and I can’t control his actions. But I can influence them?”

“Correct.” Phil nodded.

“Hmm… Alright, I think I get it!” Button exclaimed. “After I play the game long enough, I can retain important information and keep getting bigger bonuses to my influence checks. So, after a certain amount of time, I’ll be able to point the character in the direction I want to go, and then let him do the rest! Now I see how you put that together!”

“Well, I’ll be. The only NPC to ever become a player is already shaping up to be a powergamer. That’s a good bit of deduction there. It took my old players quite a while to understand the mechanics like that.” Phil gave a deep, throaty chuckle from beneath his hood.

Button grinned back. “We’re totally gonna win this!”

“I certainly hope so.” Phil waved his hand and his desk appeared before him. “Now, I suppose that you would like to see your character sheet, yes?”

“Sure!” Button scooted over on the couch to look at the papers littering the desk.

“This is Button Shine, Level One Wizard. As you can see, he has some rather formidable stats.”

Button studied the sheet. At the top of the paper were several lines with miscellaneous information such as his name, gender, class, level and player. It also included his height and weight, as well as his Lawful Good alignment.

“Yuck. Lawful Good. I thought I was a Wizard, not a Paladin!”

Phil patted him on the head. “Well, the way that you influence your character may eventually change his alignment over time.”

“Good.” Button shifted his gaze to the left side of the paper. Six rows of numbers showed Shine’s base stats. “Seven Strength, ten Dexterity, twelve Constitution, twenty-two Intelligence, sixteen Wisdom, and fourteen Charisma,” Button read aloud. “Twenty-two at Level One? How is that even possible?”

Phil snapped his fingers again, and a huge book landed onto the table with a loud crash. Phil opened it up to the first chapter.

“Is that the game manual?” Button asked.

“No. It’s the character manual…”

“Oh.”

“...for unicorn Wizards.”

Button blinked. “You have a ginormous game manual just for one character type?”

Phil nodded. “Yes.”

“What?” Button shook his head. “How many rules do you have for character creation?”

“I have written a full and unabridged volume for every possible class combination, even down to the extremely complicated multiclasses,” Phil said.

Button stared at his companion, mouth agape. “Dude… How long did that take to make?”

Phil pointed at the cover of the manual.

“‘The Game: Character Text: Unicorn Wizards. Twelfth Edition.’ What the what. Twelve editions of this?” Button asked incredulously.

“Let’s just say that I’ve had quite a bit of spare time,” Phil replied dryly.

“I’d hate to see what the core rulebook looks like then…” Button muttered.

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Phil said, smoothly opening back up to the first chapter. “This is the chapter on creation and the first level. It is over two-hundred pages long, so I will give you the short version. I rolled your random base stats, calculated your lineage, genetic, social, and environmental bonuses up to age six, and then I assigned the stats accordingly.”

“Huh? You rolled dice, then did what?”

Phil pointed at a single blank page. At his touch, many tiny words appeared on the page, arranged into lines and rows. “This is your family tree. Well, Button Shine’s family tree. It goes all the way back to the first unicorn, back even further than that, and then all the way to the first living thing to walk the face of Equus. We shall limit ourselves to the first important ancestor of yours.” He waved his hand, and the page zoomed in upon a single name.

“Nebulous Wave, founder of Equestria’s first magical academy. Moving down, we see his daughter, Shimmering Star, who was a very powerful enchantress. She managed to win the heart of Nebulous’ star student, and the two of them had a foal named—”

“Okay, okay. Are we going through the whole line? Can you just tell me what bonuses I get?” Button asked, rubbing his head. “I don’t understand this.”

Phil sighed. “The past is wasted on the very young. Very well. Your ancestry includes some of the greatest Wizards, Sorcerers, Clerics, Druids, Favored Souls, Bards, and Swordmages of all time. This gives you a significant lineage bonus. You also inherit a genetic bonus from your parents. These two are added together to become your Inherited Bonuses. We then take the environment you were raised in, which includes how your parents taught you, what schools you went to, and so on, and add that to the Social Bonus from the town you were raised in. This becomes your Influenced Bonus. We then add your Racial Bonuses, subtract your Age Penalties, and then we have your stats.”

“‘Age Penalties.’ What’s that?” Button asked.

“Younger characters have lower stats than their older versions. These penalties decrease over time, but for now, you have a large penalty to your physical stats that will quickly be removed over time, and a smaller penalty to mental stats that will take quite a bit longer to full leave.”

“So these stats are my final stats?” Button asked, gesturing at the row of numbers on his character sheet.

“No, those are your current stats. By the time you are an adult, you will have six added to the physical stats, and four added to your mental stats.”

Button’s jaw dropped. “Well, that isn’t ridiculously overpowered at all.”

Phil chuckled. “Don’t worry, little one. The game has ways of compensating for more powerful characters.”

Button sighed. “Okay, I think I understand the stats already. Strength is physical strength, for lifting heavy stuff. Dexterity is like flexibility and speed. Constitution is how tough you are. Intelligence is how smart you are, like what you know, how well you learn, and how good you are at solving puzzles. But I don’t really get what Wisdom and Charisma are in this game.”

“Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma all have some contribution to what you said Intelligence is. Intelligence is like your mental Strength. The smarter you are, the more powerful your spells are, and it also allows you to think faster on your hooves. Wisdom is how you apply your knowledge. It allows you to make better plans, understand things better, and gives you defenses against hostile spells and illusions. Charisma is how you interact with others. It is the force of your personality and your natural leadership abilities. All of these interact with each other in complicated ways. The rules for how these three abilities affect your skills and any actions that you take make this manual look like some light bedtime reading.” Phil smiled. “But don’t worry. You don’t have to learn all the rules. To you, it will feel as if you are living them.”

“Okay then,” Button said. “I guess that you don’t have the normal skills from other games either?” He looked down at the character sheet at the section labeled ‘Skills.’ It was completely blank.

“My skill mechanics are extremely complicated.” He waved his hand over the skills, and many swirling numbers appeared, seeming to pop onto the page one second, then immediately disappear. “We’ll just say that every skill for every single action that you can take in any situation has a number, and I have that number.” He waved his hand again, and the page became blank again.

“Ugh. This is gonna hurt my head.” Button shook himself, his mane flying all over the place.

“Don’t worry about it, Button. The stats are the easiest to understand, and we’ll eventually cover the other statistics. For now, would you like to hear a story before you have to go back down and wake up as Button Shine?”

Button’s ears popped up. “A story? Sure!”

Phil gave another small laugh. “Very well. Long ago, the ponies of Equus were not the most powerful nation on the planet. That honor actually went to the powerful gryphons who ruled almost the entire world with an iron talon, including the land of Equestria. But that was not always to be. For the gryphons had made a critical error, and one of the pony generals would take advantage of it...”

Button smiled, snuggled up in his blanket, and listened to the first of many stories. The fire crackled warmly, and Button’s mind drifted to his family. I’ll be back. I promise.

Chapter Four

The wind whistled through Button Shine’s unruly mane as he knelt on the ground. His eyes whipped back and forth, scanning the page of the book he had placed in front of himself.

“...Elder sister tried to reason with her… Yada-yada-yada… Eternal night… Cool… Elements of Harmony… Hrmmm. Responsibility for both the sun and the moon… Uh-huh. Aaaaand harmony again.”

We’ve heard about the Elements before, right?

I think so. Didn’t the Princess mention them a while back?

I dunno, man. You’re the one who paid attention. I was too busy trying not to fall asleep.

You’re a voice in my head. You can’t fall asleep.

You don’t know that…

Button Shine grinned as he put his book back inside his saddlebag. The stallion flipped his mane back into place as he trotted toward his quarters in the Princess’ library.

I think I’m getting too used to you.

What was that?

Most ponies would probably be freaked out by a voice in their head. But I don’t really have a problem with you. Then again, you've been here for years.

You’re probably crazy.

Yeah, definately.

“There you are Button!” Button looked up from the ground to see three mares standing in the lane in front of him. He cracked a smile at Twinkleshine, the mare who had spoken.

“So, Moondancer is gonna be having a little get together in the west castle courtyard. You wanna come? You really should spend more time with us…” Twinkleshine winked at Button.

Awwwwwww yeah. Let’s go!

You roll an influence check. You roll a seven (plus three). Failure!

Yeah, we should go… But we need to investigate this book! We can go if we have time after.

“Sorry girls, I have a bit of studying to do tonight. You know, Celestia’s student and all…” Button whipped his mane out of his eyes. “I’ll come by if I have the time though!”

Twinkleshine pouted for a moment but then cracked a smile. “Well, alright then. Hope I’ll see you there!”

Button shot his most dashing smile before turning around to trot awa—

“Oof!” Button tripped over his hooves and fell to the ground, his legs sprawled out in all directions. The mares giggled as they walked away from him.

Smooth.

Shut up.

Maybe you should try being cool instead of being a geek.

Shut up.

Just sayin’. We’ll never get a marefriend if you keep on—

Shut. Up.

Fine.

```

Button slammed open the door to his library home and, with a powerful roar, called out, “Spikarious Stormageddon! Spiiiiike? Spike?”

A groan rose up from the floor before him. Button looked over at the small dragon laying on the floor rubbing his head. “Oh. Found you!” He quickly trotted up his stairs to one of the many stacks of books. “I need a book! Predictions and Prophecies!” Button began rummaging through his books.

Spike groaned as he walked up the stairs as well. Button shot him a quick glance and noticed something odd impaled upon his companion’s tail. “What’s that for?”

Spike grimaced before pulling the red box off his tail. “Well, it was a gift for Moondancer, but…” A stuffed animal fell out of the box as the bottom gave way.

Button smiled. “Niiiiiice. Going for the gifts. Moondancer would love it.”

“Not any more…” Spike mumbled. “It’s ruined.”

Button trotted over and looked at the toy on the floor. “Ah, it’ll be fine.” He picked it up with his magic and dusted it off. “If we get a new box, it’ll be good as new!”

Spike perked up. “So that means that we can go to the party tonight?”

Button gave the toy back to his friend. “Maybe. But only if we can get this stuff done first.”

“Yes! Alright!” Spike pumped a small fist up into the air. “Okay, what are we looking for again?”

“Predictions and Prophecies.” Button grabbed as many books off the highest shelves as his magic could manage. “Nope. Nope. Nope. Nopenopenope.”

Sounds like you’re responding to one of Shining’s Game Mastering ideas, haha.

“It’s over here!” Spike shouted from another bookcase.

“Ah!” Button exclaimed, pulling Spike and the book both to his grasp. Spike flopped lightly onto the floor, but Button didn’t notice.

Button brought the book over to his lecturn and flipped though the pages. “Elements, elements… E, E, E… Aha! ‘Elements of Harmony, see : Mare in the Moon?’ What the frak?”

“Mare in the Moon? Isn’t that just an old pony’s tale?” Spike asked from up on another bookshelf.

Button shook his head. “‘Old pony’s tale.’Hahaha. So very punny.” He went back to flipping through the pages as Spike stifled a giggle. “Mare, mare… Aha! ‘The mare in the Moon, myth from olden pony times...’ Oh geez, wall of text. ‘Defeated by elements, imprisoned on moon, stars will aid in her escape,and night eternal.’ Cool.”

“Sooo… what does that meeeeeeAAAAAAAAH!” Spike was interrupted as he fell off his ladder and right onto Button’s back.

“Well, this bad mare did bad stuff, got sent to the moon for a thousand years, and she’ll be coming back the day after tomorrow.”

Which isn’t that big of a deal. Celestia dealt with her before. She’ll be able to do it again.

True.

“Take a note please, to the Princess!” Button exclaimed.

“Okie-dokie!” Spike exclaimed, readying his quill and parchment.

“‘My dearest teacher,’” Button began. “‘By continuing my studies on pony magic, I have discovered an anomaly. For you see—’”

“Wait… A-nom-oh… Uhh…” Spike strained his eyes.

“‘Enigma.’”

“Ih-nig-m… Ur…” Spike shrugged.

“Umm, ‘conundrum? Well, something weird is happening!’” Button exclaimed. Spike gave a thumbs up and scribbled down his words.

“‘For you see, the old pony’s tale about the Mare in the Moon is actually—’”

“Hey, that was my line!” Spike cried indignantly.

“And now you’re writing it down too! Good job!” Button teased.

Spike mumbled under his breath and scribbled a few extra words.

“Ahem. ‘Is actually Nightmare Moon, who is gonna return soon if you don’t stop it! Also, Spike and I want to go to a party tonight. We’ll try to be back by his bedtime though. Awaiting your response, but there’s no rush. Your faithful student, Button Shine.’”

“...Button Shine. Got it!” Spike cheered.

“Sweet. Okay, go ahead and send it.” Button said, looking out their huge window.

“Now?” Spike asked.

“Well, yeah.” Button answered, cocking his head to the side. “May as well get it to her as soon as possible. Plus, we can get ready for the party now that we’re finished!”

“Awesome! You don’t have to say that twice,” Spike said before belching a cloud of green fire upon the scroll.

“So, what’s the plan for lunch?” Button asked, walking over to the fridge.

“Oooh, let’s have pizza!” Spike said, galumphing after Button.

“That is a most excellent suggestion!” Button pulled a big cardboard box out of the refrigerator. “Heat it!” He said, hoofing it over to Spike. Spike took a huge breath then sent out another burst of flame onto the pizza. The pizza and the box disappeared, and a new scroll took their place.

Button stood in shock for a moment. “Spike… Did you just—”

“Send Princess Celestia our pizza? I think I did…”

NOOOOOOO!

“Well darn,” Button said as he picked up the scroll. “As penance, you get to read this aloud to me whilst standing on one foot with one eye closed.”

Spike assumed his assigned position while nodding. “I deserve this,” he said solemnly.

“Indeed you do,” Button said, hooffing the scroll to Spike.

Spike closed one eye and began reading. “‘My dear Button. I would like to commend you for interacting with your peers. It is always good for a young pony to make friends. However, the prophecies you have referenced are nothing to be concerned about. And while I am glad that you are making friends here in the capitol, I have an important task for you. I need you to supervise preparations for this year’s Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville. I also would encourage you to try to make friends there as well. It is one thing to make friends who are very similar to you, but another thing altogether to make friends who come from different backgrounds.”

Button gasped. “But… But… The party…”

“Noooooooo!” Spike shouted, falling to his hands and knees before coughing up another burst of flame containing another scroll. Spike opened it up and read its contents. “‘I will send a chariot for you to leave immediately. Also, thank you for the pizza. I was feeling snacky. And stop stealing Spike’s jokes. It is rude and in poor taste.”

Now it was Button’s turn to hang his head in shame. “This is not fair.”

And I’m still pissed about the pizza!

```

“Look on the bright side, Button!” Spike chirped to a slumped over Button Shine as the two sped through the air toward the tiny village of Ponyville. “The Princess arranged for us to stay in a library. Doesn’t that make you happy?”

Button mumbled something under his breath.

“What was that?” Spike asked.

“Celestia stole our pizza,” Button said through gritted teeth.

“Aw, you’re still on about that?”

Button shot a death glare at Spike. “Yes.”

“Well, we’ll still have to check up on all the preparations and make some friends out here,” Spike continued cheerfully. “I’m sure that the pizza thing won’t feel so bad in a while.

“The main thing,” Button said, straightening up, “is that we get some pizza and try to finish all the preparations in time to make it to Moondancer’s party. Or at least to Twinkleshine’s party tomorrow. And maybe investigate that Nightmare Moon thing. If we have time. I’ll do my royal duty, but the fate of Equestria does not rest on me making even more friends.”

“But it does rest on having pizza and getting to some parties on time?” Spike inquired.

“Eating pizza, getting to some parties on time, and meeting up with Moondancer and Twinkleshine. We could totally ask them out on a double date,” Button finished confidently as they pulled in for a landing.

“Glad to know you have your priorities in order,” Spike mumbled under his breath.

“Thanks guys,” Button said to the guards who had pulled the chariot. They whinnied and took off back into the sky.

“Who knows? Maybe we actually can make some friends out here! You could at least try.” Spike said.

Button looked around the rustic village. The thatched roofs, brightly painted buildings and fences, cheerful ponies surrounded him.

“Hey, here’s one now!” Spike said, grabbing Button and pointing him at a bubblegum pink mare who had just trotted up to him.

“Oh,” Button said, looking at the mare. He cracked him most charming smile before speaking. “Sup?”

“UuuuuuUUUUHHHHHHHH!” The mare took the deepest breath Button had ever heard then took off like a rocket down the street.

Geez.

“Well... “ Button tilted his head to the side. “Was it something I said?”

Spike guffawed and slapped his leg. “Smooth.”

That’s what I said! See, Stormy gets it!

His name is Spike, and shut up.

Meanie.

“That was interesting,” Button muttered. “Alright, what’s first on the list?”

“Banquet preparations! Alright, food time!” Spike cheered.

“You do realize we’ll just be inspecting the food, not eating it, right?” Button asked as the two started off toward their destination as it was marked on their map.

“Wha… No…” Spike hung his head in defeat.

“Oooh, a bakery!” Button said as they passed a brightly decorated building. “Tell you what. We’ll stop off and grab some food after we go check on this ‘Sweet Apple Acres.’ Deal?”

Spike nodded his head energetically.

“Cool. They better have pizza.”

The friends trotted on down the dirt path, and after a while arrived at a large red barn. Button glanced at the immaculately clean building, which seemed quite odd considering that this was a farm.

I don’t trust this at all…

“Well, this is it!” Spike exclaimed.

“Yeeeee-haw!”

Button and Spike spun around quickly to see an orange mare streaking toward them.

“It’s a trap!” Button shouted, jumping into the bushes as the mare rushed swiftly over the ground and landed a swift kick—

—onto an apple tree. “Oh,” Button said as he poked his head out of his cover.

So smooth. You are Captain Smooth today.

The mare crossed her legs as Button crawled out of the bushes. She gave him a quizzical glance, straightening out her stetson hat as Button approached.

“Uh, sorry about that. I wasn’t expecting… Never mind,” Button said.

“Are y’all the bush inspectors? Cuz we ain’t ready yet. Don’t y’all usually come in the winter?” the mare asked.

“Bush inspectors?” Button asked uncertainly. “Umm, no…”

The mare barked a laugh. “Naw, Ah’m just pullin’ yer leg. Y’all must be the Princess’ representatives! Mayor Mare told me y’all would be comin’!” She trotted over to Button and shook his hoof enthusiastically. “Mah name’s Applejack, and this here is mah farm! We sure do like makin’ new friends!”

Button laughed nervously. “Haha, bush inspectors. Yeah. My name’s Button Shine, and this is Spike, my colleague.”

“Hi!” Spike said.

Applejack released Button’s hoof after a few more seconds of vigorous shaking. “So, y’all must be wantin’ to look at the food and maybe even sample some?” She asked, tipping her stetson.

“Sample?” Spike asked, his eyes growing wide.

Yeeeesssss.

“Oh, yes please!” Button replied.

Applejack grinned and shot off into her yard. She rang a rusty triangle and shouted out at the top of her lungs, “Soup’s on, everypony!”

Suddenly, a loud thumping sounded out as a large group of ponies rushed past Spike and Button. The crowd swept them up in a trail of dust and deposited them at a table in the barn’s yard. Button shook his head to try to get his bearings.

Applejack popped up next to them. “Now, why don’t I introduce you to the Apple family?” A dozen ponies moved toward the table with huge grins on their faces.

“Uh, sure…” Button said.

Gosh, this feels like total deja vu…

“This here’s Apple Fritter, Apple Bumpkin, Red, Gala…” Pony after pony appeared and dropped off treat after treat on the table in front of Button and Spike. Button’s stomach growled as the wonderful smells drifted toward him. He sighed, hardly paying the names any mind…

“...Big Mac, Applebloom...”

A red stallion holding a cupcake nodded at Button and a small filly grinned while balancing a cake on her back.

Wow… This… This…

What’s wrong?

It’s… Nothing. Never mind.

Button’s thoughts were interrupted as Applejack shoved an apple into his mouth. “Aaaaaand Granny Smith!” Buttons gaze moved toward an elderly pony in a rocking chair. “Up'n’attem Granny Smith! We got guests!” The elderly mare snorted and replied unintelligibly.

Applejack punched Button in the side. “Why, I’d say you’re already a part of the family!”

Button swallowed what remained of his apple and laughed nervously. “So, uh, the food looks good.”

“Y’all are stayin’ for brunch, right?” Applebloom asked, giving Button her adorable puppy dog look.

Damn. I never knew it was that effective. Not that we need convincing.

Button smiled at her. “Of course we’ll stay for brunch!”

The ponies around all cheered and laughed. They all gathered around a long table piled high with more food than Button Shine had ever seen in one place. They even had pizza on the table. It was apple pizza, but pizza nonetheless.

“See Button? It’s not so bad at all!” Spike whispered as he grabbed a fork and knife.

Button glanced around at the smiling ponies all around him as Applejack slid into the chair next to him. They smiled at each other and Button turned to Spike. “No, it’s not bad at all.”

Well. This is gonna be weird.

What was that?

Oh, nothing. Carry on.

The food was delicious.

Author's Note

For those with any questions about why I wrote this chapter the way I did, I have written this blog post addressing it. Many thanks to TGM for prereading! Thanks for reading!