Be Mine Tonight

“I need a new partner!” Sweetie moaned, lying on the wooden boards of the clubhouse floor.

Life inside the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse was much simpler than the trials just outside the protective layer of branches and leaves. In fact, this had become much more than just a base of operations for the determined fillies. When crusading was on hold the girls would often just meet in their tree fort to work on homework, gossip about classmates, or take an afternoon nap. The bond shared between Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo was unbreakable. This explained why Sweetie immediately called for an emergency meeting to discuss her potentially horrid scrapbook partner.

“C’mon, he can’t be that bad!” Apple Bloom was resting with her back against the wall near the entrance. “It’s like ya said, he never causes any trouble in class.”

Scootaloo was hanging out the window and watching a cyclone of dying leaves circle above the ground. “The only thing I know is that Button Mash is a total addict for video games. After school? He’s at the arcade. Weekends? Arcade. Lunch break? Usually tapping away on that JoyToy thingie. I dunno what it’s called. I’d rather be outside than stuck on a couch all day hurting my eyes.”

“I gave him an apple once,” Apple Bloom stated. “He said that it was the first apple he’s ever eaten! I nearly fell over from shock!”

“Then the junk food rumors are true…” Sweetie rolled over onto her stomach and groaned. “I never thought I’d see the day when Diamond Tiara actually helped me out.”

Scootaloo abandoned her post at the window and trotted over to her ailing friend. “Okay, so maybe he eats junk food and likes his little fantasy worlds a bit too much, but I don’t think listening to Diamond Tiara is going to help solve anything.”

“Scootaloo’s right!” Apple Bloom hopped onto her hind legs. “My sis is always sayin’ that it’s wrong to judge somepony if ya barely know ‘em! Not to mention…” Her voice trailed off.

“Not to mention what?” Sweetie said with her eyes closed. Maybe a quick nap would fix her problems.

“Not to mention he looks kinda lonely sometimes. He only transferred in last year, but the only other pony he talks to outside of class is Rumble. I’m sure it’s a lot easier for him to go down to the arcade than to try and start a conversation with somepony new.”

“Hmmm.” Sweetie pushed herself up onto all four legs. “I guess I’ll just keep my guard up. Maybe DT was lying to me…”

“We can get back at her for that later!” Scootaloo winked. “She should know by now that messing with one Crusader means messing with all of us!”

The three girls raised their forelegs triumphantly. “Cutie Mark Crusaders Revenge Planners… YAY!”

Applejack set a basket of apples down at the base of their clubhouse and looked up toward the sound of giggling fillies. “Revenge planners? I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that…”

. . . . . .

Button circled his mother like a hungry shark, while the mare pushed several bags of bits across the counter. “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon! Hurry!”

His mother shot a disapproving look at her son. “Button, sit down and wait! I know you’re excited, but you can’t be whining the entire time!”

The Ponyville Players Guild was the premier hotspot for gaming in the rural town. There was something for everypony within these walls; slaying on-screen dragons, bashing parasprites for tickets, and even dropping a nasty dance move with the ever-popular Clop Clop Uprising franchise! With the seasons on the cusp of change, there was no doubt that every game’s coin slot would be loaded down with bits soon. Button was no exception to the trend. He was probably the driving force in keeping the arcade open during the slower days. While many foals enjoyed spending their time here, nopony came close to Button’s level of enthusiasm.

It was even harder for Button to sit still due to a new video game release. But this was no ordinary game.

Mineshaft was the first game built exclusively for home entertainment systems. It featured up to four-players with rumors of untapped potential to connect multiple consoles together for even larger groups. Characters would be placed within the confines of the game world where they could explore, build, and even battle with both monsters and one another. Developed in-house by the newly formed Pony Corporation in Las Pegasus, the game boasted almost limitless features. The only true limitation was the mind of the player.

Arcades saw this new system as more of a fad than an actual threat. Not many ponies believed that gaming at home would ever be able to rival the social experience of playing among the bright lights and chaotic noises of an actual arcade. For one, the start-up costs alone of playing on a NeighStation were incredibly high. Games were all sold separately, which made it even harder to drop four hundred bits on a sleek piece of equipment. Sliding a single bit into a machine for several lives was looking to be a much cheaper alternative. Still, there were families willing to pay the price to enjoy the latest in unicorn technology.

Threat or no threat, the arcade employees were not thrilled to be partnered up with Pony. It just meant more work for them.

“That looks like all of it. Thanks for your purchase, ma’am.” The young stallion behind the prize booth said unenthusiastically.

“Thank you very much for your help!” Button’s mother handed the box to the impatient colt jumping at her side.

“Really spoiling the little guy, don’t you think?”

“Oh, not at all. I’m sure my husband and I will enjoy it just as much as my son. Once a gamer; always a gamer!” She chuckled and brushed her mane aside.

Button placed his forelegs on the top of the counter and tried to peek over. He was only visible from the tip of his propeller to his eyes. “Um, excuse me.” A line of ticket-wielding ponies was growing behind Button and his mother. “Does this come with one controller or two?”

“One. Now can you please move to the side? I have other customers to help. Customers who actually came here to play at the arcade…”

Button vanished from sight, but reappeared with a bag of bits held in his mouth. He strained to toss it onto the counter. “An extra controller, please.” The colt was behaving very well despite having a king’s ransom worth of gaming wedged between the legs of his mother and him.

“You don’t need two, Button. One is enough.” His mother’s foreleg wrapped around the bag.

“N-no! It’s for… a friend. I was hoping we could play together tonight.”

“Oh? Is little Rumble coming over to help you with your project?”

“Not exactly. I just need to make sure I have two controllers.”

“Well, that is your money…” She smiled and pushed the bag forward. “Looks like we need an extra controller for his player two.”

. . . . . .

By late afternoon, the unlikely duo was already hard at work scouring Ponyville and the surrounding areas for potential specimens to place within their scrapbook. Sweetie Belle used the morning much more productively than Button and borrowed a book from Applejack listing different trees in the area. Nopony knew more about local trees than the Apple family.

Sweetie was seated on her rear carefully pressing the newly acquired apple tree leaf between the clear, wax pages of her scrapbook. With a little heat she would be able to seal the sample for as long as she needed. Maybe her own foals would even be able to enjoy the hard work she was putting forth.

“Here’s one for the road.” Applejack placed a crisp, green leaf from an apple tree into Sweetie’s hoof. It was slender and perfectly symmetrical. “Apple Bloom was tellin’ me that you’re not too keen on this Button fella. Now, I don’t wanna stick my nose where it don’t belong, but I think you should give him a chance. Rumors are like a dirty chicken coop. They ain’t pretty until you actually sort out the mess and see what’s really goin’ on.” She ruffled Sweetie’s mane. “Ya might even make a new friend when it’s all said an’ done!”

Maybe Applejack was right. So far Button’s just been a typical colt. Sweetie brought a hoof over her mouth and giggled.

Button’s rump was sticking out from a leaf pile. He had been sorting and tossing leaves for the last several minutes. Sweetie wasn’t sure if he was just trying to look busy or if he actually was searching for the perfect leaf to add to the collection. The sun was hanging high above Ponyville. There were still at least five hours of quality daylight remaining.

“Gotcha!” Button pulled his head from pile. He coughed and groaned as a cluster of leaves burst from his mouth. “Blech…”

“What did you find?” Sweetie closed the book and tossed it into her bag.

“A Red Maple leaf and a Silver Maple leaf! My mom said there were a few different maple trees down here at school, so I figured it would be a good place to start!”

Sweetie inspected the leaves. The Red Maple leaf was just as its name indicated: a dark-red leaf that branched off in three jagged directions. The Silver Maple leaf had a similar shape with a frosted-green tint spread over the surface. Both leaves were in excellent form! No pieces missing and no holes from hungry bugs. “That makes three so far!”

“Where should we go next?”

“We can pass through town and go visit Fluttershy. She might have a rare leaf from the Everfree Forest!” Sweetie squeed with excitement. Without thinking, she wrapped her foreleg around Button’s and pulled. “Come on, we can-” Her eyes rose from Button’s leg to his wide-eyed face.

“Lead the way,” Button said, trying to play it cool. I’m never washing this hoof again.

The duo cantered through Ponyville only showing interest in where they could spot the next candidate for the remaining pages of their binder. Button obediently followed after Sweetie wherever she went. They made several detours down a few alleyways and even investigated gutters along roofs to see if there were any leafy diamonds in the rough. Not much luck was had until they were stopped by another classmate.

“Button! Hey, Button!” Rumble hopped down from a roof and glided to the ground in front of his friend. He quickly tucked his wings at the sides of his body. “I wanted to apologize about yesterday. Pip snatched me up before I could even turn him down. Apparently the last time he was partnered up with somepony, Pip did all the work. He was desperate to snag a good teammate! Then I saw Miss Cheerilee put you with Sweetie Belle. Hi, Sweetie!” The young pegasus waved excitedly.

“Hi, Rumble…” Sweetie barely motioned her foreleg.

Button puffed out his chest and grinned. “Apology accepted, but you’ll have a hard time tearing me away from Sweetie in the future. We make a pretty great team.”

“You only found two leaves so far…” Sweetie sighed. “I think that just qualifies as a good team.”

A cluster of pine needles fell from Rumble’s mouth and landed between Button’s front hooves. “Not so fast! Button has three leaves now! I saved this one for you. My way of making the apology official. I went north of town and grabbed some pine branches. It’ll make your saddlebag smell like Hearth’s Warming Day!” He stuck his tongue out. “But they don’t taste very good…”

“Neither do maples leaves…” Button still had the bitter taste of nature stuck to his own  taste buds.

Sweetie carefully placed the needles into her bag. “Once we get to Fluttershy’s I’ll add it to the book.”

“Thanks for the help, Rumble! Wait until you come over again to hang out. I got a big surprise in my living room!” Button polished a hoof against his chest. “Maybe we can even sneak in some game time now!”

“Button!” Sweetie narrowed her eyes. “We’re going to Fluttershy’s, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah… Fillies are a real pain in the flank.” Button whispered to his chuckling friend.

The remainder of the trek through Ponyville was uneventful. Even the visit to Fluttershy’s cottage was short-lived. A sick bear was monopolizing most of the timid pegasus’s time. The good news was that Fluttershy parted with a White Ash leaf and an even more sought after Hickory leaf. Sweetie was hard at work adding the new leaves, but her partner was practically collapsing on the ground with each step. After a day of sifting through piles, inspecting bushes, and climbing trees; Button felt like he hadn’t eaten or slept in days. With a few pages of leaves in their possession, it was time to go home and eat dinner. The colt had passed his tests so far, but Sweetie was still hesitant to clear Button’s name completely.

. . . . . .

“Eat up, everypony!” Button’s mother finished scooping a mound of swirly pasta onto Button’s plate. “I hope you like it, Sweetie. It’s my specialty: spaghetti and wheatballs!”

“It looks wonderful, Mrs. Mash!” Sweetie’s nostrils flared as she inhaled the steam rising from noodles slathered in homemade sauce. Her horn illuminated and a fork skewered into the food on the plate.

“You can just call me Penny, dear. I’m so used to Button’s friends calling me by my first name. I guess I’m like one of the gang!” Penny leaned over, hoping for her son to crack a silly comment. However, he was too busy with his eyes glued to the NeighStation instruction manual. “Button, put down your book until after supper.”

“It’s not a book, mom. I’m trying to figure out how to hook up my new system.” Button’s stomach gurgled beneath the table. “On second thought, I’ll take a few bites.”

Earth ponies and pegasi were at a distinct disadvantage when eating fancier meals. They were unable to manipulate tools or cutlery like the unicorns could. Luckily, progress was always marching forward in Equestria. All it took for the less fortunate ponies to enjoy fine dining was a fork fastened to a leather strap around their hoof. It still took some getting used to, but it was a much better alternative than pushing one’s muzzle directly into a plate.

“So, how is your project coming along? Is my son giving you a hard time?” Penny watched as Button struggled to fasten the strap around his hoof.

“We have some really great leaves already! I think we could even finish by tomorrow night if we just do a bit more searching tonight and tomorrow morning.” Sweetie opened her maw and shoved a wad of noodles into her mouth. Even if unicorns could use cutlery, it didn’t mean they all knew how to take sensible bites.

Penny smiled and lifted a wheatball up to her mouth. “I’m so glad! My son gets distracted easily with his games. I guess it’s not his fault though. His father and I were big-time gamers at his age too. Of course back then games were much simpler. Button saves the day from mutated zombies, while all I did was knock a tiny ball back and forth on a screen…”

“I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get his cutie mark from gaming!” Sweetie munched on another glob of noodles. She wiped the red moustache from her face.

“You never know! I thought for sure gaming was my destiny too. I wanted to run my own arcade. Penny’s Arcade had such a quaint ring to it… But when I was foal-sitting to earn some extra bits, I realized that I had a knack for taking care of younger ponies. By the time I met Button’s father, all I wanted to do was raise a family and give them as much attention as possible. Of course I still sneak in some gaming with my husband. It’s a hard habit to break.” Penny blushed and bit down onto her fork. “Who knows what Button will do when he grows up? Same goes for you, Sweetie. Just enjoy life. Your talent will always find you first.”

Sweetie nodded slowly and swallowed her food. Her partner was still lost in the fine-print of his manual. Unlike this delicious meal, the topic of cutie marks was always a hard subject to swallow. Being one of the last remaining blank flanks in class was becoming unbearable for the filly, but hearing all the different stories from grown-ups did help ease her pain. It was true that cutie marks came when least expected.

“Enjoy life…” Sweetie finished her plate and pushed it forward. “Thank you very much for dinner, Mrs. Penny!”

“Just Penny, dear. Once I feed somepony, they're part of the family. Just ask Rumble.” Button’s mother grabbed Sweetie’s empty plate and gently placed it in the sink. “Now back to work, you two!”

. . . . . .

The curtains swayed as Button’s flank brushed against them. He was hard at work trying to set up his newly acquired game system, while Sweetie listened to the grunts and groans coming from behind the entertainment center. The Mash residence was shaping up to look like the primary household for next-generation gaming. Penny had not only spent a small fortune on the NeighStation, but also on the stand to hold the new equipment. The pine-scented polish on the wood was so fresh that a blindfolded pony might think they were lost in the woods!

“I really think we should get back to work, Button. Miss Cheerilee is only giving us a few days to finish this project. If we head down to Sweet Apple Acres I’m sure we can find the missing leaves for the scrapbook.” Sweetie Belle was sitting on a couch with her head propped up by her forelegs. She could see her less-than-impressed reflection on the screen.

“Uh huh.” Button muttered as he fiddled around behind the television.

“Button! You’re not even listening!”

“Am too! We’ve been working all afternoon on this dumb leaf collecting project. They all look the same! I need to take a break.”

Sweetie wrinkled her muzzle and huffed. “Fine. We’ll take a quick break, okay?”

“Uh huh.” Button’s hooves were tangled in a black cord running from the wall to the small television in his living room.

“What are you doing anyway?”

Button untangled his forelegs and jumped onto the sofa next to Sweetie Belle. Dangling from his mouth were two controllers to his fancy new NeighStation set up on the ground. The dark green rectangle looked no bigger than a horseshoe box, but was supposedly a cutting edge device capable of playing arcade games in the comfort of a pony’s home. “You can be player two!”

“Ugh, Button, no… I’m not playing a video game with you.” Sweetie rolled her eyes and scooted away from him. “I’m only here because we were paired up for the project.”

Button’s ears lowered as he slowly pushed one of the controllers closer. “This isn’t just any game though! It hasn’t even been released in an arcade! Only on the NeighStation.” He blushed and turned his head away. “I-I just thought you’d like to try it. I always hear about your adventures with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom.” He swallowed and adjusted the beanie cap on his head. “Maybe, ya know, this could be an adventure we could go on together…”

Sweetie smiled a bit. She picked up the controller and clicked the buttons with her right hoof, while her left hoof pushed the nub of the joystick. “Well… I suppose a quick game couldn’t hurt. Everypony did warn me that you were a bit of a game nut.”

“N-nut?! That’s not fair! It’s just what I like!” Button panicked and flailed around on the sofa.

“It’s fine, Button! Don’t worry. I like how passionate you are about it. Maybe… you’ll get your cutie mark from playing these things.”

“Heh, or making them…” He grinned and pressed a button on the controller to start the game.

“I’m pretty sure only unicorns can make stuff like this.” Sweetie blinked.

“Making them, playing them, whatever. I’m not really worried about my cutie mark.”

“Y-you’re not?”

“Everypony eventually gets one. Maybe you’ll get yours before me, or maybe I’ll get mine before you. It’s not a big deal.” He stuck his tongue out as he navigated the menus on the screen.

“What if… I never get one?” Sweetie frowned and stared at the black loading screen. She was immediately reminded of the blankness on her flank.

“I guess we can always paint one on!” Button snickered and turned his attention to the filly. “But, uh, even if you had a blank flank forever, I’d still hang out with you. You’re the only filly who really talks to me in class. I was starting to think I smelled or something…”

Sweetie scooted across the couch until she was next to Button. “Those other fillies are going to be really jealous when I tell them all about us playing – what game is this again?”

“It’s called Mineshaft.”

“Sounds… neat?” Her tone rose in confusion.

“Just wait until you see all the cool stuff we can do! We can build anything we want, go exploring, and fight monsters! It’s so cool!” Button rubbed the back of his head and grinned. “Not gonna lie. When I heard you were coming over to work on the project I used some of my spare bits to buy another controller… I really wanted somepony to play with.”

A red hue washed over Sweetie Belle’s cheeks. “You did that for me? Then you better teach me how to play!”

“It could take a while… We might be up really late fighting scary monsters and digging through dark caves!”

She nuzzled against him and smiled. “It’s a date!”

/) To be Continued (\