Civilization: The World on your Hooves

Chapters

Prologue: The First Settlement
Chapter 1: Gathering Resources At Sugarcube Corner?
Chapter 2: First Acquaintances...
Chapter 3: Prelude to a Dinner
Chapter 5: Dreams by Sweetie and Button
Chapter 6: Think Ponies Complexly
Chapter 7: The Gamer, the Diamond, and the Spoon
Chapter 8: Beauty and the Gamer
Interlude 1: Crusading Before Monday
Interlude 1: Jumping into Monday
Interlude 1: Sunday Night Flying
Chapter 9: Getting Ready for the Big Day!
Chapter 4: Dinner Time

Prologue: The First Settlement

“Every civilization needs to start somewhere. Its founders roam across grass and sand, searching for a place to lay down their homes. Where would they place their homes? The land has to provide food and water for survival. It has to protect them from any sort of living harm, whether it be hurricanes, hunters, or heat. Then there’s the other ponies. How are they going to handle so many ponies at once? There’s gotta be laws and agreements. There will be inevitably be conflicts with others who want the riches of the land and what they sow. If one reflects on all these things, it’s a wonder a civilization like Equestria can survive…

The Friendship Express whirred to a stop at a rustic train station. The train station was made of a single building, its roof neatly arranged with hay. On the station’s wooden platform lay a wooden sign that messily wrote, ‘Welcome to Ponyville’. There were a few ponies of different sizes waiting with smiles on their faces for their loved ones to step out of the train, eager to see them again.

As the train came to a stop and its doors opened, all the passengers began trotting out in an orderly manner. Eventually, a brown colt with a propeller beanie hat stepped out of the train with a deep sigh, his head facing downwards to the station’s wooden planks. The town called Ponyville was a far cry from the bustling city of Manehattan. He spent most of the train ride thinking about all the arcades that he would play on every day with his fellow colt friends. His mother, knowing how much he loved video games, already tried to cheer him up with a game of Pac-Colt, but Button Mash wouldn’t have any of it. All he could think about was not being able to have friends to compete against with his favourite arcade games…

"Wooooo!!! Go Button Mash!!! Beat that high score!!!"
"All he has to do is complete one more level of Pac-Colt and he'll break the other finalist's score and win the tournament!"
"Hey, he just beat the high score! He's done it everypony! He's won the Manehattan Regional PacColt Tournament!!!!
"Button Mash! Button Mash! Button Mash! Button Mash..."...

All the shouts and screams for Button Mash's victory at PacColt were what remained on Button Mash's mind as he claimed victory for the biggest PacColt tournament in Manehattan. Button Mash gave himself a weak, nostalgic smile after remembering that it would be his last appearance at the regional PacColts. Now he would have to enter a place he'd never set his hooves on. The only other item he had of note from that tournament was the small golden trophy he carried along with him. It was a small statue of a golden ball with a large mouth, ready to eat up any pellets and ghosts that stood in its way. He could never leave that trophy behind; it was his pride and joy of being among the greats at one of his favourite games. Button Mash softly touched his saddlebag to make sure his trophy remained inside his bag. Just as he finished, a call for his name rang out from a familiar voice,

“Come on Button Mash! We’ve got to get settled in our new home! The sooner we settle in, the sooner you can go out and make some new friends!”

Button Mash heard the call of his mother into a town he never heard of, save the super-duper “Mane 6” who saved Equestria from the grips of changelings and draconnequus. Sure it was cool for a town to have such an awesome group of daring and heroic mares living in a large, imposing castle.

But none of them enjoyed video games as much as he did! Button Mash had a plethora of single-player games, from the simple yet unforgettable PacColt to the complex worldbuilder known as Manecraft. But the best fun was to be found in gaming tournaments and co-op games, like 'Pony Kart' and 'Rhythm Clouds'! Those games were great alone, but they were nowhere near as fun without at least one other pony to play along. Button Mash took another deep sigh before continuing his slow trot away from the train station and into the streets of suburban Ponyville.

Button Mash’s new home was just past Ponyville’s Town Square. At the city’s square, Button Mash looked up and saw ponies of all kinds eagerly talking with one another. He could see a large structure that towered above Ponyville that resembled a central civic building. Ponies brought out their best smiles everywhere and often, as if they were preparing for his arrival. It was something that Button never really took notice in Manehattan. There, ponies always held a frown unless you already knew them beforehand. Button Mash also noticed a rose-coloured mare selling flowers of many colours to her customers, a cross-eyed grey mare who constantly bumped herself into other ponies with her clumsy flying skills, and another grey pony pulling her cello case on a cart. Button Mash had to admit, it was cool seeing ponies of all kinds interacting with one another like this. But he couldn’t see any colts in sight! Fat chance for him to make gaming friends in Ponyville.

Eventually, the mother and son arrived at their humble abode. It was a two-story home with all of the basic amenities that Button Mash never really cared much for: 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, 3 bedrooms on the 2nd floor. What mattered most to him was enough room to play his console games, and that his mom guaranteed to his relief. Just as Button Mash was about to begin surveying the living room, Button’s mom looked down to Button Mash and lovingly directed,

“Let’s get all our stuff out first, honey. The moving ponies will come with your consoles and our other things tomorrow. Once we get our stuff out, I’ve got some chores to do. In the meantime, you can go out and find some colts and fillies to show off your Gamecolt!” Button Mash nodded slowly before he began unpacking their stuff. This was going to be a long day…

Author's Note

This is my very first chapter for my very first fim-fic. Any positive and constructive criticism is most welcome! I hope you guys enjoy turn-based strategy games like I do.

Chapter 1: Gathering Resources At Sugarcube Corner?

“Every civilization has to start somewhere. After building the first settlement, somepony has to go out there and gather basic equine needs. Grass and wheat’s the most important of them. Wait, did I forget to mention cakes? Cakes are simply fantastic too! One can never go wrong with cakes! But they probably wouldn’t have cakes until they gathered all the ingredients! Some places don’t have all the ingredients a pony needs, so they have to hope there’s somepony else who’s got them! That’s the power of social interaction everypony!

The bells of Ponyville schoolhouse rang to signal the end of another school week for its fillies and colts. Miss Cheerilee had just wished all the ponies a good weekend, and all the ponies ran out excitedly to begin their weekend. That occurred with the exception of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, fresh off a failed crusading attempt at teaching ponies how to make art.

“... And tell me again why we decided to separate and teach our classmates how to draw?” Scootaloo questioned Sweetie Belle with a glare.

“Hey! I thought we should have had a chance to express our more artistic side!” Sweetie Belle replied with a glare. “Scootaloo, we’ve already spent an entire week with rollerblades and skateboards.” Sweetie Belle continued with her hooves crossed.

“Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo! Cut that out! We ain’t trying to bring each other down with this crusadin’ business! We’re supposed to be working together to find each of our special talents!” Applebloom waved her hooves towards the two ponies to get them to stop arguing. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both gave out a sigh before Applebloom continued with her encouraging speech,

“Thank you. Ah know it’s been hard to help each other find our special talents because we’re different ponies. But that don’t mean we keep fighting about what to do. If we do something, we all do it together. That’s why we’re Cutie Mark Crusaders. We work together as blank flanks to find our special talents!” Sweetie Belle and Scootalloo gave out their nods before Applebloom continued.

“Hey! Let’s head on over to Sugarcube Corner and have some shakes! Perhaps there we can come up with some new crusadin’ ideas for the weekend!” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded happily before the Cutie Mark Crusaders set off from the school and towards Sugarcube Corner…

“Don’t forget Button Mash! You need to be back here in 2 hours, just before dinner! We’ll be having a dinner meetup with somepony I know from Ponyville! We go all the way back to Manehattan, and she’ll help us settle down.” Button’s mom directed towards Button Mash. Button Mash complained in response,

“But mom! I don’t know anypony here! Where do I start?!” Button Mash gave out a sigh of frustration before he continued, “I wanna be playing with my Gamecolt!” Button’s mom took exception to his attitude. Nevertheless, she understood how hard it was for Button Mash to move away so soon after receiving acclaim for his Pac-Colt victory. She replied as calmly and motherly as she could.

“On the way to our house, we passed by a really huge sweets shop! Tell you what, I’ll walk you back there and give you some bits to have a milkshake. What you do the rest of the way is up to you! Explore Ponyville for a few hours! Make a new friend or two!” Button Mash looked at his mom with lackadaisical concern. He already determined that there wouldn’t be any pony who really appreciated his gaming. So he decided that once he got his milkshake, that he’d immerse himself in his Gamecolt and play some platformer games like ‘Plumber Stallion 3: Changeling’s Revenge’. Button then gave a wacky nod before running off towards Sugarcube Corner, forcing his mother to frantically catch up.

Button Mash arrived at Sugarcube Corner, with his mother closely behind him. She gave him his bits before kissing his cheek as a goodbye gesture. She then trotted away out of his sight to prepare for her dinner with the special guest. Button Mash then trotted into Sugarcube Corner, searching frantically for a seat. He wanted to get back to his game as quickly as he could and eventually sat on a table designated for one pony. Button Mash frantically waved his hooves around and after getting the attention of one of the waitresses, ordered his milkshake.

Once he received his chocolate milkshake, Button Mash quickly gulped on it… the only problem was that the rapid intake of cold drinks led to brain freeze. Button Mash, feeling the rush of cold on his brain, felt a throbbing pain on his head that just wouldn’t go away. He held his head as hard as he could and let out a wail that would put anypony’s ears tremendously shaking.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders had just sat down by their tables, ready to drink up on their milkshakes. While they were drinking up, Sweetie Belle posed the question the three Crusaders had on their minds:

“What are we going to do next?” Sweetie Belle paused briefly. “We’ve tried athletic feats, appliance-based, and artistic cutie marks over the past 2 weeks. And we’re terrible at all of them!”

“Look, Ah know we’ve tried a lot of different things, but we can’t just give up now. We’ll never find our cutie marks if we just give up!” Applebloom retorted in reply, hoping to stir up some more motivation from her fellow crusaders.

“Perhaps we need some help from another blank flank. Maybe they’ll have more ideas we can try or provide a better way for each of us to find our individual talents.” Scootaloo added, hoping that something she said would sputter something onward for the crusaders. Just as she made the suggestion, the three fillies heard a sudden wailing that came from one of the other tables at the other side of the dining area! Applebloom quickly motioned the other crusaders and interjected,

“C’mon y’all! Somepony needs our help! Let’s go save the poor pony! They’re probably in trouble and need our help! Cutie Mark Crusaders Superheroes go!” While Sweetie Belle rushed towards the other side of the bakery with Applebloom, Scootaloo groaned at the idea of being superheroes.

“Look, we’re not being superheroes! We already tried that idea once with Bon Bon and nearly pushed her down a hill while trying to carry her stockpile of candies!” Scootaloo objected with determination. Nevertheless, there was a pony who needed help, so she gave out a sigh and grudgingly rushed over with the other crusaders to help whoever was screaming.

When the crusaders arrived at the source of the scream, all they could do was moan. All they could see was a colt who was silly enough to drink their milkshake so fast that it gave him brain freeze. Applebloom scratched her head in confusion, while Scootaloo gave out a hiss and a shake of her head.

“See Applebloom! What did I tell you? Running down the bakery like that was useless! He just gave himself brain freeze is all!” Scootaloo exclaimed angrily. She then sighed before motioning the others to return to their seats.

While Applebloom reluctantly agreed to move along, Sweetie Belle paused for a moment. Looking at his flank, she noticed that he too was a blank flank! Before she could think anything of it, the other crusaders shouted her name and called her back! Sweetie Belle rushed back, wondering whether it was prudent to tell them about the colt’s blank flank status. Sure he was a blank flank, and Scootaloo suggested that they go out and find one! But he didn’t seem really bright, especially since he reacted very poorly to a simple brain freeze. Plus, she’d never seen the colt before. The types of questions the other crusaders would raise, like how new he was to Ponyville and the like, put her off from telling the other crusaders about him. Perhaps they would meet again at a more opportune time, once the other crusaders forgot about the incident…

Chapter 2: First Acquaintances...

Making friends and allies is a key requirement for any civilization. Just imagine all the wars that would take place if too much focus is placed on making enemies. That’s especially true at the early stages when one doesn’t want the other civilizations to start bothering them. In fact, many species work as a large flock as a defense mechanism against predators! The best civilizations make as many friends as possible to push back the enemies early on. The only caveat is that those civilizations have to ensure that their friends don’t end up backstabbing them.

The young brown pony continued to writhe around the ground in pain even as the Cutie Mark Crusaders inspected him. Soon after the Crusaders left Button Mash alone, Button Mash felt the pain on his head subside. Button Mash placed his hooves away from his head and got up gently. Once he took a moment to scan his surroundings, he noticed that all the other ponies in Sugarcube Corner stared at him with blank expressions. Button Mash, taking notice of the stares, sheepishly chuckled before the ponies turned around and went back to their daily business.

Once Button Mash finished his chocolate milkshake drink, Button trotted out of Sugarcube Corner and to the streets of Ponyville. He took out his Gamecolt, placed the on switch and got ready to play ‘Plumber Stallion 3: Changeling’s Revenge’, a game that he purchased just before he and his mother left for Ponyville. Just as he began hearing the theme song to his newly purchased video game, his Gamecolt screen dimmed and turned off. In frustration, Button Mash tried to turn the switch on and off repeatedly to no avail. The screen simply wouldn’t turn on. Having realized that his batteries probably went dead, Button Mash responded with tears.

“Wahhhh…” Button Mash cried, realizing that he had to toil around town for a few hours or at least until he could find a store that sold PP batteries…

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were best of friends. They did everything together, whether it be teasing fellow fillies for their lack of class and flair, or complaining about the filth that was the dust on Ponyville’s streets. They even whined to each other about daily struggles! In fact, Diamond Tiara began complaining about the streets as usual as the two went on their daily walk to her father’s home for a private get-together.

“Ewww… I wish we didn’t have to live in this dreaded town Silver Spoon.” Diamond Tiara spoke with disgust. “My dad is filthy rich, so why did he have to work here?! Why can’t we live someplace else, like Manehattan or Canterlot?!” Diamond Tiara ranted. Silver Spoon shook her head lightly, placed her left hoof on Diamond’s back, and comforted Diamond Tiara with words of her own,

“Hey. You wouldn’t have met me if your dad didn’t work in Ponyville. We’re best buds forever right?” Silver Spoon retorted with a giggle. Diamond Tiara smiled, if only briefly, and then bumped her flank to Silver Spoon’s as a sign of friendship.

“Thanks Silver Spoon. I wouldn’t be able to handle all these poor, low-class fillies if you weren’t around to help out,” Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon giggled together as they trotted onward towards Diamond Tiara’s house.

Between the two fillies and Diamond Tiara’s house was Sugarcube Corner, and as they trotted past Sugarcube Corner, they came across a brown colt with a spinning beanie hat. The colt looked dejected and was filled with tears because of what seemed like a broken machine of sorts. Silver Spoon didn’t take much notice of the young colt, but Diamond Tiara instantly noted the blank flank, grinning excitedly and evilly.

Diamond Tiara motioned for Silver Spoon to come along quickly with her. She and Silver Spoon trotted to Button Mash and exclaimed with her hoof pointing out to his flank,

“Ha! This colt not only cries over a stupid console, but he’s also a bl-ank, flank!” Diamond Tiara laughed heartily as Silver Spoon soon followed along. Having heard what both fillies were saying to him, Button Mash snapped back angrily, having recalled the days in Manehattan where he was constantly teased by the popular colts,

“Hey! What’s your deal?! It’s not easy for a pony moving from a cool city like Manehattan where there’s lots of video games to play! My only source of gaming is this Gamecolt, and it’s out of batteries!” As soon as Button snapped back at the two fillies, Silver Spoon urged Diamond Tiara to just trot away in anger or continue teasing him. But Diamond Tiara had other plans…

“Wait, you're from Manehattan?!” Diamond Tiara asked back with complete surprise. Button Mash was taken back by Diamond Tiara’s sudden and bizarre question. She was just making fun of him for having a blank flank. He asked himself why she was so interested in his hometown, but then opted to answer anyway since he wanted to get out of being the target of teasing…

“Ummm… yeah! I am! I… I just moved today actually,” Button Mash responded excitedly before drawing back to a timid whimper. He then gave out a confused look before he asked,

“You were just making fun of me for my blank flank. Why did you ask about Manehattan?” Diamond Tiara chuckled at Button Mash, seeing that she finally got her wish to meet another pony who moved into Manehattan. Silver Spoon, on the other hoof, looked more and more confused, wondering why exactly Diamond Tiara became willing to associate herself with Button Mash so quickly, despite him being from Manehattan. Diamond Tiara ignored Silver Spoon’s worried expressions and continued wooing Button Mash,

“So you’re from Manehattan… Ohhh… I just so happen have some extra batteries for you! How about you come over with us to my dad’s place and I’ll give you some extra batteries hmmm…?” Button Mash looked back at Diamond Tiara with an awkward look, still unconvinced at her sudden change of mood. But Button knew that it would be a waste of time to keep looking for a store with batteries on his own, especially since he didn’t have any bits on hoof. Plus, he now met his first ponies in Ponyville on his own, just as his mom wanted! With that in mind, Button Mash reluctantly accepted her offer,

“Ummm… sure! I’ll come with you. I guess I can talk to you about life in Manehattan if you want,” Diamond Tiara responded with as gleeful a smile she could make,

“That’s great! Now come along Button Mash. I’ll make sure to give you those batteries!” Button Mash then began trotting closely behind Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon with a smile of his own. On the other hoof, Silver Spoon gave a confused look to Diamond Tiara, still wondering why she suddenly became so friendly. She then reminded Diamond Tiara about a past experience with a certain filly from Manehattan…

“Hey Diamond. Why are we bringing Button Mash along? Sure he’s from Manehattan, but do you remember what happened with that cousin of Applebloom’s?” Diamond Tiara wagged her hoof as discretely as she could, trying her best to contain her excitement.

“Silver Spoon. Button Mash is different. First, he’s moved to Ponyville. Second, unlike that Babs Creep, he has no relation to the Cutie Mark Lameos. There’s zero chance he befriends the CMCs once we befriend him. And third, if worst comes to shove, we can push him back down to the lowest of lows should he start befriending them at all. He’ll be sure to crawl to us by the time he settles in,” Diamond Tiara then chuckled evilly before she continued,

“Plus, if Button Mash becomes our friend, we’ll become a trio of our own and finally beat down the Cutie Mark Losers once and for all,” Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara laughed together, being pleased that such an ingenious plan was concocted right in front of their noses. The best part was that Button Mash was completely unaware of the plan, being entrenched with his thoughts on getting the batteries and winning ‘Plumber Stallion 3’...

The Cutie Mark Crusaders just finished their milkshakes. Other than the run-in with the awkward brown colt suffering from brain freeze, the Sugarcube Corner meeting moved rather uneventfully. After the three fillies finished their drinks, they exited Sugarcube Corner, asking amongst each other what to do next.

“So ah reckon we return to our clubhouse so we can try practicing some of the things Twilight taught us!” Applebloom referred quickly to the weekly meeting that was scheduled to come up the next week after the crusaders quickly ran out of ideas to try for getting their cutie marks. Scootaloo nodded in reply, but Sweetie Belle had other plans.

“I’d love to come along you guys, but I have to go back to Rarity’s and get ready for something tonight. Rarity said it was going to be a dinner outing, but she wants me to be looking proper for it.” Sweetie Belle mocked Rarity’s voice at the last part of the sentence. She wasn’t sure why she had to look all nice for it; only that she did. Applebloom and Scootalloo both nodded, but Applebloom replied with her hoof scratching her chin.

“Hmmm… Ah wonder why Rarity would ask that of you. Ah mean, do you know if yer gonna eat out with some other ponies? What if the ponies were all regal or somethin’?! What if you get to eat with royalty tonight?!” Applebloom jumped up and down excitedly, while Scootaloo remained unscathed.

“Royalty, Schmoyalty. It’s probably not that. Maybe Rarity’s got a friend or two that she wants you to look nice in front of.” Scootaloo gave out a shrug, while Applebloom remarked back,

“Aww Scootaloo, don’t be such a spoil sport. Maybe Sweetie Belle’s gonna dine with prominent ponies! At least get Sweetie Belle excited about the dinner!” Scootaloo shrugged again and replied with a sigh. In any case, Sweetie Belle grinned at the thought of dining with royalty. Before she could imagine the thought however, Applebloom quickly requested to Sweetie Belle,

“Tell us how the dinner went tomorrow!”

I will Applebloom!” Sweetie Belle replied with a smile as the Cutie Mark Crusaders said their goodbyes. Sweetie Belle then trotted towards Rarity’s Carousel, wondering who exactly they were going to dine with…

Chapter 3: Prelude to a Dinner

Making assumptions is one of the worst mistakes any civilization can make in any decision making. Assumptions can be made consciously, or unconsciously, without even knowing it. One must be very careful in any decision making process, ensuring that the interests of the most ponies is assured within their civilization. Should one ever forget this key rule… Well, the consequences could be small and few if they were hashed out easily. On the other hand, if the assumption ran deeper into the heart of a civilization... well let's say entire civilizations have been ruptured because of poor assumptions.

The trio of ponies trotted closer and closer to Diamond Tiara’s mansion. Soon after Diamond Tiara revealed her plans for Button Mash with Silver Spoon, Silver Spoon nodded happily in agreement. It was a brilliant idea to put the Cutie Mark Crusaders in their proper places: humiliation and futility. But after the plan was concocted, an awkward moment of silence descended upon the trio as they continued to walk. Desperate to grab Button Mash even further into her grasp, Diamond Tiara asked a perfectly innocent question:

“So Button Mash, what do you like to do anyway?” Diamond Tiara tried her best to sound like a legitimate friend as possible, even if it was difficult. She had no idea how rich or poor Button Mash was for starters. Plus, there was his love for video games… Admittedly, Diamond Tiara had her own video game console system, but that was only because her video-gaming cousin from Manehattan sent it to her as a Hearth’s Warming Eve gift. She hated video games and how… nerdy her cousin was. In fact, the console remained untouched ever since it was given to her last Hearth’s Warming Eve! Diamond Tiara considered her cousin a detriment to her chances of becoming an elite socialite in Manehattan and Canterlot. Button Mash, knowing little of Diamond Tiara and appreciating the fact she had batteries he could take for free, replied enthusiastically,

“Well I’m one for video games. I live and breathe video games. I’ve had so much fun with video games I’ve never thought about having a cutie mark for myself. Maybe my cutie mark will be related to video games, but I’ve never thought about it otherwise…” Diamond Tiara groaned inwardly at Button Mash’s nerdy voice. It was becoming tiresome just to hear him rambling on and on about video games, from the newest game he just got to old “classics” like Coltra and Doom. Button Mash’s continuous rambling left her wondering whether it was even a good idea to proceed with the plan. She soon changed her mind when Button Mash’s rambling reached the topic of Manehattan…

“… Then there’s PacColt. It’s such a simple game, yet it’s so addicting! There’s an unlimited amount of levels, so there’s no maximum score! Just before I moved here, I was playing in the regionals! I even beat Flare Volt’s best score of 500,340 to take the Manehattan PacColt regionals!” As soon as Button Mash mentioned Flare Volt, Diamond Tiara’s face lit up. It may have been her nerdy cousin Button Mash knew well, but it was a point of interest and something to grab Button Mash further away from any chance of friendship with the CMC. Diamond Tiara took the chance with stride.

“Flare Volt?! She’s my cousin! She told me how good you were with those video games! In fact, I own a video game console that you’re free to play with anytime you want! It’s certainly really strong, and it can play many more games than your GIZMO or anything else you have for playing!” Diamond Tiara then remembered the special feature about the Ponysone console and used it as her perfect bait:

“You see Button Mash… it’s a virtual reality console. You just put one of those helmet thingies on and you’re practically in the world.” Diamond Tiara tried to act as enthusiastic as possible about the system, even if she had little interest in such things. Button Mash’s mouth could only open wide at the thought of playing as the great Stallion Plumber himself or as Green Knight in ‘Legend of Zaneveld’…

“OH MY GOSH! REALLY?! VIRTUAL REALITY?! AND I CAN PLAY ON IT ANYTIME?!!” Button Mash hopped up and down with glee as his propeller beanie spun faster than before. Diamond Tiara could only chuckle at how easy it was to pull Button Mash in her grasp. He was that enthused and hypnotized with video games.

“Yes Button Mash… yes you can.” Diamond Tiara chuckled evilly, with Button Mash taking no notice at all at her intentions for him. Button Mash hopped the rest of the way to Diamond Tiara’s mansion of fun and riches, too excited to say anything else. He finally found a group of ponies who enjoyed video games. Best of all was that he personally knew a family member of the great Flare Volt. Sure he defeated her high score in PacColt, but Flare Volt was a video gaming machine. Button Mash looked up to her with such exultation and admiration, that anypony who knew Flare Volt was automatically someone he could look up towards and trust.

The three ponies eventually reached Diamond Tiara’s mansion, a large house that was surrounded by a large gate that beckoned the three ponies and barred their entrance.

“Wait here Button Mash. I’ll quickly grab the batteries for you.” Diamond Tiara then opened the gates and trotted into her house while Silver Spoon waited with Button Mash.

“Diamond Tiara’s a really nice mare don’t you think Silver Spoon? She’s got a huge mansion! Plus, she has a virtual machine where you can play as another character in a totally different world! It’s neat huh?!” Silver Spoon awkwardly chuckled, remembering the plans Diamond Tiara made for Button Mash too well. She thought it was fun to finally bring down the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but she already felt somewhat uncomfortable about using Button Mash to do it. To prevent any further moments of awkwardness, Silver Spoon shrugged and replied suavely,

“Oh yeah. Her virtual machine’s the greatest! I’ve played as many different characters on the machine!” Silver Spoon feigned excitement and interest as she mouthed her so-called experiences with the machine. Button Mash made a quick nod before Diamond Tiara quickly rushed out of the house with the PP batteries. Upon arrival, Diamond Tiara gave two pairs of PP batteries to Button Mash and spoke with as cute a voice she could make,

“There you go Button Mash. Enjoy your console thingy now! Let me know if you want to play! You’re always welcome here! Goodbye now my dear!” Button Mash thanked the two ponies and waved them goodbye. The fillies then trotted away into the house with smiles, while Button Mash quickly returned home, realizing that he made his first friends in Ponyville… or so he thought.

Sweetie Belle was growing more and more curious about the guests who would be eating dinner with her and Rarity tonight. Sweetie Belle arrived at and entered the Carousel Boutique where she and Rarity lived. Sweetie Belle, having had enough of not knowing who they were going to eat with for dinner, trotted upstairs to Rarity’s workshop. Sweetie Belle opened the door to see Rarity preparing a small white dress. Rarity jumped up in fright and gasped.

“Sweetie Belle! What are you doing back here so early?! You still have a little bit of time to be with your fellow Crusaders before it’s time for dinner!” Rarity said with exasperation. Sweetie Belle giggled.

“Rarity, I just wanted to get ready for the dinner that’s all! And…” Rarity scratched her chin, realizing that Sweetie Belle wanted something as usual.

“What is it dear? I’m trying to prepare a dress and I have very little time before I have to get it done. After all, it’s for you to wear tonight!” Rarity asked with urgency. Sweetie Belle turned her head towards the silky white dress that Rarity prepared. She oohed and ahhed at how pretty and bright the dress looked.

“Wow… that dress is for me?!” Sweetie Belle pointed at herself with her hooves. “So the guest we’re going to see must be really special…” Rarity nodded with a smile.

“Well of course my dear! I want you to be looking good for our guest!” Rarity declared with a wide smile. That reminded Sweetie Belle of the question she wanted to ask Rarity.

“So Rarity… who exactly are we meeting up with for dinner?” Rarity chuckled light-heartedly before she used her magic to transfer another ornament onto Sweetie Belle’s new dress.

“Oh I have an old friend from Manehattan who just moved to Ponyville. You see, her husband passed away a few years ago because of disease.” Rarity answered solemnly, while Sweetie Belle responded with a frown before Rarity continued.

“I wanted to make it clear that you need to be on your best behaviour. She’s actually one of my best friends you know? And I want you to meet her colt as well.” Sweetie Belle began wondering who this colt was going to be. Sweetie Belle wondered whether the colt was going to be handsome, or whether he was a true stallion in his mannerisms. After all, she knew that Rarity wanted only the best for her, especially when it came to stallions.

“And no, you will not know who this colt will be until the dinner tonight. I want to keep it a surprise darling.” Rarity suavely spoke as she always did. Sweetie Belle only pouted at her secret on the colt. Maybe he really was a handsome young colt who she could befriend and welcome to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Perhaps he was like the other colts… friendly but dorky at best. None of them were very bright after all.

Just as Sweetie Belle was about to trot away into her room to reminiscence about the mother and son, Rarity called Sweetie Belle back after completing the final touches to her simple, yet glistening dress.

“Your dress is ready Sweetie Belle! Give it a try!” Sweetie Belle excitedly trotted back to Rarity and eagerly let Rarity put the dress on for her. Sweetie Belle became so excited that Rarity had to motion Sweetie Belle to stand still as Rarity helped her with her dress. After Sweetie Belle put her dress on, Sweetie Belle trotted excitedly to the nearby mirror.

“Oh my Sweetie Belle darling! You look fabulous! You’ll be sure to impress tonight my darling!” Sweetie Belle jumped up and down gleefully and shouted back at Rarity,

“YES! This dress is AMAZING!” Sweetie Belle happily squeaked as she ran around the room happily. Rarity made sure to stop Sweetie Belle from outdoing herself when she saw how excited Sweetie Belle was!

“Sweetie Belle! You need to keep yourself composed for tonight! We can’t have your dress soiled can’t we?!” Rarity and Sweetie Belle chuckled together before they slowly trotted out the door and towards their dinner meetup with the unknown guest…

Back at the Cutie Mark Crusaders treehouse, Applebloom was putting her efforts in constructing a simple birdhouse for herself as Twilight recommended. At the same time, Scootaloo spent some time preparing a simple fitness regime for herself to improve her endurance and eventually her boarding skills. While they were performing their respective activities, both fillies couldn’t help but wonder about Sweetie Belle and their run in with the weird pony with brain freeze.

“Hey Applebloom. Who do you think Sweetie Belle’s going to meet for dinner tonight? Sweetie Belle seemed pretty excited about the dinner.” Scootaloo asked to begin the conversation.

“Ah have no idea. For all we know, it could be a really handsome colt who Sweetie Belle could end up befriendin’.” Applebloom replied as she began to screw a wooden board into place.

“Well, if that’s the case, it would be really cool! He’d provide us with his own take on getting a cutie mark, and he could help us with our own cutie marks!” Scootaloo exclaimed with excitement.

“Yeah! He’d be an ‘onorary member of this ‘ere club! And he’d be welcome to visit us anytime!” Applebloom chuckled happily. Scootaloo chuckled along too, but realized that they couldn’t get carried away since she realized something…

“Hey… something just hit me… What if Sweetie Belle were to meet up with a weird pony? You know, like the one we saw earlier today at Sugarcube Corner?” Scootaloo felt shivers up her spine at the thought.

“Well that type of dinner Sweetie Belle probably wouldn’t enjoy very much then. Ah can imagine it being torture for her!” Applebloom and Scootaloo paused, creating an awkward moment of silence before Applebloom broke it. “Well, let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that. If it came to that, Ah hope her weird “friend” doesn’t end up being part of our club.” Applebloom and Scootaloo nodded together.

“Yeah, that colt at Sugarcube might be nice, but he’s just weird. Can you imagine anypony reacting that badly to a simple brain freeze? It’s like he’s never drunk a chocolate milkshake before!” Scootaloo and Applebloom chuckled together.

“Yeah Ah don’t think he’d be much help, especially since he gave us a false alarm.” Applebloom replied. Scootaloo nodded in full agreement and the ponies got back to work, hoping that Sweetie Belle’s guests would be coolest and friendliest they’d ever meet…

Author's Note

Last chapter for this week! I'll get things set up for romance and conflict soon enough.

Glad to see lots of readers are enjoying my first even fimfic as well, so thank you all!

Chapter 5: Dreams by Sweetie and Button

Who knows the ever catchy song “I’ve Got a Dream!” from ‘Tangled’? Everypony’s got a dream, especially the leader of a civilization. For any leader, their greatest dream is to leave their name in history. Whether it’s to be part of founding their nation, expanding their territories, or creating a wonder that represents their glory, every leader wants to do something special for their nation. On the other hand, dreams can ruin ponies. Leaders have acted on dreams thinking they were visions from the celestial gods, only to fall to oblivion at the end. A dream is a wonderful thing to have, but one must not be deluded by them, for it can be a curse as well, a nightmare realized...

It was a long, eventful day for Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle had first enjoyed a long school day where she and her fellow Crusaders tried their hooves in art. Then she spent some time with the Crusaders after school before getting a new dress from Rarity. Her memorable day culminated to a dinner with a wacky colt who was cute with his mane was straightened out the way it was. Sweetie Belle reminisced on the day, happy to have made a new friend and happy to have continued her efforts toward a cutie mark.

Sweetie Belle slowly trotted into her room towards her ever comfy, quilted bed. The quilt’s design was filled with stars that signified the grandeur and peace of the night sky filled with the twinkling stars. Sweetie Belle slowly crawled into her bed, ready to have a good night sleep. Sweetie Belle sat up to look out into the night sky, filled with stars like her warm, smoothly textured quilt. Rarity trotted in alongside her and to her bedside, ready to tuck her in.

“The stars are certainly glimmering with the moon tonight aren’t they dear?” Rarity sat on the bed beside Sweetie Belle, she too marvelling at the wonders nature had to provide.

“Yeah… they shine so beautifully, particularly tonight.” Sweetie Belle pointed at two stars that particularly struck out to her. The two stars continued to move closer and closer until it became one larger start that shone brighter than the rest.

“Rarity… did you see those two stars? It looked like they became one and shone even more brightly…” Sweetie Belle yawned, having difficult expressing her surprise at the sight.

“Well Sweetie Belle… Before you were born and when I was a filly, I was told that if two stars were to align like so, that true love was near them, ready to shine brighter once their true love was found.” Sweetie Belle chuckled lightly, clearly worn out after today’s events.

“Oh Rarity… you’re just making that up aren’t you?” Rarity giggled lightly.

“Perhaps I am, but in any case, there are times when two ponies become one… united in love… their light shines above the rest and the two become inseparable.” Rarity paused briefly, trying her best to continue Sweetie Belle’s lull to sleep. “One is not slowed by the other. The two already shine brightly on their own, but when they’re together, they provide an even greater light that no one can turn away from. All they can do is marvel and be calmed by the glow of love and friendship that emanates their very souls.” Sweetie Belle turned her head away from the stars and nodded towards Rarity. Rarity paused again, noticing that Sweetie Belle looked more and more ready to sleep with her heavy eyelids and her slowed breathing.

“Today was a long day wasn’t it Sweetie Belle?” Rarity nuzzled on Sweetie Belle’s nose, to which Sweetie Belle responded with a light giggle.

“Yeah… Today was a long, but fun day. And I made a new friend too.” Sweetie Belle calmly chuckled.

“You certainly have dear.” Rarity softly replied. “Nevertheless, Button Mash certainly seems like the eccentric type doesn’t he?” Rarity smiled, recalling his penchant for video games from the dinner.

“Yeah… but he seems nice enough. He showed me his GameColt, and he was this amazing super hero who traveled the world to save the princess from the Changeling Queen and…” Sweetie Belle yawned. Rarity smiled at the tired, almost-sleeping beauty. Sweetie Belle was now fast asleep, her steady breathing seeing her off to a world uncharted and unexplored… and hopefully to a world of tranquil and reverie.

“Good night Sweetie Belle. Sweet dreams.” Rarity softly stroked her mane, helping Sweetie Belle breathe to a rhythm and help her soar to the night sky…

Button Mash trudged into his bed, energetic as always. His mother Love Tap always had trouble putting him to bed, but this night, Button Mash seemed more tired than usual, even if he was still a ball of energy. Button Mash placed himself underneath his galactic invader blanket, the one he could bring along with him to his new home. Button Mash sighed as his mother tucked him into bed.

“Mom… I miss dad.” Button Mash spoke with a heavy frown. Love Tap sighed as well, also in the middle of moving forward from losing her husband to disease.

“Me too Button Mash… Me too.” Love Tap replied as she sat on his bed. “Your father got this special blanket just for you for your 5th birthday… I see that you chose this blanket over all the others to bring with you to Ponyville first.” Button Mash nodded back to her.

“Yeah… It’s so I can remember him by. He loved Galactic Invaders a lot. We used to challenge each other to see who would shoot down the most space aliens…” Button Mash took out a deep breath as he snugged into his bed. He could still hear his father bantering with him and how he would always jump up and down happily every time he beat his dad at his best game.

“Yes… I still remember those days. It was always a struggle to get you both to the dinner table when I got dinner ready!” Button Mash and Love Tap laughed together as they both turned to the room’s only window above Button Mash. The mother and son looked out into the night sky, admiring the stars that gleamed far above Ponyville, as if they were saying their good nights to the two ponies.

“Mom… is dad up there right now?” Button Mash felt a tear leave his eye as he pointed to the stars. Love Tap too felt a tear leave her eye as she began to sniff.

“Yes Button Mash… he’s up there. His soul is at a better place now…” Love Tap sniffed alongside Button Mash, the two giving each other a warm, lasting hug. As soon as the two ponies let go, Love Tap sniffed once more.

“Well Button Mash, we spent much of the day moving to Ponyville. Tomorrow the rest of our stuff will arrive, so you have to use your strong plumber muscles to help me get the moving done!" Love Tap nuzzled Button Mash’s nose, to which he responded with a giggle.

“Aww mom! I hate it when you do that! That tickles! Hehehehe!” Button Mash protested lightly as Love Tap brought her head up.

“Alright Button Mash. Sweet dreams honey.” Love Tap slowly trotted out of the room and closed the door. Button Mash quickly dozed off to sleep as well, he too ready to fly into a magical world away from Equestria…

Sweetie Belle opened her eyes and gasped. Sweetie Belle looked up and saw the moon towering over her, giving her enough light to see all that was around her. She found herself sitting by a pristine lake, surrounded by large trees that towered over her. Farther ahead of her was a small stream that gave off soft ripples and gentle splashes soothing to Sweetie Belle’s ears.

“Woah… where… where am I…” Sweetie Belle trotted across the dirt mound that surrounded the brightly shining lake that reflected the moon’s bright, yet soothing light. All that she could see behind her was dense forest that she dare not explore… although she didn’t know where she was, she felt safe by the lake’s ripples and the soft splashes the water made as the river flowed into the lake.

The lake’s ripples were now making a tune… Sweetie Belle couldn’t make out the melody, but only the richness of the chords. Sweetie Belle gasped in awe, not only because the river was making music, but also because it was a piece that was never played or heard of in Equestria. The music was surreal… other-worldly… Sweetie Belle felt slowly trotted towards the mouth of the river, enthused and intrigued at how the river could make such a sound. As Sweetie Belle trotted closer to the river, she felt more and more drawn to its music, as if she didn’t want to turn away. Once she arrived at the river, Sweetie Belle sat on the dirt. She placed her hoof into the water, creating dissonant tones. Sweetie Belle quickly drew her hoof away from the river, not wanting to disturb its peaceful, serene playing. Once she drew her hoof away, she drew some deep breaths and lied down on the ground. She didn’t want to leave… there was peace and tranquility at the river, and she wanted to keep it that way…

But Sweetie Belle quickly got up soon after she found her relaxed by the river. She heard a scream all too familiar to her. The trees rustled and the sounds of the branches grew louder and louder with each passing second. The rustling of the trees and bushes became so loud that they drowned out whatever peaceful music the river was making. Sweetie Belle looked at the horizon to the trees to see whether she could make out the source of the sound to no avail, the darkness enveloping the forest beyond.

Sweetie Belle placed herself in a defensive stance, ready to propel any threat that was to come at her. Once the sound grew loud enough, Sweetie Belle was quickly tackled into the river by a mysterious figure. The river made an even louder dissonant sound than before, as if all the instruments banged together and played notes ad libitum! The mysterious figure continued to run after getting out of the river but was soon stopped after he tripped over a branch on the ground. The figure quickly began to cry out an all too familiar wail to Sweetie Belle.

“Wait… is that… Button Mash?!” Sweetie Belle gasped in shock. Sweetie Belle quickly jumped out of the water, forcing the river to create more dissonant sounds. Sweetie Belle, regardless of being wet all over, quickly ran over to the figure’s side and picked up the still crying mysterious figure. Sweetie Belle turned her head down to the pony’s hooves and noticed cuts all over, probably from all the branches he madly waded across in the forest. Not knowing what to do, Sweetie Belle quickly searched for any piece of cloth that would cover his wounds, but couldn’t find any… Sweetie Belle then trotted in front of the mysterious figure to see whether it was really was Button Mash… but once she turned her head, she saw a double head of Scootaloo and Applebloom on what was Button Mash’s body!

“Sweetie Belle! We don’t want you to be friends with this pony! Throw him away now or we’ll disown you!” The two-headed crusader monster then lashed out their heads towards Sweetie Belle, leaving her only to scream and cover her face with her hooves as protection…

Button Mash opened his eyes. He shook his head, only to see pitch black. He tried squinting his eyes, but all he could see was foliage. Button Mash tried his best to aimlessly wander around the foliage, only to bump into tree after tree. Button Mash felt his head beginning to throb as he bumped into tree branch after tree branch.

“Ow… where am I…” was all Button Mash could say to himself as he continued to wade around the forest. To make matters worse, Button Mash began to hear a low growl.

“Oh man, oh man, oh man! There’s something out there!” Button Mash began to run aimlessly around the forest, trying his best to get away from the growling sound he heard. But not matter how hard he tried, the growls grew louder and louder.

“Oh my gosh… What if the thing’s coming after me?! I have to get out of this forest!” Button Mash sprinted as fast as he could, now able to dodge every tree branch on the ground and attached to a tree. He skirted around the trees and latched onto vines in an effort to move as fast as he could. He then began screaming out of the top of his lungs,

“Somepony! Please! Help me! I don’t want to die! HELP!” Button Mash ran and jumped with all his might, but the growls continued to grow louder. To make matters worse, he could now hear a sickling sound…

“Button Mash… we’re all coming for you… just like how we did to your father…” Button Mash gasped as he suddenly stopped in place.

“Button Mash… there is no use running… just like how we consumed your dad… we shall consume you in the same way…” Button Mash’s teeth began to chatter and his whole body shivered in fright. The voices grew louder and louder, but they were strange to him. They sounded like the voices of fillies, but not of any filly he knew! Button Mash found that he couldn’t even move because his body continued to shiver… All he could do now was let out a huge scream for help…

Just before Sweetie Belle was going to get her head chopped off, the two-headed monster screamed in pain. Sweetie Belle pulled her eyes away from her hooves, only to see the monster lying unconscious on the ground. To her left was none other than Button Mash himself…

“B-B-Button Mash…” Sweetie Belle gasped, not sure of what to say…

“Sweetie Belle… My dear princess… Are you alright?” Dream Button Mash trotted to Sweetie Belle and gently patted her back. All Sweetie Belle could do was give out her tears and reply with stutters.

“Button Mash… You… I… The monster…” Dream Button Mash promptly interrupted Sweetie Belle, seeing that she was stunned.

“Sweetie Belle, you’re going to be ok now… the monster was just the product of your fears… I’m here now Sweetie Belle…” In an impulsive move, Sweetie Belle hugged Button Mash, sniffing out tears as the two ponies embraced each other in comfort and protection.

“Thank you Button Mash… you… saved me...” Sweetie Belle struggled to get the words out, but managed to show him her undying gratitude.

“Sweetie Belle… I’m just in your dream… I know you’re scared about me and how the Crusaders will think of me… but all that will be fine… Things will get worse before they get better, but the Crusaders will still be your friends at the end. Be yourself, and do whatever you feel is the right thing to do.” Dream Button Mash reassured Sweetie Belle as best as he could. As Sweetie Belle closed his eyes, Button Mash embraced her once again, helping her get the rest she needed as the river began playing its tranquil piece once again.

Button Mash cried out for help as the growls grew closer and closer. As he continued to cry out, the growls turned into whelps and then into silence… Button Mash looked around, wondering whether the growls would return… but they never did. Button Mash gave out a sigh of relief, but not before he was tackled to the ground.

“Ahhh!” Button Mash looked up from the ground and saw a familiar face…

“Well Button Mash! Looks like you’re lost!” The unicorn with the light-purple mane giggled.

“P-P-P-Princess?!!” Button Mash fainted just after seeing Sweetie Belle’s face, thinking that it was the princess from ‘Plumber Stallion 3’. “Isn’t it me who’s supposed to save you?!” Sweetie Belle gently slapped his face to try getting a hold of his rationality.

“Button Mash! Snap out of it!” Dream Sweetie Belle shook Button Mash’s face with her two hooves until he regained his composure. Button Mash shook his head, dizzy from the shaking. Sweetie Belle began to speak again, holding his head in frustration to grab his attention.

“Button Mash… this is just a dream… You feel lost without your dad and your old Manehattan home. You feel as though you’ve lost everything in your move…” Button Mash stopped shaking and nodded with a tear in his eye, realizing how right this princess was.

“Button Mash… you need to be strong. There’s so much to see in Ponyville… you’ll meet lots of amazing ponies and still enjoy your Gamecolt and your consoles! What you thought you missed in Ponyville… you’ll gain that and so much more if you give it a chance…” Sweetie Belle paused, taking off Button Mash’s characteristic beanie and stroking his ever smooth mane. Sweetie Belle let out a sound of relief as Button Mash gave her a perplexed stare. Sweetie Belle, upon noticing his stare, quickly stopped stroking his mane and regained her composure.

“Anyway… Button Mash, like I said, you’ll be fine. Plus, there will be a pony out there who will cherish you, and you may find her in Ponyville!” Sweetie Belle then pecked Button Mash on his cheek before she trotted away into the darkness. Button Mash merely laid on the ground, closed his eyes, and placed his hoof to where Sweetie Belle kissed him…

“The princess from ‘Plumber Stallion 3’ kissed me...” were the last words Button Mash uttered to himself as he dozed off to sleep in the now-peaceful forest…

The two ponies got up from their respective beds and gave out a loud yawn as they stretched their upper hooves. They turned to their windows to see the sun rising up to greet them to the start of another weekend. Once they looked around and saw they were back at their homes, the two ponies said to themselves before they started their weekends,

“That was some dream.”

Chapter 6: Think Ponies Complexly

Civilizations are complex things. You know, it reminds me of a quote from the novel ‘Paper Towns’. I knew a very close friend who loved John Green, and ‘Paper Towns’ the movie was recently released. I never read the novel, but my friend said a quote that struck me very hard: “Think people complexly.” The same can be applied for ponies and civilizations. Just imagine. None of us can truly know the inner machinations of a person’s mind, let alone a diplomat’s, a leader’s, and a civilization’s mind! So when you’re out there playing a history-based game, be very mindful of what the AI or the other player can do! Tread cautiously and express empathy!

This chapter is dedicated to my once close friend.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were back at Diamond’s mansion for their usual get together to officially start their weekend. The two fillies headed to the entertainment room where the virtual console lay untouched ever since the present was opened. Once the two fillies arrived at the room, they sat down at the large brown couch that faced the television and the console. As soon as the two fillies sat down, Diamond Tiara laughed, excited at how well things were proceeding with their new found ‘friend’.

“Oh Silver Spoon! Things have gone great with that Button Blank Flank so far!” Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara giggled together, albeit with slight unease for Silver Spoon. “Not only can I tell my cousin that I’ve been using the console, I can also say that I’m friends with her friend! Better yet, this video gamer will be the downfall of the lameos once and for all!” Diamond Tiara laughed again even louder with Silver Spoon laughing along with her.

When Silver Spoon first talked with Button Mash the afternoon before, she saw a genuinely kind pony, albeit quirky. Sure he was friends with Diamond Tiara’s really weird cousin, which was somewhat off-putting. But Button Mash seemed a different sort from her. As much of a good friend Diamond Tiara was with her class and flair, her haughty pride and apparent concern for only herself and ruining the Crusaders left her questioning Diamond Tiara’s character. She just never wanted to mention it to Diamond Tiara out of fear of being reprimanded. Hearing that Button Mash would come by to her mansion every few days was a welcome change for her, especially since she could probably watch Button Mash play on the virtual console. Plus, he seemed eccentric enough, which would hopefully make their conversations more entertaining.

Silver Spoon’s excitement at Button Mash coming over regularly to play with her overtook her, which resulted in her blurting out her desires too easily…

“Yeah! Plus, Button Mash will be coming over to our place more, so perhaps I can start talking with him a bit too! He certainly sounds like an interesting colt!” Silver Spoon giggled dreamily, but Diamond Tiara quickly changed her mood. Did Silver Spoon really state that she was interested in him?! Diamond Tiara shook her head in confusion. If Silver Spoon began to have feelings for Button Mash, then her whole plan would be ruined! She couldn’t possibly allow that to happen! But just to confirm her suspicions, Diamond Tiara decided to tease her a little bit.

“Silver Spoon… are you telling me you have feelings for a blank flank?!” Diamond Tiara giggled. “Don’t tell me you’re becoming interested in a pony without a cutie mark!” Diamond Tiara laughed again, but Silver Spoon pouted.

“No! I don’t have feelings for Button Mash! I’m… just interested in him that’s all!” Silver Spoon giggled sheepishly, struggling not to give out a light blush. Diamond Tiara quickly took notice of Silver Spoon’s gradually redder cheeks and chortled.
“Oh this is just too cute…” Diamond Tiara’s teasing quickly turned sour at the realization that Silver Spoon was already desiring to befriend Button Mash like this. This was going to ruin their plan! They needed to be the best of the bunch, not the lame blank flanks! She just couldn’t allow it! It was her only way to find any sort of peace in a town sorely lacking in class and flair!

“Silver Spoon! I can’t even understand why you’re interested in that blank flank! But that doesn’t matter! You can’t let those feelings get to you! It’ll get in the way of our plan!” Silver Spoon reluctantly nodded, not wanting to make Diamond Tiara cross. But she still wanted to befriend Button Mash whenever she got the chance… For now however, her desire for friendship with Button Mash would have to hold for now.

“Ok fine… Sides, we do need to start getting a hold of the other foals around here.” Silver Spoon sighed as she spoke. Diamond Tiara gave her a pat on the back on the large green couch.

“That’s the spirit! Don’t worry Silver Spoon. Once all this is over, it will all be worth it. Plus, Button Mash will still be with us without the blank flanks bothering us too!” Diamond Tiara grinned evilly. But it was too bad for Silver Spoon... her future group could not welcome blank flanks at all…

It was late morning for Sweetie Belle and the other Crusaders as they winded down on their first activity: animal care. All three fillies had agreed to help Fluttershy care for her pets in the morning, for Fluttershy needed to run some errands to provide for her critters. It was a tough morning to say the least. Angel was constantly complaining about not getting his furs properly brushed, the birds constantly chattered and squawked, which gave the Crusaders an earache, and the Crusaders had to spend the latter half of the morning cleaning up Fluttershy’s chicken pen. Needless to say, all three Crusaders were stinky and dirty by the end of the morning.

“Ugh… I can’t wait to have some lunch and clean ourselves up for the rest of the day.” Applebloom groaned first.

“Yeah… my hooves hurt from all the brushing and mopping I had to do throughout the house.” Scootaloo groaned along with Applebloom.

“Yeah… and I thought taking care of Opal while Rarity was gone was hard enough! The birds were so loud, and Angel kept complaining about our brushing job! It was his fault for not sitting still like we told him!” Sweetie Belle complained, leaving all the Crusaders to groan in unison as they trotted away to Fluttershy’s showers and cleaned themselves up.

The three showers were located to the right of the chicken pens within a small washroom. All three Crusaders took their respective places, closed the curtains, and began their showers. At the start of the shower, Applebloom immediately forgot the all-important question for Sweetie Belle:

“Sweetie Belle! I never asked! How was the dinner yesterday?!” Sweetie Belle jumped slightly in the shower, surprised that it took this long for Applebloom to ask the question. Well… it wasn’t too surprising since the crusaders immediately began their pet work as soon as they met up at Fluttershy’s house. Sweetie Belle replied anyway, but with hesitation, remembering that the foal she met was somepony who the crusaders thought was weird and eccentric at best.

“Ummm… it was a good dinner! Nothing too special happened!” Sweetie Belle replied, trying to hide as much of the details as possible. In her shower, Scootaloo chuckled as she began rubbing her mane with a fragrant head wash.
“Why are you so hesitant Sweetie Belle? What happened at the dinner? Did the foal you meet end up being really disappointing?!” Scootaloo asked, wondering why Sweetie Belle was acting so hesitant about the dinner. It was that moment that Sweetie Belle began to clam up.

“Ummm… not really… I mean, it was nothing special, and the foal was nothing special either!” The other crusaders merely shrugged. But Applebloom started pressing soon after she shrugged. She wanted to know about the foal and why Sweetie Belle was being so secretive!

“Sweetie Belle! Why are you being so secretive about the dinner?! You don’t have to worry about telling us about the dinner! We won’t judge or anythin’! We just wanna know how it went!” Applebloom tried to press Sweetie Belle as gently as she could, but Sweetie Belle refused to budge.

“I already said the foal was fine! He wasn’t anything special ok?!” Sweetie Belle shouted, realizing that the shower was growing louder as she finished her shower and turned the tap off. Sweetie Belle quickly cleaned and dried herself before she opened her curtain and trotted out of the shower all cleaned up. Applebloom was taken aback by Sweetie Belle’s snappy response, forcing her to pull back.

“Okay, okay! Geez, I was just askin’!” Applebloom shrugged as she too finished her shower and dried herself before opening her curtain and trotting out. Scootaloo followed closely behind, keeping quiet and noting Sweetie Belle’s clammy responses. But the matter was not spoken of after that moment, as the three crusaders exited the washroom.

Once the three fillies exited their places, Fluttershy flew back with all the goods for the Crusaders. Seeing that the fillies were all cleaned up just after completing their chores, Fluttershy landed and addressed all three Crusaders.

“Thank you very much for helping me this morning. If you want, I can offer you a lunch as a reward for helping me today! I’m sure the critters are very thankful for your efforts and would love to have you join us!” Fluttershy squeed happily, but the Crusaders quickly shook their heads and trotted away, leaving Fluttershy confused.

“Ummm… guys? Don’t you want a free lunch?” Fluttershy scratched her head before shrugging and trotting to the door. The Crusaders did a good job sure, but let’s just say that the critters really wanted Fluttershy back as soon as possible.

While Applebloom and Scootaloo were feeling relatively energized about the rest of the day, Sweetie Belle felt withdrawn from the rest of the group and tired from all the chores she had to do for the animals. As such, Sweetie Belle briefly asked,

“Hey guys… I kinda wanna go home and take a nap. You guys go on without me ok?” Applebloom and Scootaloo scratched her heads and gave a sigh. They wanted Sweetie Belle to come along for the rest of the day, but they were resigned; after all, she did look pretty grumpy the whole morning.

“Ok. We’ll let you have some rest. Get better soon ok?” Applebloom wrapped her hoof around Sweetie Belle’s back in hopes of comforting her. Sweetie Belle gave a small smile, thanking her friend. But Applebloom had one last question:

“Sweetie Belle… are you coming with us for more crusadin’ tomorrow?” Sweetie Belle looked back up to Applebloom with a shake of the head.

“Sorry Applebloom… I won’t make it tomorrow. I have other plans.” Sweetie Belle replied with a frown before she separated from the other crusaders and slowly trotted back to Carousel Boutique.

As Sweetie Belle trotted away towards Carousel Boutique, Applebloom and Scootaloo were left to scratch their heads. Whatever plans they had to crusade that way were immediately offset by their desire to know what was going on with Sweetie Belle.

“Scootaloo… what just happened there?” Applebloom asked with a very confused look. Scootaloo shrugged.

“I dunno… Sweetie Belle was also acting really strange when we first met up too. I just hope she’s alright.” Scootaloo cautiously replied. Applebloom began scratching her chin trying to come up with an explanation of some kind…

“Y’know… when we asked Sweetie Belle about her dinner last night, she clammed up! Remember how she said she’d tell us every detail about the dinner before it happened?!” Applebloom decisively asked Scootaloo. Now that she recalled what Sweetie Belle said the other day, Scootaloo nodded in affirmation.

“You’re right! Do you think something happened at the dinner then?” Scootaloo asked Applebloom as the two ponies continued trotting towards the Apple Family Farm for some lunch.

“I guess… there’s only one way to find out…” Applebloom shrugged. “We just have to wait ‘til Monday. Maybe by then, things will sort themselves out.” Scootaloo nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. Since she’s not coming along tomorrow, perhaps she just needs some alone time to forget about the dinner.” Scootaloo asserted. Applebloom nodded back again, but Scootaloo continued with a question.

“You know… that leaves me wondering… what’s Sweetie Belle doing tomorrow…?”

“Well we could sneak up on Rarity’s Carousel Boutique, but I doubt she’ll be there. Maybe she’s just busy with Rarity and sad about not hanging out with us tomorrow!” Applebloom and Scootaloo shrugged together.

“Yeah, I guess… still… something still doesn’t feel right about all this.” Scootaloo tried to pinpoint the cause of her doubt, but could only trace it to Sweetie Belle. Whatever was happening with Sweetie Belle would have to be found out later, since neither she nor Applebloom had any idea about Sweetie Belle’s dealings tomorrow.

“I know… but I don’t want to be snooping around Sweetie Belle, especially if she needs alone time. Sides, we already got in way too much trouble for sneaking around a lot. Plus, we’d be showing that we don’t trust Sweetie Belle if we snooped on her.” Applebloom replied and received a nod of agreement from Scootaloo.

“Yeah… I guess we’ll just have to leave it at that then. Hopefully Sweetie Belle will explain things to us sooner or later.” Scootaloo replied as Applebloom nodded.

“Yeah. Anyway, let’s head back to the farm! Applejack’s probably got some nice, ripe apples for lunch today!” Applebloom excitedly declared. Scootaloo licked her lips with her tongue. That, along with her tummy grumbling, signalled lunch time for the two fillies as they both giggled and trotted to the farm…

Sweetie Belle slowly trotted back to the Carousel, worry enveloping her. She made a new friend in Button Mash at the dinner, but the way Applebloom and Scootaloo treated the fellow blank flank made her worried. What if they didn’t approve of her friendship with Button Mash? What if they started making fun of her for liking such a weird pony? What if she was shunned for liking a colt like him? Sweetie Belle sighed, quickly remembering the first half of the dream she had. It scared the dickens out of her when the headless Button Mash became a two headed Crusader monster! What if Applebloom and Scootaloo did the same in reality?!

Sweetie Belle sighed again, slowly opening the door to the Carousel Boutique. Upon entering, Rarity noticed Sweetie Belle in a low mood, despite being hard at work with her latest dress quotas to meet. Rarity quickly tried to cheer her up by trotting to her and giving her a side pat.

“Sweetie Belle, is everything all right?” Rarity asked with a concerned look on her face. Sweetie Belle slowly lifted Rarity’s hoof away from her back, sighed, and trotted upstairs. Rarity scratched her head, wondering if something had happened in the morning which caused her to be so tired and gloomy. Still, Rarity knew that when Sweetie Belle acted gloomy like this, that she needed some time alone. Perhaps a few hours of alone time would do the trick. Rarity then told herself that she would speak to Sweetie Belle immediately after she finished her urgent dress orders from Manehattan…

Chapter 7: The Gamer, the Diamond, and the Spoon

You can only do so much in a single day. Such is certainly the case with turn-based games. Your units can only move so far in a single turn, and your cities can only build one unit or building at a time. Even after considering what you want to build, the amount of time required to build a unit or building will impact your decision on construction. Why wait for 15 turns to prepare a settler when you can use those same turns to produce two scouts or two workers? Everyone has the same amount of time to do as much as they can in a day. What differs a pony from another is how that time is used…

It was another bright morning in the town of Ponyville. Back at Button Mash’s house, the rest of his stuff from Manehattan was successfully moved to his place. His start to the weekend was a busy one. Button Mash started the day organizing where he would place his Ponystation and Ponycube Consoles in the room and how he would set up all the wiring. Then he had to help his mom and the movers place down their 40 inch screen television in the room before he neatly bundled all the wires and setup all his consoles. The rest of the day was then spent advancing his Super Plumber through the desert and into the cold North before his mother called him out to do some weekend shopping.

Today was going to be different though. Button Mash was all pooped out the last night, but now with a good night sleep, Button Mash was going to rise and shine and get his new day started. Button Mash excitedly trudged out of his bed just as the sun rose up to greet Button Mash. Putting on his propeller beanie hat, Button Mash trotted to his mirror, checking to see that his mane and admiring his own looks. Button Mash then called out to his mother Love Tap with a shout,

“MOM!!! I’M READY FOR SCHOOL!!!” Button Mash then heard a loud, irritated shout from his mother.

“It’s Sunday! Go back to bed!” Button Mash scratched his head and quickly checked the day with his room’s calendar that he hung by his door the day before. Having realized that today was indeed Sunday, Button Mash shouted back,

“Sorry!” Button Mash then trudged back to his bed, lying down on top of the quilt his father gave him for his birthday. As he lied down, he realized that today was the day he’d hang out with two sets of fillies. First, he was visiting Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara to play on their virtual reality machine for the morning. Sure he didn’t ask to come over, but he decided to do so anyway. After all, Diamond Tiara did say he was welcome anytime. Diamond Tiara was certainly a weird pony, but Silver Spoon seemed nicer, and the fact they had a virtual reality console was enough for him to be happy for the time being.

Then Button Mash realized that he was also going to hang out with Sweetie Belle in the afternoon. Remembering her brought up the weird dream he had on his first night at Ponyville. Why was Sweetie Belle in his dream? How did she know about his father’s passing? How did she know how he felt when he moved away from Manehattan? Not having understood the basis of dreams, all Button Mash could think about was how pretty she looked in his dream…

“Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara may be alright, but Sweetie Belle… she looked so much like the Princess who I’m trying to save in my Gamecolt game. She’s a pretty filly.” Button Mash spoke to himself as he tumbled along his bed. “I can’t wait to see her. I hope she likes the games I play and stuff. Yeah she got interested in my Gamecolt, but I hope it lasts.” Button Mash mulled. He quickly shook his head, having realized that there was still two hours to go before most ponies woke up for Sunday morning. Seeing as he didn’t want to lie down doing nothing for too long, he took out his Gamecolt and played ‘Plumber Stallion 3’ until his visit to Diamond Tiara’s…

“MOM! I’M HEADED OFF TO DIAMOND TIARA’S PLACE NOW!” Button Mash shouted from the door to his house. He had already eaten breakfast after playing Plumber Stallion 3 on his bed for a few hours. His mother, just completing the final touches to her home after completing the move, shouted back with affirmation.

“Alright Button Mash! Have fun with Diamond Tiara! Be back here by lunch!” Button Mash then trotted out the door and to Diamond Tiara’s home, excited to play on her virtual reality console…

Button Mash arrived once again at the large, towering mansion that was Diamond Tiara’s home. Button Mash stood outside its black metallic gates, quickly found the red doorbell and pressed it. Button Mash then waited for somepony to come out of the mansion to let him in.

A few minutes after he waited outside the gates, a rather prim-looking white stallion trotted out of the house and towards the gate. Upon arrival, the stallion looked down towards Button Mash with his eyebrows raised.

“Hmmm… you must be Button Mash correct?” The stallion asked rather impatiently.

“Ummm… yeah! I’m Button Mash! It was me who asked for free batteries the other day and befriended Diamond Tiara!” Button Mash paused. “Wait, are you the butler?” Button Mash asked, pointing his hoof at the white stallion. The stallion groaned.

“Yes I am. I shall go and get Diamond Tiara right away. You may come in with me.” The butler opened the gates for Button Mash, allowing him to trot into the house…

It was still early in the morning for Diamond Tiara, having just woken up from her sleep. Diamond Tiara quickly squinted her eyes and awoke herself, excited to see Silver Spoon at her place again. Diamond Tiara jumped out of her pink bed and trotted towards the mirror. Brushing her mane, Diamond Tiara took the time to admire her complexion before Silver Spoon was scheduled to arrive again for today.

“Oh Diamond Tiara. You’re looking pretty as always today!” Diamond Tiara giggled to herself, continuing her routine brushing to start her day. Diamond Tiara then moved to the topic of Button Mash, admiring her devious plan to finally get on top in Ponyville, at least with respect to the fillies and colts in town.

“You’ll be able to fly past those Cutie Losers once Button Smash joins our side for life. I still have to figure out what to do with him after we humiliate those losers, but that shall come in due time. Right now, we just need Button Mash here with us first… and away from the blank flanks!” Diamond Tiara exclaimed. Just as she finished brushing her mane to start off her day, she heard a knock on her door.

“Excuse Diamond Tiara! There is a “Button Mash” who wants to see you today,” the butler notified. Diamond Tiara giggled to herself.

“Alright! I’ll come out to meet him!” Diamond Tiara giggled devilishly to herself. Another chance to “know” Button Mash some more and draw him closer. Diamond Tiara trotted out of the door to her room, seeing that Button Mash was waiting for her.

“Well hello there Button Smash!” Diamond Tiara greeted with her hooves outstretched. Button Mash shook his head.

“It’s Button Mash. And hello!” Button Mash clarified and greeted back. All Button Mash could think about was the virtual reality console she had.

“So where’s the console?! I wanna start playing on it!” Button Mash jumped up and down in excitement, leaving Diamond Tiara to groan. He was such a pain to work with, but intuition left her believing that Button Mash still had much worth in forever humiliating her rivals.

“The console’s in the living room. Come with me dear Button.” Diamond Tiara waved her hoof signalling Button Mash. Button Mash trotted closely behind Diamond Tiara. During the walk, Button Mash noticed that Diamond Tiara always wore a tiara crown on her head. Upon close inspection, the crown looked plastic to him.

“Ummm… why do you always wear that plastic crown on top of your head Diamond Tiara?” Upon hearing what Button Mash asked her, Diamond Tiara immediately stopped trotting. Diamond Tiara felt a rush of anger through her face, but didn’t want to make herself look bad to her new friend. She slowly turned around, taking some deep breaths before pointing her hoof at her crown.

“Excuse me Button Mash, but first off, this is a tiara. This tiara was handed down to me from generation to generation, dating all the way back to the ponies before Equestria was founded! This crown is made of jewels, not plastic!” Diamond Tiara huffed.

“Now. Let’s continue to the game room, unless you want to keep blowing my fuse,” Diamond Tiara huffed again before she trotted onward with Button Mash.

The two ponies arrived at the large-sized entertainment room. Button Mash immediately turned his eyes towards the virtual reality console and ran to the headset that was placed on one of the wooden shelves to the right of the 90-inch TV screen. The headset was black along its helmet and red across the eyeset. Button Mash picked up the headset, blowing off the dust that collected on it. Button Mash placed the helmet on top of his head and noticed that everything around him was red.

“Oooh… Diamond Tiara… you’re looking really red today!” Button Mash waddled around the room, mesmerized by how much his world already changed with the headset on top of his head. Diamond Tiara awkwardly chuckled trying hard to conceal her annoyance. Suddenly, the butler arrived once again, unfazed by what he was seeing from Button Mash.

“Excuse me Diamond Tiara, but Silver Spoon is now here to see you.” Diamond Tiara breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps Silver Spoon would be more successful in befriending Button Mash to her ranks than she was.

“Button Mash! You go set yourself up with the virtual reality thingy, while I go down and welcome Silver Spoon!” Diamond Tiara quickly trotted out of the room and towards the gates, while Button Mash trotted towards the console and noted the label.

“Hmmm… It’s called the Ponyculus. Wow… I’ve never seen these in stores anywhere! How did Flare Volt manage to get this system?!” Button Mash was left in complete awe, left to scratch his head in ponderous thought. After some time of searching through the console, he finally found the power button at the console’s sides. He proceeded to turn on the system and then the TV with a nearby remote control.

Once he turned on the system, Button Mash searched for a game to try and encountered a game called “Pony Slasher”. Button Mash nodded, having found the game he wanted to try. He placed the game’s disc into the console’s disc slot and then stood back towards the couch. The Ponyculus logo was shown along with a gradually growing woosh sound that welcomed Button Mash to the world of virtual reality.

“Oohh…” Button Mash watched with excitement and awe as he finally got to try out this new system. Just as he was about to get past the main menu and enter the personalization settings, Silver Spoon entered the room.

“Oh hello Button Mash! What are you doing right now?” Silver Spoon asked inquisitively. She had never seen the Ponyculus being played on at all by Diamond Tiara. Button Mash began waving his hooves around and trotted in place to let his main character move forward and slash his virtual sword around.

“Oh hey Silver Spoon! I’m playing on this virtual reality system called the Ponyoculus! It’s so cool! It hasn’t even been sold in stores yet!” Button Mash continued flailing his hooves around, now using them to defeat his first set of enemies with his short sword.

“That looks really cool!” Silver Spoon trotted closer to Button Mash and giggled at how silly Button Mash looked with the large black helmet on his head. Silver Spoon trotted too close however as Button Mash accidentally pushed Silver Spoon to the ground as he continued his slashing. Button Mash immediately felt the contact he made with Silver Spoon, quickly paused the game, and took his helmet off. Silver Spoon lightly groaned as she slowly got up. Button Mash quickly turned to her side and helped her up. Silver Spoon blushed lightly, but was having too much trouble seeing to notice.

“Thanks Button Mash… can you help me find my glasses? It’s hard to see…” Silver Spoon slowly moved her hooves on the floor to feel for her glasses, but to no avail. Button Mash turned around with his body too and quickly found her glasses to the left of the TV. Button Mash grabbed the glasses and quickly returned them to Silver Spoon, gently placing them on her hooves.

Silver Spoon placed her glasses back on. Even though her vision was restored, Silver Spoon began to feel flustered around Button Mash.

“Ummm… t-thanks… Button Mash,” Silver Spoon shuffled her hooves around. “I’ve… never really had a stallion helping me like that before…” Silver Spoon sheepishly chuckled. Button Mash scratched his head and chuckled along with her.

“Oh it was nothing Silver Spoon.” Button Mash paused briefly. “But… where’s Diamond Tiara?” Button Mash scratched his mane in confusion. He thought she wanted to see him play on the virtual console.

Just then, Diamond Tiara trotted back into the room.

“Oh hey Silver Spoon and Button Mash! Sorry it took me so long to get back! Anyway, I hope you two are having fun!” Diamond Tiara tried to give out as big a smile as she could. This situation was quickly becoming intolerable. “Hey Silver Spoon! Didn’t you want to talk more about the latest fashion trends?” Diamond Tiara asked Silver Spoon in hopes of not having her being too close to Button Mash.

“Well… actually… I wanted to hang out with Button Mash for a bit. We’ll talk fashion afterwards ok?” Button Mash nodded as well.

“Yeah! You can come play with us too Diamond Tiara! It’s so cool! I get to slash ponies with this thing!” Diamond Tiara sheepishly chuckled. She and video games were simply inconceivable in her eyes.

“Ummm… actually… I think I have some homework I have to do! I’ll talk to you later ok?” Diamond Tiara quickly trotted away to her room, leaving Button Mash and Silver Spoon to shrug.

“Is Diamond Tiara always like this Silver Spoon?” Button Mash questioned.

“Yeah… She’ll warm up over time. She and I like fashion stuff and the latest trends a lot. That being said though, you’re the first interesting pony I’ve met in a long time!” Silver Spoon smiled back with a giggle. Button Mash was certainly looking very attractive to her… and very mature as well for his age, despite his quirkiness.

“Oh neato! Anyway, I’m just starting to get a feel for this system, you can try it with me!” Button Mash offered to Silver Spoon. Silver Spoon giggled. She wasn’t used to high tech gizmos and games, but what Button Mash was doing seemed to be a lot of fun.

“Ummm… sure! I’ll give it a shot! Even if it does look... unique!” Silver Spoon didn’t want to just sit around doing nothing either, and Button Mash seemed like a very nice pony. She’d have to think about what she was doing exactly later as Button Mash introduced her to the world of virtual reality…

Before Silver Spoon and Button Mash knew it, the morning had gone by far too quickly. Button Mash quickly checked the time on a clock that was hung above the television. Button Mash gasped quickly as Silver Spoon was still in the middle of slashing mercenary ponies working for an enemy mafia leader.

“Oh my gosh! Silver Spoon, I’m really sorry for leaving you like this, but I’m almost late for lunch with my mom!” Silver Spoon immediately paused the game, took her helmet off, and addressed Button Mash.

“Awww… I was just in Las Pegasus doing a side mission!” Silver Spoon paused. “But if you have to go, I hope you come back soon. This game’s so much fun!” Button Mash nodded.

“I’ll be back before you know it!” Button Mash cheerily smiled as he waved goodbye to Silver Spoon. “See ya later Silver Spoon! Tell Diamond Tiara I said hi too!” Button Mash trotted away.

“Goodbye Button Mash! Come back soon!” Silver Spoon gave him a bright farewell as Button Mash trotted out the door.

“Oh this was such a great start to today! Button Mash is a really cool foal, even if he can be weird at times! And especially even if he’s a blank flank!” Silver Spoon smiled happily as she trotted up to Diamond Tiara’s room. Once she arrived at Diamond Tiara’s room, she gently knocked on her door. Immediately the door was opened.

“Oh hello Silver Spoon! How was your date with Button Mash?!” Diamond Tiara tried her best to cover her fury, but her angry face said it all.

“What’s up with you Diamond Tiara? I’m doing as you said! I’m befriending him!” Silver Spoon shrugged. She knew she had to follow along with Diamond’s plan, even if it didn’t seem right. Diamond Tiara quickly took a few breaths and began to calm herself.

“Well… you didn’t have to snub me like that to do it!” Diamond Tiara pouted. Silver Spoon sighed.

“Well I’m sorry about that! I didn’t mean it that way,” Silver Spoon replied. “Anyway, let’s just put this behind us and get to talking about fashion ok?” Diamond Tiara sighed again. Her ‘plan’ wasn’t going to go well if Silver Spoon became too attached with Button Mash, but she had a point.

“Ok then. All is forgiven.” Diamond Tiara shook her flank with Silver Spoon as a sign of their friendship. But Diamond Tiara couldn’t help but remind Silver Spoon,

“But don’t fall in love with Button Mash!” Flustered, Silver Spoon retorted back,

“I’m not in love with him!” Realizing how loud she shouted, Silver Spoon closed her mouth and let out a blush. Diamond Tiara giggled again.

“You’re just too cute. I can tell you like him already. Perfect for the both of us.” Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon chuckled before they re-entered Diamond Tiara’s room to discuss the latest trends of socialites and the elite.

Chapter 8: Beauty and the Gamer

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Interlude 1: Crusading Before Monday

Author's Note

I know this interlude's a bit short, but I wanted to show you all that I'm still updating!

Interlude 1: Crusading Before Monday

Now that we’ve caught up with Belle and the Gamer, we shall now complete the rest of the end-turn phase for the first weekend of Mash’s life in Ponyville. We’ll be getting to Ponyville Schoolhouse soon enough, but not before we take a look into what the other Crusaders have to say!

It was another bright Sunday for the town of Ponyville, the perfect day for more Crusading! And Crusading was what Applebloom and Scootaloo did while Sweetie Belle was preoccupied with other matters not known to them. Much of the day was spent on the Crusaders taking small steps towards learning new skills that Twilight taught them.

For Applebloom, she managed to trudge on with her construction work, preparing a small bird house with only some wooden planks, metal nails, and a hammer. The birdhouse looked somewhat crooked, without any holes or stands for the birds to stop by and eat whatever food was eventually going to enter the birdhouse. Applebloom knew that it would still be a while before her birdhouse would be complete, but she was certainly making progress!

As for Scootaloo, she was practicing her scooter skills outside the Crusaders clubhouse. Applebloom could hear the orange filly give out shouts of joy and thrill as she put her effort in learning new stunts for their next meeting with Twilight Sparkle. Applebloom, having completed as much of the birdhouse as she could for the day, called out to Scootaloo,

“Scootaloo! Come back to the treehouse! Ah wanna show you my birdhouse!” Applebloom waved hooves towards her fellow Crusader. Scootaloo placed her hooves on the ground to stop her scooter, jumped off her scooter, and climbed back up to the treehouse.

Scootaloo took a good look at Applebloom’s birdhouse and smiled. The birdhouse may have still been a work in progress, but Applebloom had a lot of headway towards completing her first construction project.

“Wow Applebloom! You’ve gotten the foundations all ready, aside from some tidying up,” Scootaloo complimented.

“Thanks Scootaloo! I’ve been spending most of the day trying to get the birdhouse’s foundations set up!” thanked the southern filly. It was then that Applebloom decided to ask Scootaloo about her stunts,

“So Scootaloo, how’s things been with yer scooter?”

“It’s been alright. I’m struggling to get a trick down. I’m trying to twirl my scooter around while I’m up in the air,” Scootaloo explained, as Applebloom suddenly recalled something that Scootaloo told her earlier,

“Hey… now that reminds me… didn’t you register for the F-games in Manehattan?”

“Yeah! The F-games, aka the Foal games, is a place where foals like me can show off my extreme stunts! I’ve already prepared a few tricks, but I’m still a ways to go before I’m ready to go! It was Twilight who suggested that I try out for the games!” explained the orange Pegasus.

Scootaloo then reached into her saddlebag, grabbing a colourful poster filled with young ponies riding on rollerblades, scooters, and even flying pegasi! Applebloom was immediately enthused by the poster’s strong, colourful design, and excited for her fellow Crusader!

“Scootaloo! This could be the place where you get yer cutie mark! Yer great with scooters, and I can definitely see you be a part of some really cool stunt group someday!” Applebloom patted Scootaloo on her back, excited at the opportunity that was posed to her!

“Yep! I’m so excited for this competition! It’s two months away, so I have to get all these tricks right as soon as possible! There’s a stunt park just outside Ponyville where I can practice, so I’m gonna head over there as soon as I come up with new tricks here!” Scootaloo replied, pointing out of the treehouse’s opening and towards the sloped rock that acted as a makeshift ramp.

“Why would you not want to just practice at the skate park?” Applebloom scratched her head. “It’s safer and you have more places to try,” continued the yellow filly.

“Well, I don’t want to show the others how I’m learning my new tricks! Plus, I don’t want to look stupid in front of the more experienced skaters who are probably gonna compete at the F-games against me,” Scootaloo shuffled her hooves, giving a light frown to Applebloom. Applebloom patted Scootaloo once more with a reassuring smile.

“Scootaloo. If you work yer hardest and compete at yer best in Manehattan, no pony will stop you, not even those snobby foals who think they’re better just because they have more experience,” supported Applebloom. Although it didn’t do much to boost her confidence, Scootaloo gave a weak smile.

“Thanks Applebloom. I’m glad you’re my friend,” replied the sniffling Scootaloo as the two Crusaders exchanged a warm hug. After the hug, Scootaloo had the sudden urge to change topics! All this time, Sweetie Belle was away at her home for reasons unknown to them. She didn’t think it worthwhile to check on her now, especially as the sun began to set. But she couldn’t help but ponder about her absent friend.

“So Applebloom… what do you think Sweetie Belle’s up to now? She looked really down when she left us yesterday,” Scootaloo asked, hoping that Applebloom had an idea.

“Well… Like we said before, it’s gotta be related to the dinner! Ever since that dinner the other night, Sweetie Belle’s been acting really sad!” Applebloom exclaimed in reply.

“You’re right about that one. You know, I think we were right in guessing that the weird colt who suffered that brain freeze was her guest,” guessed Scootaloo.

“I think so too, but if she thought he was weird, why didn’t she just say so?” Applebloom questioned, scratching her head in confusion.

“Well… we were teasing him in front of her when we talked with her yesterday,” Scootaloo shrugged. “Maybe Sweetie Belle didn’t appreciate the teasing,” Scootaloo continued.

“But why wouldn’t Sweetie Belle tell us about it?” inquired Applebloom, trying to understand her friend’s plight.

“Like I said Applebloom, we both teased him without even meeting him face to face. What if Sweetie Belle likes him?” Scootaloo scratched her head, raising a possibility to her confused friend. Both fillies trotted in circles inside the Crusader treehouse.

“You know… that’s entirely possible. Sweetie Belle never really made fun of him, even after he had that weird brain freeze,” Applebloom recalled.

“Yeah… I guess it’s strange that Sweetie Belle would like him after just an outing or two, but we never really met him face to face,” nodded Scootaloo in agreement.

“That’s true… I guess I should apologize to Sweetie Belle for making fun of him too,” Applebloom suggested.

“Yeah… I should probably do that too. We kinda judged him by his cover without really letting him show his true colours,” Scootaloo sighed in guilt.

“Yeah. I remember how Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon humiliated us before we became the Cutie Mark Crusaders. We felt so alone, like no pony ever gave us a chance to show that us blank flanks have a lot to offer!” remembered Applebloom, she too feeling the guilt. “I guess I got carried away with seeing a colt I never met before and judged him by his cover,” continued the filly with her red-bow.

“Yeah… I did that too. We’re both guilty of wrong-doing, and it probably hurt Sweetie Belle a lot,” added the Pegasus.

“You know, let’s apologize to her tomorrow. And invite him to our group, even if he has a cutie mark. We’ll make our honorary member!” Applebloom exclaimed with a jump.

“Sure! Maybe he’ll be a new student in Miss Cheerilee’s class! We can introduce ourselves to him and welcome him then!” Scootaloo excitedly jumped along.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders greeters go!” The two fillies proudly professed before laughing their hearts out.

“I sure hope Sweetie Belle understands too. We never meant to hurt her! He just seemed so different at first sight, that’s all!” Scootaloo heartily chuckled.

“Yeah! Especially with that propeller hat of his! Looking back, it looks kinda cool! Wacky, but cool!” said a gleeful Applebloom. The two fillies then headed out of the treehouse, said their goodbyes, and headed their separate ways, ending their weekends on a high note before a Monday that would be like none other.

Interlude 1: Jumping into Monday

We are currently continuing our first end turn phase. Today, we’ll take a quick look at how Button Mash and Sweetie Belle are doing after their meet up. Don’t worry; we’ll get to Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara soon enough.

Sweetie Belle was back in bed once more after another eventful day. This time, Sweetie Belle managed to strengthen her friendship with Button Mash by playing a game of pretend! As swordspony and archer, the daring duo went on their first adventure together: defeating the changelings that lurked right on their front door in Canterlot! Even long after their dinner was finished, Sweetie Belle was still playing on as archer in her bedroom!

“Sweetie Belle!” What is this racket you’re causing?!” Rarity peered into Sweetie Belle’s room, even as the night progressed.

“Oh hey Rarity!” Sweetie Belle jumped once on her bedroom. “I’m just having fun performing some aerial kills on the oncoming changelings!” exclaimed the filly, jumping a second time on her bed. “While we were still playing, Prince Mash told me to keep on practicing before our next excursion!” Sweetie Belle now leapt from her bed and into the ground with a thud. Rarity ran quickly to the fallen filly, gently tending to her.

“Sweetie Belle! You’ve got to be more careful than that! While I enjoy you continuing your games with your new friend, I don’t want you getting hurt in the process!” beseeched Sweetie’s worried sister. Sweetie Belle gently arose from the floor and snuggled Rarity.

“I’ll be fine Rarity! I’m just having so much fun playing pretend!” reassured Sweetie Belle, while Rarity shook her head, slightly frustrated that Sweetie Belle hadn’t prepared herself for bed yet.

“Well you’ll need to get to bed soon dear! Tomorrow’s another day of school, and I don’t want you looking tired in front of your friends, Button Mash included!” winked Rarity. Sweetie Belle blushed, surprised that Button Mash was entering school so soon!

“Wait, Button Mash is coming to our school tomorrow?!” asked a flustered Sweetie Belle.

“Why yes, darling! His admission to the school was already accepted before he moved to Ponyville! He’ll be in your class!” Sweetie Belle paused, her face growing redder and redder by the minute. Applebloom and Scootaloo were bound to know about her friendship with Button Mash! What if they didn’t approve of their friendship? Worse off, what if they kept teasing her?!

“Sweetie Belle… don’t you think it’s wonderful that your new friend’s in your class? I also noticed that he’s a blank flank, so he’d be a great addition to the Crusaders club!” opined the elder sister. But after she finished asking, Sweetie Belle shuffled her hooves and nervously chuckled.

“Ooooh!!” Rarity quickly tip-toed in place. “I think my little sister is growing up! She’s falling in love!” Rarity jokingly teased.

“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, her face now a full red. “We’re not like that this quickly!” Sweetie Belle scrunched her face, embarrassed at this sudden development.

“This quickly?! So you two already have plans to enter a relationship in the future?!” replied a playful Rarity.

“No! We haven’t even talked about such a thing!” Sweetie Belle pouted, growing increasingly annoyed at Rarity’s playfulness.

“Oh sorry darling. It’s just that I used to be like you when I was a filly. Now there was this really dashing colt I fell in love with a while back. It’s too bad he was such a snob, for it belied his good looks!” Rarity recalled. Sweetie Belle giggled in reply, but quickly realized that Rarity was still teasing her.

“Rarity! I’m not falling in love!” stammered an embarrassed Sweetie Belle. “It’s just… he’s a really nice… and cute… colt,” Sweetie Belle meekly continued. Rarity gleefully giggled.

“Oh Sweetie Belle… now, you’ve got to be getting to sleep dear! It’s getting quite late!” Rarity declared.

“But I’m not that tired yet! And I haven’t finished my side quest yet!” Sweetie Belle whined, giving puppy dog face. But Rarity was determined to get her sleeping.

“Sweetie Belle… I’m being serious. You’ve had enough fun for today, and you can’t be groggy for school!” Rarity indicated.

“Oh fine… I’ll get to sleep,” Sweetie Belle was resigned, soon yawning as she tidied her bed and lay upon it. Rarity trotted to Sweetie Belle’s side and kissed her forehead.

“Good night darling. You can play more games with Button Mash and the Crusaders tomorrow ok?” Rarity affirmed. Sweetie Belle nodded before asking one last question,

“Rarity… how are your dresses coming along?” Rarity smiled back to her thoughtful sister.

“They’re almost finished, and just in time too. I’ve got to bring these newly designed dresses to Sapphire Shores tomorrow. I’ll be leaving for Manehattan early tomorrow, so I won’t be back until later tomorrow evening,” Rarity explained. Sweetie Belle understood, slowly dozing off to sleep as the two sisters exchanged their good nights to end their eventful weekend.

“Mom, I had the best day ever in Ponyville!” Button Mash jumped up and down his Pony Invaders bed, retelling his day’s events to Love Tap.

“I can tell dear! Now, how was your visit to the Carousel Boutique? I hope you weren’t just playing on your Gamecolt all day!” Button Mash’s mother replied with an expectant look on her face.

“Oh no! Sweetie Belle and I played pretend too! I was a swordspony, and she was my archer sidekick. I made all the direct attacks, while Sweetie Belle shot the arrows from atop tree ledges and under the bushes!” the brown colt recalled.

“Sounds like you two had a lot of fun then!” Love Tap remarked with a pleased smile. “You remind me of dad when he met me,” Love Tap continued, as Button Mash frowned slightly.

“Really?” questioned a confused Button Mash. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Button Mash again inquired.

“Well you see, when we first met at high school, he used to love playing pretend too! He’d wear this grey cloak and have a walking stick which also acted as a magic wand through which he could perform his spells!” Love Tap giggled before giving a sigh. Button Mash too sighed in response, missing his dad once again.

“When I see you dear, I’m reminded of your father. He too was an imaginative pony like you, and was very much into gaming. He eventually became a game developer, and I followed along when we got married over a decade ago, even if I was just a humble wedding planner,” continued the buffy coloured mare, while Button Mash felt his eyes tear up.

“Mommy… I miss Daddy…” Button Mash cried. His mother held on tightly to him as they exchanged a long hug.

“I miss him too dear. And that’s why I wanted you to be happy in Ponyville. To make new friends and to start anew. We ponies are social creatures. We can never do much of anything without others to help us. At the same time, those same ponies may need our help in some way,” Love Tap reassured.

“Yeah… like Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon…” Button Mash answered.

“Silver Spoon? You made another friend already darling? I’m so proud of you!” Love Tap happily smiled.

“Yeah! I get the sense that the Diamond Tiara filly I told you about isn’t as nice as her friend Silver Spoon. I mean, I get to play on her prototype Ponyculus, which is this really cool virtual reality console! But I definitely feel more comfortable with Silver Spoon than her,” Button Mash explained.

“Well in any case, I’m glad you’re really settling into Ponyville now,” rejoiced the mother. “Anyway, you need to get to sleep now darling,” Love Tap commanded, but Button Mash had other plans.

“But mom! I’m just about to finish this secret level from Plumber Stallion 3!” Button Mash complained.

“No buts Button! I want you wide awake by tomorrow! Now, give me your Gamecolt for tonight or else you won’t get it back for a week,” Love Tap promoted Button Mash, stretching her hoof towards her son. Button Mash mumbled some less than savoury things before handing his Gamecolt to her for the night.

“Now Button Mash, I hope you have a good sleep! I expect you up bright and early for school like you were this morning!” Love Tap commanded. Button Mash nodded before she trotted out of his room with a good night. Button Mash was soon fast asleep, his mind filled with happy dreams as the night progressed…

Interlude 1: Sunday Night Flying

Author's Note

Here. You'll need this song for this chapter:

Interlude 1: Sunday Night Flying

We are now approaching the end of the first end-turn phase for the game… I mean story of Button Mash’s beginnings in Ponyville. We shall now head over the illustrious mansion that belongs to Filthy Rich and family. Here we will see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon at work and play before heading to Silver Spoon...

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon spent much of the afternoon completing their latest school assignments. The two fillies finished their multiplication tables and memorized the formulas for calculating the volumes of geometric shapes for their quiz on Tuesday. While much work was done, Diamond Tiara complained of it all,

“Sometimes I wonder why I bother going through all this lame math homework!” Silver Spoon tilted her head up from her math textbook.

“Well your dad certainly finds math useful for a lot of his work right?” Silver Spoon calmly asked. It was normal for her friend to frequently complain about her homework, but she couldn’t help but be surprised at her current complaints. After all, her father computed a lot of his finances with an abacus instead of a calculator!

“Well, my dad works primarily with money, not on things like cylinders and cones!” lashed Diamond Tiara. Even if her father’s work was related to construction and engineering, he was primarily focused on investment, not in the actual construction!

“But Diamond, your dad still has to work with multiplication regularly!” Silver Spoon retorted. “Math is useful, so look ahead instead of just the now. You don’t want to suffer from tunnel vision and realize you needed the math all along,” the grey mare continued.

“Well… you’ve got a point,” Diamond Tiara reluctantly consented. “After all, my dad does want me to take over his business someday,” she continued.

“See? Look at things in the bright side! Not everything has to be so negative!” Silver Spoon cutely smiled.

“Thanks. I’m so glad you’re my friend,” Diamond Tiara affirmed. Silver Spoon wasn’t used to seeing this side of Diamond Tiara, but whenever it came out, she made sure to cherish every moment of it.

“I’m glad you’re my friend too. After all, there’s a lot of colts and fillies who have terrible tastes!” Silver Spoon giggled.

“Exactly! I mean, did you see Truffle Shuffle the other day?! That green fez on him is simply vomitrocious!” Diamond Tiara stuck her tongue out in disgust.

“I know! The fez isn’t bad, but he could have worn one that matches his colour!” Silver Spoon laughed back.

“No wonder the rest of Equestria frowns upon Ponyville! I mean, why would Rarity and my parents even bother staying here?! This place is a dump!” declared Diamond Tiara.

“Well, I can agree with you there for the most part! But…” Silver Spoon stuttered.

“What’s the matter Silver Spoon? You don’t think Ponyville’s a dump?” Diamond Tiara interrogated. Her eyes squinted as she gave a deathly stare.

“Well, no! But lately, Ponyville’s been improving! Like you said, we have Rarity, your dad, and more recently-” Silver Spoon tried to explain.

“Recently?! Silver Spoon, did Button Mash make you drink a love potion while you two were together?! What’s up with you?!” Diamond Tiara waved her hoof over her friend’s face.

“No! He didn’t do anything of the sort!” Silver Spoon sheepishly declared, her blush beginning to grow a bright red.

“Then why the sudden change of attitude?!” Diamond Tiara flailed her hooves in an uproar.

“Well, there’s still nice ponies out there, namely Button Mash!” chuckled Silver Spoon. Diamond Tiara shook her head.

“Yep. You’re in love with the colt,” Diamond Tiara replied disapprovingly. Silver Spoon crossed her hooves,

“No I’m not. I just like what I’m seeing from him.”

“Say what you will Silver Spoon, but you’re making it really obvious,” Diamond Tiara chuckled. “While we’re still in the topic though, what do we do with Button Mash’s blank flank?” the pink filly asked.

“Hmmm… I know the Crusaders are blank flanks, but like you said, we can just have him join our ranks as a special pony. I like the sounds of that,” Silver Spoon blinked her eyes a few times in quick succession.

“You’re clearly head over hooves over that colt,” grunted Diamond Tiara. “You’re probably going to see him tomorrow, since he’ll probably start school tomorrow!” the pink filly continued.

“Yeah! I certainly can’t wait to see him tomorrow…” Silver Spoon sighed happily. “He’s such a handsome colt… can we make an exception for him Diamond Tiara?” Diamond Tiara growled in place. This really wasn’t going to help her beef up her ego in any way.

“Alright fine, you lovebird,” scowled the irritated Diamond Tiara.

“Thanks… Anyway, I’m gonna head home now. My parents will probably want me back before dinner. Goodbye Ms. Tiara…” Silver Spoon lightly jumped through the door and headed towards the exit.

“Great. Not only is my new friend a blank flank, but now Silver Spoon thinks she can fly away with him into paradise!” Diamond Tiara angrily scowled and slammed the door in frustration.

Silver Spoon snugged herself into her bed. This day was one of the best she ever had in her life. The high point for her was her encounter with Button Mash in the morning. She had so much fun playing on the Ponyculus with Button Mash that she mused about all the video games she could play with him!

“Let’s see… I guess we can start by playing some more sword slashing games! Then I could find some life style games to play with him! That reminds me, there’s a game I remember seeing a while back called The Ponies! Maybe I could make my own character and have her fall in love with a video-gaming stallion!” imagined the dreamy filly. Her mind was so focused on the handsome, manly stallion that she didn’t notice her bedroom door opening!

Silver Spoon jumped up from her bed in shock! The grey filly breathed a deep sigh of relief upon seeing the silhouette that emerged. It was only her mother!

“Hello Silver Spoon! Did you have a good day today darling?” Her mother asked.

“Yeah I did! I hung out with Diamond Tiara today, and I managed to spend some alone time with that handsome colt…” Silver Spoon gleefully recalled, before she squirmed on her bed.

“Mom… is it alright if I like a pony who isn’t rich?” Silver Spoon whispered.

“Sure it is dear! Especially if the pony’s a sweet colt!” chuckled her gleeful mother. Silver Spoon giggled and replied,

“The handsome colt’s a pony who just moved to Ponyville on Friday! His name’s Button Mash!”

“Well that’s quite the name! You can tell me more about him tomorrow darling! But for now, you’ve got to get yourself to sleep! You’ve got a long day tomorrow!” reminded Silver’s mother before continuing,

“Good night Silver Spoon! Make sure you’re bright up and early dear!” Silver Spoon’s mother kissed her lovely daughter good night.

“Thanks mom! I love you!” Silver Spoon happily hugged back.

“I love you too dear. You’ve got a whole world of dreams awaiting for you tonight. I won’t keep you waiting. Sweet dreams!” Silver Spoon’s mother gently caressed her mane and trotted out of the room, gently closing her bedroom door. Silver Spoon took off her glasses, placed them on top of the wooden side table beside her bed, and snuggled in her bed, dozing off to sleep.

While Silver Spoon was fast asleep, her room’s window was slowly opened. A brown colt slowly crawled into the grey filly’s bedroom. The colt then sat by Silver Spoon’s bedside. The grey filly tumbled on her bed before thudding on the colt’s body. Silver Spoon jumped up in fright and screamed out! The grey filly bumped on her sidetable, dropping her glasses to the ground. The brown colt also jumped up out of her bed and thudded on the floor!

The brown colt immediately brushed the dust off his body before he approached the disoriented filly. He then wrapped his hoof around her body, but just as he placed his hoof on his body, Silver Spoon let out a gasp of fright!

“Shhhh!! Don’t worry Silver Spoon! It’s only me! Button Mash!” The brown colt calmly introduced himself.

“But… but… how are you here?! How do you know where I live?!” Silver Spoon questioned, still wandering aimlessly.

“Shh… I’ll go find your glasses. You just stand where you are,” Button Mash calmly motioned. He slowly turned towards the side table, ducked down and picked up her glasses. The young colt then trotted back to Silver Spoon’s side, placing her glasses on her hooves. Silver Spoon frantically put on her glasses and rubbed her drowsy eyes.

“There! You look a lot better with your glasses on!” Button Mash chuckled.

“Why thank you Button Mash!” Silver Spoon sheepishly replied, her cheeks becoming red in embarrassment. But then she realized that Button Mash was still inside her bedroom!

“But what are you doing here?!” asked the flustered filly!

“Well, I’m going to teach you how to fly!” Button Mash gleefully laughed.

“Fly?! How can anypony possibly fly?! I’m an Earth pony!” protested the grey filly.

“You just need to believe Sylvie!” Button Mash laughed again. “Now! Think of a thought! A merry little thought!” instructed the colt. As Button Mash spoke, Silver Spoon realized that he was growing more and more enchanting with each passing word!

“Come! Hold my hooves and I’ll show you! Just think of a wonderful little thought! You don’t even have to tell me!” Button Mash extended his hoof. After a few moments of ponderous deliberation, Silver Spoon placed her hoof, thinking about all the bright decorations hung across Canterlot’s buildings on Hearth’s Warming Eve!

As soon as she placed her hoof on his, Button Mash eagerly laughed.

“Now we’re off!” cried the brown colt as the two foals levitated into the sky! Silver Spoon looked around her room, noticing that her hooves were off the ground!

“Wait… I’m… I’m flying! I can fly!!” Silver Spoon blurted out!

“Yes! You can fly! Now let’s go!!” Button Mash declared as the two foals went out into Ponyville through the open window!

As the two foals soared above the clouds, Silver Spoon looked down and pointed at all the landmarks she could see!

“That’s Ponyville’s Town Square! And I know that roof from anywhere! That’s Carousel Boutique!” the flying filly remarked with awe! As she made the remark, she could hear a chorus of singers that were declaring,

“You can fly, you can fly, you can fly!” Button Mash also cheered along before he turned his head to Silver Spoon and asked,

“From up here, you can see just how beautiful Ponyville is can’t you?!” Silver Spoon nodded happily as the two fillies continued to fly across Ponyville…

Silver Spoon tumbled around her bed as the sun began to rise and the rooster began to crow. Silver Spoon awoke with a loud yawn and stretched her hooves. Looking around, she immediately noticed that the window that was opened was closed, and that nothing was tampered with at all! Plus, her glasses were still lying on top of her wooden side table!

“Wow… all that… was it really a dream?!” Silver Spoon asked herself in confusion. Regardless of the answer, Silver Spoon chuckled to herself.

“If it was, it was sure some dream! Ponyville looks so beautiful up in the sky… and Button Mash was so chivalrous…” Silver Spoon gleefully sighed as she got up and prepared for school.

Chapter 9: Getting Ready for the Big Day!

Education is a vital component for any successful civilization. For one, it makes its citizens much smarter and more productive. One gets much more output from their production lines and much more money for spending projects. More importantly, with schools and universities, the player can research technological advances that gives their civilization an advantage over their opponents. I won’t argue whether higher education is worthwhile because each unique person has a wonderful calling set for them, whether it be manual labour or research. The point’s that in turn-based strategies, tech development is wrought from educational institutions in game.

Button Mash awoke from his homely bed with the awakening sun. The brown colt squinted his eyes and loudly yawned. Button slowly got up from his bed and trotted to his mirror. He then put on his rainbow-coloured propeller beanie and smiled.

“My name is Button Mash, I’m ten years old, and I like video games!” introduced Button Mash. He was practicing what to say to his fellow classmates once he arrived at the Ponyville Schoolhouse!

“I just moved into Ponyville with my mom, and I wanna be your friend!” Button Mash finished. He chuckled to himself. “Not a bad introduction if I do say so myself!” He proudly declared.

Now that the brown colt practiced his introductions, he began thinking about the friends he hoped to make. He already started off by befriending Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon. But surely there would be colts to whom he could make acquaintance! It wasn’t so much of being scared of fillies as him just not wanting to attract rumours to himself. He was all too aware of all the gossips that surrounded him and Flare Volt…

“You reckon that Button Mash and Flare Volt will start going out?” A filly-like voice whispered in his mind.

“Him? And her? He may have a crush on her, but she’s at least two years older than him!” Another slithery voice mocked.

“I don’t have a crush on her! She’s just… a mentor! Yeah that’s it!” A younger Button Mash protested… The memories were all too fresh for him, even when those rumours dissipated just before he left for Ponyville. Soon, another memory rushed into his mind.

“Button Mash… I’m just your mentor and friend. I’m flattered that you have feelings for me, but I just see you as a friend. A good friend,” An all too familiar voice rang out. Flare Volt’s sweet, but blunt response was soft and gentle, but pierced his heart like a sharp sword. Button Mash frowned. He may have moved on from his feelings for Flare Volt, but the incident made him cautious about infatuations for any other filly in his life. That included Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon.

The door to Button’s room was opened. His mother peered through the door and saw Button Mash looking at himself with the mirror.

“Well, it’s a nice change to see my handsome colt getting ready for school early in the morning!” Love Tap happily chuckled. Button Mash jumped in surprise.

“Oh, mom! I didn’t expect you to come in like that!” The brown stallion sheepishly chuckled. “I was just trying to make sure my first day goes well that’s all!” he explained.

“Oh Button Mash!” Love Tap giggled. “I’m sure you’ll make lots of friends at the schoolhouse. After all, you already attracted the attention of three fillies over the weekend!”

“But moooom! I don’t wanna be a filly’s colt! I wanna have some colt friends too! What if they don’t play video games like I do?!” griped the concerned colt.

“And what’s wrong with being a filly’s colt?” Love Tap giggled. “It just means you’re very friendly! I’m also very sure that there will be colts who enjoy video games!” assured the mother.

“Well… I guess they'd be colts… But I can’t be sure! There’s so many colts who like sports and other things! But not video games!” pouted the young colt.

“Well you thought you wouldn’t find anypony to be friends with when we first moved to Ponyville remember?” reminded Love Tap. The colt sheepishly chuckled.

“Exactly. Give the colts a chance, just like you did with the fillies,” advised his mother. A brief moment of pause came between the two before Button Mash nodded with confirmation,

“Ok mom. I’ll give them a chance today.”

“Good!” Love Tap cheered. “Anyway, are you and Flare Volt still keeping in touch?” the cream mare changed the topic. Button Mash immediately froze. It was a terrible time for her to ask him about his former crush and mentor. He really didn’t want to be reminded about his failings at love with the elder filly.

“Ummm… we haven’t really kept in touch anymore…” frowned the brown colt.

“Oh? Why not? Didn’t you get her postal address before we moved?” asked the surprised mother. The way she saw it, Flare Volt was somepony who Button Mash admired very much and who mentored him in sportsmanship and skill!

“I… I just forgot,” Button Mash tersely replied. Love Tap shook her head. Her intuition was telling her that there was something deeper than what met the eye. But she knew that trying to push the issue at this stage would only worsen matters.

“Alright then dear. Suit yourself,” Love Tap resigned. “Anyway, come down for breakfast! We’re having your favourite: apple juice and a chocolate doughnut!” declared the mare as she trotted downstairs to the main dining room.

It was quite the enjoyable breakfast for Button Mash and his mother. Nothing much transpired other than the usual excitement Button Mash exuberated about heading to school and seeing Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon again. While his mother’s mind was focused on seeing Rarity to help her with advertising, Love Tap was happy for his son’s settlement into Ponyville.

After Button Mash finished his breakfast, the excited colt placed his blue saddlebag on his back, checked for his favourite toy train, and received a kiss goodbye from his mother! Once he finished his preparations, he trotted out, giving a loud goodbye! Button Mash was now on his way to school!

Button Mash trotted out his home and out into the Ponyville streets. He trotted along the main road and looked around with awe at all the buzz being generated. He could hear ponies crying out bargain prices for all sorts of products, from flowers to sofas. Ponies were also raising banners showing off different fundraising and club events were on show as well, from knitting to parties by a pink pony named Pinkie Pie!

But the view that struck him the most was that of a colt with a saddlebag on his back! He was a grey, chubby colt with a short, frazzled, black mane. He was an Earth pony like Button Mash as well! Perhaps he was heading off to the Ponyville schoolhouse like he was! Button Mash eagerly caught with the unsuspecting colt as he shouted,

“Hey! Hey! Wait up!” The chubby, grey colt halted and turned around. He drew a confused look on his face as Button Mash finally caught up.

“Thanks! I’m Button Mash! Are you heading off to school?” the brown colt panted as he introduced himself.

“Ummm… yeah!” The grey colt stuttered. “I’m… I’m Truffle Shuffle,” introduced the colt with a burly voice.

“Nice to meet you Truffle!” Button Mash stretched his hoof. Truffle Shuffle slowly extended and shook hooves with the eccentric colt.

“I… I guess it’s nice meeting you too,” Truffle Shuffle slowly smiled. “Are you new to Ponyville?” asked the curious grey colt.

“Yep! I just moved from Manehattan this past Friday! I already met and befriended Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon!” Button Mash enthusiastically explained. Truffle Shuffle jumped in surprise when the two fillies were mentioned in the same sentence. Button Mash immediately took note of his astonishment and asked with a confused look,

“Why are you so… weirded out?” Truffle Shuffle scrunched and shook his face.

“Umm… nothing! Don’t worry about it!” replied the flustered colt.

“Ohhh… kay…” replied the perplexed Button Mash. Seeing that an awkward silence was growing between the two colts, Truffle Shuffle quickly changed the topic.

“So what do you like to do?” asked the chubby colt.

“Well, I like video games! I play all sorts of games, but when I’m at school, I play on my portable GameColt!” Button Mash answered.

“Video games? Cool! I know a friend who loves video games! He treats it like a side hobby, but he still plays with them a lot!” Truffle Shuffle replied with a satisfied smile.

“Oh really?! Who is this pony?! Can I see him?!” Button Mash beamed.

“Sure! His name’s Rumble! We can meet up when we get to school! Rumble tends to be late coming to school, so you’ll probably have to meet him at either recess or lunch,” explained Truffle.

“Yay! I can’t wait to see him!” Button Mash jumped in place. Truffle Shuffle scratched his head. He wasn’t much for video games and didn’t see how Button Mash could possibly be so excited over a small screen and a few buttons.

“Anyway, if you wanna see him, we should be heading to school! We’re gonna be late if we stand around here!” Truffle Shuffle exclaimed as the two colts ran towards the schoolhouse!

Chapter 4: Dinner Time

It’s funny. In the Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword expansion pack, you’ll often receive a notification that an ambassador of your civilization has committed a faux pas against a nation who you wanted to either be friends with or stay on their good side. You get a -1 hit to diplomatic relations which although temporary, can hinder you from agreeing to open borders and perhaps may even become a prelude to war. If you can’t have open borders with your neighbours, you’ve lost a chance for trade and scouting their lands can be a huge pain. Something as simple as a dinner can become disastrous if you make the wrong first impressions or say something out of place. Thankfully, life isn’t just a game.

Button Mash trotted back to his home at the time his mother allocated to him. He had gotten a new set of batteries and met a filly who had familial ties with one of the mares he admired in Manehattan. While Button Mash trotted back to his home, he daydreamed about his role-model, Flare Volt. The two didn’t say as much to each other as Button would have liked, but she was certainly a gaming pony he wanted to look up to. He reminisced about the few moments they did share together. One particular memory that struck out to him, other than the moment he defeated Flare Volt’s high score and received a congratulatory shake from her, was when she consoled him after he let the winning goal slip by him in the semifinal of the annual Manehattan Hoofball Video Games Tournament 2 years ago…

“Button Mash. There will be moments where our best isn’t enough. Or when things don’t go our way. It’s in those moments that your true form of best will come out… but only if you let it…” Button Mash recalled her soothing whispers to him after he felt tears flow out from his face after losing what was his important sporting game in his life. Despite how nerdy she looked with her square glasses and the braces on her teeth, Flare Volt seemed the type of pony to know what to say whenever he felt sad. He still felt tearful about that loss, but her words helped him push forward. Seeing how kind Diamond Tiara was in giving him free batteries was for him, something that he saw in Flare Volt as well.

Once he arrived home, Button Mash turned the door only to notice that it was opened. He trotted into his new home that was still barren before his mother trotted to the front door. Seeing Button Mash, his mother greeted him with a hug,

“Hello dear! How was your excursion around Ponyville today?” Button Mash hugged his mother back before he happily described his visit to Diamond Tiara’s home. His mother stroke her chin as Button Mash explained his time with Diamond Tiara. The one thing she couldn’t understand was why his friend would tease him about his blank flank before changing her mood so quickly. In any case, she was happy that Button Mash began exploring Ponyville, since he’d normally be stuck in his video games in situations like this.

“I’m glad things went well for you on your first day out at Ponyville!” Button Mash’s mother smiled happily. “But we have to get ready for our dinner tonight! It’s with a close friend of mine who lives here. We go way back to our filly days you know that dear?” Button’s mother patted his forehead before Button Mash nodded. “It’s been a long while since we met. She must be fully grown by now… we used to play all sorts of fashion games together before she left for Ponyville first with her parents. Her sister wasn’t even born yet.” Button’s Mom sighed at those memories while Button Mash looked at her with a blank expression. Button’s mom quickly shook her head, composing herself.

“Well it’s about time we left for the Carousel Boutique! We’ll be meeting our guests there! But before we go, you need to take your beanie off and straighten your mane!” Button’s mom said, wagging her hoof.

“But mom! I love this beanie! Wahhhh!” Button Mash cried out as his mother sighed.

“Fine, you can keep the beanie, but I still expect you to straighten your mane! I hear my friend’s bringing her little sister along too!” Button Mash nodded happily as he quickly trotted to the bathroom, grabbed a brush, and straightened his mane to prepare for the dinner ahead…

Button Mash and his mother arrived at the illustrious Carousel Boutique, the famous workshop and abode of Rarity. Button Mash opened his eyes wide open, clearly stunned at how well decorated the building was. Button’s mom giggled at Button Mash’s facial expressions.

“Mom… why didn’t you tell me your friend had a princess castle as her home?” Button’s mom giggled. This was simply too cute from Button Mash, and she played along.

“Well Mr. Mash. Perhaps this is where you’ll need to save a princess in distress! Like the one you’re playing in ‘Plumber Stallion 3’! After all, there will be two lovely mares past that door!” When Button Mash heard her mention princesses, Button Mash knocked on the door as fast as he could out of excitement of seeing the two mares! Being completely shocked at his behaviour, his mother quickly held onto his hoof as a signal to make him stop knocking on the door so frequently.

Soon after Button Mash stopped knocking on the entrance, the large purple door was opened. Rarity trotted out, but the real attraction was Sweetie Belle wearing the dress Rarity made her just for the occasion.

“Love Tap!!” Rarity stretched out her hooves to hug Button’s mother, Love Tap.

“Rarity!” Love Tap and Rarity exchanged hugs with one another. Meanwhile, Button Mash and Sweetie Belle stared at each other. Sweetie Belle instantly noticed the brown colt with the beanie, staring blankly at the weird pony the other Crusaders were making fun of. Sweetie Belle then noticed how his mane was straightened out, relieved that he too made as many preparations for the dinner as she did. Since Button Mash still wouldn’t say anything to her, Sweetie Belle decided to start the conversation while Rarity and Love Tap caught up with each other.

“So… Ummm… hi.” Sweetie Belle wasn’t sure what to say to begin the conversation.

“Ummm… hi! I’m Button Mash.” Button Mash held out his Gamecolt to Sweetie Belle to signal her what his name meant. “I play video games!” Sweetie Belle was taken aback by the pony’s weird looking gizmo.

“Ummm… do you do anything else?” Sweetie Belle was beginning to wonder whether the crusaders were right to say that Button Mash was a complete weirdo. But given how Rarity and Love Tap were getting along well, Sweetie Belle decided that she would still give it a try. Hopefully her asking him some questions would lead to something.

“Anything else? I live and breathe video games. There’s so many video games to play! I can tell you all about some of the many games I play!” Sweetie Belle gave Button Mash another weird look before she replied,

“Umm… sure! We can do that when we have dinner…” Sweetie Belle gave another confused expression, wondering how many and what types of friends Button Mash had in where he used to live. But before she could start thinking about it, Rarity and Love Tap signaled their respective foals to a trot to the local restaurant, ready for their dinner outing…

“I’m pleasantly surprised that you were able to take the time for me and Button Mash, Rarity!” Love Tap giggled as the four ponies finished taking their orders for the night. Love Tap had ordered a simple hay sandwich, Rarity and Sweetie Belle ordered a Caesar Salad, while Button Mash ordered a vegetable soup after some complaining.

“Oh it was nothing dear! You’ve just moved to Ponyville and I thought you needed help settling down. Plus, it’s a chance for us to catch up since I didn’t get a chance to when I last visited Manehattan!” Rarity and Love Tap chuckled together.

“I remember your last visit to Manehattan! You were going to compete in that fashion competition right? How did that go?” Love Tap asked inquisitively, excited to hear about Rarity’s recent successes in fashion design. Sure she wished to have that same success with her wedding business, but she was just getting things started.

“Oh it was marvelous dear! I managed to win first place while learning a valuable lesson about friendship. My fellow friends helped me a lot with the competition, and I give them full credit for their assistance!” Rarity and Love Tap continued to converse easily with one another, which contributed to the warmth of their friendship and their joy at seeing each other again…

While Rarity and Love Tap were enjoying their wait before their food arrived with conversation, Button Mash was busy playing ‘Plumber Stallion 3’ on his Gamecolt. Sweetie Belle was trying her best to get a word from Button Mash during the dinner, not wanting to wait in silence for her food. But Button Mash was so immersed in the game that he didn’t even take notice that Sweetie Belle was there in the first place. In an attempt to get Button Mash’s attention, Sweetie Belle gently poked on Button Mash’s side, to which he jumped up slightly… only to see his plumber lose a life to a parasprite.

“Awww Sweetie Belle!! You made me lose a life!” Button Mash huffed as Sweetie Belle grimaced on her chair.

“Sorry Button Mash… I just wanted to know what you were doing with your gizmo-thingy.” Sweetie Belle lightly apologized to Button Mash. Button Mash, barely observing the sincerity of Sweetie Belle’s apology, decided to fulfill her curiosity.

“Well, it’s called a GameColt for starters. I’m playing ‘Plumber Stallion 3’ on it.” Button Mash paused briefly before he continued. “I have to be this plumber who stomps on his enemies and makes his way to the evil Changeling Queen!” Button Mash hissed out to Sweetie Belle as to mimic the Changeling Queen. “You see, the Queen has kidnapped a beautiful maiden in hopes of sucking the love out of her, and it’s up to me to save her!” Sweetie Belle giggled lightly when Button Mash hissed out. Although Button Mash was weird, she couldn’t help but admit that his animated expressions were cute.

“What does the princess look like? Does she look like Princess Twilight?” Sweetie Belle asked with a smile on her face. If this was the Button Mash the other crusaders encountered, then he perhaps wasn’t that bad.

“Oh no! This princess is far prettier than Princess Twilight! She’s a graceful pony with wisdom like Twilight yes, but she has a fluffy yet flowing mane. In fact, she looks kinda like you.” Sweetie Belle lightly blushed before she turned her head to stare at the GameColt screen. Now she was wondering whether Button Mash was just joshing with her or whether the princess really did look like her!

“You see, her strength lies in her love towards others. That’s why the Queen keeps kidnapping her! But this plumber won’t have it! He loves and cherishes her each day and will always save the day, even if the odds are stacked against him!” Button Mash continued to press button after button to make the plumber dodge flying parasprites and shoot out ice at the spiky dragons who he couldn’t step on with the A button. Sweetie Belle oohed and aahed, becoming impressed at Button Mash’s reflexes.

“Wow, that looks like a really cool game!” Sweetie Belle genuinely remarked, only to see Button Mash lose his last life…

“AWWWW!!! That was my last life! And now it’s game over for me… WAHHHH!!” Sweetie Belle scooted away from Button Mash to give him enough space to be sad about losing his last life. If there anything that made Button Mash weird, this was it. Oddly, it wasn’t enough for Sweetie Belle to stay away from him for long.

“Don’t worry Button Mash. You can always try again right? You’ll just start from where you left off… right?” Sweetie Belle tried her best to comfort him, but Button Mash still cried. His tears began to lift when Sweetie Belle lightly patted on his back.

“Thanks Sweetie Belle… I guess I’ll get them next time huh?” Button Mash gave out a sniff. “I just hate losing. I hate being a failure that’s all.” Button Mash gave another sniff. Before Sweetie Belle could give her more encouragement, the waitress gave out all four ponies’ food. The ponies then toasted on their food after Love Tap gently took Button Mash’s GameColt away to make him eat his dinner first. All four ponies then enjoyed their dinners...

After the four ponies finished their dinners, Rarity generously offered to pay for everypony’s meal. Love Tap insisted that she pay her share of the meal, but Rarity insisted on paying anyway, at which gesture Love Tap thanked deeply. After Rarity paid for their meal, all four of them quietly trotted out the door. When the four ponies exited Sugarcube Corner, Love Tap thanked Rarity for the meal.

“Thanks so much Rarity for taking us out to dinner and paying for all four of us.” Love Tap gently hugged Rarity.

“You’re very welcome dear. It’s the least I can do for you after all that you’ve gone through over the past few years.” Love Tap gave out a small tear at Rarity’s generosity. She recalled the tough times she had while moving forward from her husband’s death.

“Your husband’s death must be very hard for you isn’t it?” Rarity replied with a side hug for Love Tap. “If you need anything more, be sure to let me know. I’ll help any way I can. We’re friends after all!” Love Tap nodded with a happy tear before she gave another hug to Rarity…

“Well, I guess that was a pretty good dinner…” Sweetie Belle spoked anxiously to Button Mash. He seemed like a nice pony, but she was still unsure of what to say to him. For one, Button Mash wasn’t that bad looking. What confused her was his eccentric behaviour and his tendency to overreact. Furthermore, Button Mash was a blank flank, but not once did he mention anything about his flank. She wanted to start talking about his flank, but she didn’t want to bring the topic up yet because he was the same pony the other crusaders groaned at earlier in the day. Perhaps she needed advice on the topic, so she left it be for now.

“Yeah… it was a good dinner. The soup was especially tasty!” Button Mash happily licked his mouth as a sign of satisfaction. Sweetie Belle smiled at Button Mash before Sweetie Belle replied,

“Well, if you wanna hang out, I guess you’re welcome to come over to Carousel Boutique anytime.” Sweetie Belle giggled with a light blush on her cheeks. She was finding it difficult to composer herself in front of Button Mash, simply because he looked somewhat cute. Add to that her confusion on what to think of the young colt, and you end up with a very confused Sweetie Belle.

“Sure! I’ll come by when I have time!” Button Mash paused briefly before he suddenly blurted out a question,

“Hey Sweetie Belle! Do you mind if I came by this Sunday?! You could try my Gamecolt out if you wanted!” At this point, Sweetie Belle was left in a bind. She remembered that she was going to do some more crusading with Scootaloo and Applebloom, but at the same time, she didn’t want to spur Button Mash from a meet up since he did seem the nice pony despite his wackiness. She also didn’t want to bring him along to the crusaders yet because of what happened earlier that day.

“Well… Umm… Sure! You can come by to my place this Sunday!” Sweetie Belle blurted out an answer without thinking about it.

“Yay!!! I’ll see you this Sunday then!” Button Mash waved as Rarity and Love Tap had just finished exchanging a long embrace to comfort Love Tap. Button Mash and Love Tap slowly trotted away together, leaving Rarity and Sweetie Belle to begin returning to Carousel Boutique. While Rarity managed to comfort Love Tap, Sweetie Belle was now confused, unsure of how to break the bad news to the Crusaders…

Author's Note

Phew. That was a doozy. I was really excited at finallly getting Button Mash and Sweetie Belle to meet! I hope you all enjoyed it too!