Button Mash hummed to himself as he set down a tray of pizza rolls onto the table. He then glanced over to the rest of the living room and nodded himself. The Wii U was set up, Smash Bros was setup, with characters for the four of them, just in case they decided to play with the miss, so now he just had to wait.

He sank into the couch with a sigh of relief. He had expected something to go wrong before now, but instead, he had been left alone to work on his plan. Now, the big question was whether or not his wish would be strong enough. He could have probably just wished for the CMC to agree to what he had planned, but he was beginning to look further. If they were all going to possibly be with him someday, a wish like them enjoying his ideas more would be better. Or at least, he hoped.

His phone buzzed, and he looked at the message with a smile. It was from Kiara, and telling him he could do it, but it still made him happy. A few taps later and he thanked her, though he couldn’t help but wonder if he should fear a demon’s approval. The next text didn’t help with her saying she just wanted him to be happy. Then again, telepathy was not the most attractive of powers for a partner.

He may have contemplated it more, had the doorbell not rung then. Button hopped over, shaking off the bad feeling as he opened the door. Before he could even really tell who it was, two, strong arms wrapped themselves around him, and he was squeezed into a somewhat above average pair of breasts. He smiled, knowing there was only one of his friends who was tall enough to do this. “Hey, Apple Bloom.”

Apple Bloom pushed him away, her button up, checkered shirt letting her chest bounce as she smiled. “I’m just happy you called me this morning. I know an eighteen year old Apple is supposed to do more farmwork, but this is starting to get ridiculous.” She then put her hands onto Button’s face and came uncomfortably close. “How is my favorite stallion doing though? I know we’ve been a bit distant, but...”

Button waved his hands in front of him. “Please, don’t worry about it. I know it can make people uncomfortable, but I know mom would want me to move on. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.”

Apple Bloom reached down to his hand and squeezed it. “You’re doing well from what I know, and you’re still moving forward. I can really admire that.”

The two smiled at each other, before a knock came from the open door. Scootaloo grinned, now in a pair of tight running shorts and a plain, blue t-shirt. She walked in, swaying her hips and patted Button’s cheek as she put the shirt from yesterday in his hand. “Don’t you two look cute together?”

Button and Apple Bloom both blushed, before Button tossed the shirt to a different room, just in case Bloom hadn’t noticed. Scootaloo giggled as she sat on one of the recliners in the room, and popped the top to a soda. “So, what’s the plan, my gentleman?”

Apple Bloom’s eye twitched for a moment. “Button, if you’ve joined that group-”

“No!” Button shook his head furiously. “Scootaloo is just referencing a conversation we had yester…” He stopped as he saw Apple Bloom’s tucked in lips and quivering body. “You two came together, didn’t you?”

Scootaloo laughed while Apple Bloom at least tried covering her mouth while she chuckled. “Sorry, we’re just poking fun.”

Button glared at the two of them for a moment, before sticking his tongue out. “That is why we’re all here, right?”

“Mhm.”

The stallion jumped at the noise, and stopped as a cake came in front of him, along with two, lithe arms that were around him. He smiled at the chocolate cake before taking it. Leave it to Sweetie Belle to make sure that they had something good to eat, instead of just microwavables.

The white mare stepped ahead of him, her yellow dress swaying with her body, just like her large, bouncing breasts did. They were the set of the three he was the most familiar with, but only because of late night gaming sessions that had lasted for hours. While her hug from behind had been more reserved the first time, once he had the cake set down, Sweetie tackled him, not caring about her squished bosom as she wrapped him up. He hugged her back and heard her whisper, “You’re amazing.”

Button smiled, before pushing her away and beaming at her. “I would hope my diamond collection in Minecraft would prove that.”

“Please tell me we’re not playing Minecraft.”

Button chuckled as Sweetie bounced to her seat. “Don’t worry, Scoots. Actually, I was thinking we might play some Smash Brothers.” He took a deep breath, his chest tightening as he thought about his next words, and decided to simply say it. “Though, maybe with some special rules, just to make it more interesting this time.”

Sweetie clapped her hands together. “Oh, I love mods. What were you thinking?”

He swallowed hard one more time, before remembering Kiara’s encouragement, and going for it. “I was thinking that whenever you died, you had to strip off a piece of clothing.”

A dead silence followed the announcement. Sweetie looked like she was about to faint, while Apple Bloom just stared at him, her face almost entirely red. It was Scootaloo who broke it with a sip of her soda, and a giggle. “Oh, does my gentleman want to see some boobs?”

He swallowed hard. “Well, I thought it might be fun, and, well, we’ve done so much else with each other, maybe it would make us somehow even closer than before. Right?”

A red aura flicked over Sweetie’s eyes as she leaned back. “I… I suppose I can see what you mean. It’s just that…” Her hands came up and rested on her chest. “That sounds really embarrassing.”

Apple Bloom shut her eyes as the shimmer came over them. “I guess I’m game, but only if you start without your shirt, Button. You’re way too good at all of this to not get some sort of penalty.”

A wave of relief flowed through him as he started wrestling his shirt off. It was still coming over his head when he heard Scootaloo whistle. “No muscles, but still a lot better than I ever expect.”

Why is she acting like this? He bit into his cheek, before shaking his head. Maybe it was her just trying to act naturally after yesterday. Button wasn’t about to ask her though, not when he had controllers to hand out. He then flopped onto the couch between Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and turned it on.

“So, I was thinking about fifteen minutes, get dressed between rounds?”

“That sounds fair.”

“I’m gonna play Samus, if that’s alright.”

“Which one, Bloom?”

“...Which one?”

“Wait, have you not played the new Smash yet? Hahaha!”

“Hey, I’m sorry that I have to work on a farm!”

“It’s okay. Maybe we can try to make it so you can try to join me and Button on our gaming nights. Then, you would be able to kick Scoot’s rump.”

“We won’t be stripping then though.”

“Fuck.”

“Now Scoots, it’s all meant for good fun.”

“Then why are you choosing Epona? Don’t you only use her when you’re being serious?”

“Well, um,-”

“I’m going for Zelda!”

“I suppose I’ll go Dark Pit then. Try to give you all a challenge.”

With the players locked in, Button hit random. He smiled as he saw Final Destination come up, as the plain field would be fitting for them. Only the smash ball was available, and he hoped no one would die too quickly because of that. As the fighting began, he made sure to stick to Sweetie Belle. If anypony was going to be hard to beat, it was her, and he didn’t want any of them dying too fast. Or at least, I don’t want to be accused of trying to strip one of them down.

It didn’t take long for the first death though. One strong hit on Apple Bloom, and a failed recovery, sent her spiraling down. They could hear her muffling a curse as she began to pull her socks off. Scootaloo immediately unpaused it, causing her to shout, to which the tomcolt responded with, “Part of the game, am I right, Button?”

He almost couldn’t respond as he ducked and weaved past Sweetie Belle. She had been spamming her shield though, so one more quick dodge and grab, and he heard her swallow hard next to him. Scootaloo whistled as she was sent flying. Button then leaned back, able to breathe, and blushing as he remembered the special rules by seeing Sweetie take off her necklace. “Umm, yeah. Pausing just messes us all up, and besides, then we would probably, umm… watch?”

Scootaloo slammed Dark Pit’s hammer into Zero Suit Samus again as she grinned, almost having launched the farm girl again. “I’m just wondering when Sweetie is going to strip.”

“I did!”

“Jewelry shouldn’t count.”

“I’m not wearing pants!”

Button chuckled at the banter, and paid for it with a dropkick from Apple Bloom. “I’ll allow it, but only because Sweetie is right.”

“Ugh, f-Fuck!”

“Hah! That’s payback for all the-Damnit!”

Apple Bloom quickly began trying to unbutton her blouse, before getting interrupted by Scootaloo throwing her shirt onto her. “Hey, what gives?” The farm mare then blushed as the pegasus sat back down, her small chest only hidden by a white wrap. “Why did you take off your shirt first?”

Sweetie Belle nodded while dodging Button, and then almost smashing Apple Bloom off, as she wasn’t done stripping yet. “I was wondering that-Oh, I am so sorry, Apple Bloom!”

“Don’t be. She needs to strip faster!”

The sound of Samus dying tried to drown out Apple Bloom’s, “You bitch!” but failed miserably. Scootaloo just laughed while saying, “I’d just go with bra next. Don’t want to be away from your controller too long.”

Button could hear her cursing a bit, and began a campaign of dodges as he glanced over. He had never even seen Apple Bloom in a bathing suit before, so the sight of them in only a white bra, bouncing as the mare came back onto the couch was rather… distracting. It only got worse as she began to play with one hand, the other trying to slip her pants off. Now her breasts bounced too and fro, and only the fact that he might be in the same position soon stopped him from dropping his controller. He did look one more time as he heard the thump of the jeans as they hit the floor, and shivered at the long, tough legs, and farm grown thighs that attached themselves so well to her round rump.

Sweetie stopped joining in the high jinks after that, and he could feel the shift in energy from her, and it was… odd. Then again, she probably didn’t want to be forced to only her underwear either. Unfortunately, she was still the only one he could fight at all evenly, so she was still the one he attacked the most.

Unfortunately, that was when the smash ball came. Instead of actually thinking about what would happen if any of them got it, Button defaulted to his normal gamer instincts. Dodge, dash, block, watch Scootaloo hit it, and then Apple Bloom. Throw Sweetie Belle, smash it open, turn around as Sweetie Belle comes back, use.

The room almost became silent as Button realized that he hadn’t only hit Sweetie. Apple Bloom had just been in the wrong spot at the wrong time, while Scoots had been trying to knock it out of them. Each slash made the mares pale, before the last one was met with the cannon effects within the game.

Scootaloo was the first to move once more, as she stood up and stretched herself out. “Come on, girls. We can let the timer run out if we give our host and champion a little show, and after that fuck up, I think he deserves it.” She then reached back and undid her wrap, throwing it to Button as she let her hard nipples show.

Apple Bloom got up next, her face completely red as she walked over to Scootaloo. She tried whispering, but Button could still hear her say, “Scootaloo, maybe we should stop. You were drinking pretty hard last night, and-”

Scootaloo reached behind Apple Bloom, and undid the hook to her bra, letting the large, perky breasts pop out as she said, “Oh, you’re just afraid of what sorts of punishments we’ll have to do when we die ten more times in the next ten minutes.”

Sweetie Belle was about to stand up, when Button put a hand on her thigh and shook his head. He then got up, picked Apple Bloom’s bra up, and handed it back to the mare. He then looked to Scootaloo and said, “Apologize.”

“What?”

“You’ve been a jerk while Sweetie and Apple Bloom have obviously been having a hard time with this. You shouldn’t grind it in like this.”

Scootaloo’s eyes narrowed. “Not only was this your idea, but I’m just trying to help-”

“Help?” Button moved forward, red coming into his eyes, but then breaking as it failed in it’s attempt to stop him from seeing red. “Making ponies do what they don’t want to is not going to help them. Neither is making them talk about things they want, or trying to make them have a good time. They’ll do it how they want to, because I know how to make myself okay!”

A silence filled the room, before Scootaloo tried opening her mouth, and the pop of Button’s knuckles could be heard in the room. She glared back at him in response, before grabbing her shirt and yanking it on. She soon stomped out, and Button could barely hear Sweetie Belle say, “I’m gonna go check on her.”

The next thing to distract him from the storm brewing in his head was Apple Bloom touching her shoulder. “Button, what’s wrong?”

He took in a deep breath, before shutting his eyes, and trying to push the anger down. He was fine. Life was fine. Harmony was not just some bitch who decided to make his life a living-

“Button!”

He opened his eyes, and looked into Apple Bloom’s. She looked sad, not scared as he might have expected, and he felt her hands wrap around him. There was a part of him that just wanted to shove her off, but he didn’t. She didn’t deserve it. “What?”

“How can I help?”

“I can help myself.”

“Is that why you just screamed at a girl who wanted to make you get what the nicest guy in our class deserved? Or…” She took a deep breath in and looked down. “Or was helping the mare she had talked to last night, and who had told her that if she was going to be with anyone in Ponyville, it would probably be you?”

Button stopped breathing for a moment to simply look into Apple Bloom’s eyes. She didn’t look like she was lying, and she was like her sister, or any Apple for that matter. So, why would she lie about this? “Apple Bloom, I don’t need you just saying things to make me feel better.”

She grabbed one of his hands and placed it on her still bare bosom, and he took a sharp breath in response. It was nice and soft, and fit almost perfectly in his hand. He wondered for a moment if this is what clouds felt like, before Apple Bloom spoke again. “I’ll go talk to her and Sweetie, let them know that you just weren’t ready for all three of us with something like this, and we can try it again sometime else, because even the best stallion has to make mistakes, and you more than deserve a few more chances than this.”

He opened his mouth to respond, before simply nodding, and sitting back onto the couch. In the next few minutes, he would watch each of them leave again. Scootaloo came back for her wrap, and despite hesitating, still told him to call her when he wanted to hang. Sweetie Belle hugged him, tears on her face, probably from being told he was so useless.

Then came Apple Bloom, who hugged him tight, and pecked him on the cheek as she said her goodbye. “Don’t push yourself too hard, okay? I didn’t really know my parents when I lost them, but… I can still feel the hurt, and even if you won’t admit to it, I’m guessing it’s there. So please, for those of us who care so much, take care of yourself.”

He looked into her eyes one more time, before nodding as a tear fell down his face. He was furious with himself within. Button knew better than to blow up like that, and didn’t even really know where it came from. Now that he was alone, the tightness in his chest grew, and he simply laid on the couch until he went to bed, and to grab the journal.

Author's Note

This should be the last chapter, as while I wanted to show that stage of grief, and didn't want it gone after the one chapter, it's still not very fun, so if Button goes for the emotional swap, it should be to being depressed, which is far better for 'snuggles'. Besides, now he has thoroughly humiliated himself through denial and anger, and that's not great for him.

And yes, I know it would be better to show this, but as this is comment driven, some insight into his head can help make sure you all can make informed comments.