Playing them for Fools

Button Mash stared at the gamepony cartridge in his hooves confused, looking for any indication as to what it might be. It had no sticker, no indents or any other identifying mark. For all Button knew, this cartridge could be a super rare game, never seen by pony eyes! Or it could be a leaked, unfinished copy of the next Ponymon!

Or it might just be yet another Tetris cartridge to throw out.

Still, if it was, it wouldn't be the worst thing to find just randomly sitting there. On the street. Out in the open. Conveniently right where Button would see it on his way to school. And being something Button couldn't resist.

"I should plug this in to my gamepony!" He yelled abruptly in his loud and nasally voice, to the annoyance of the ponies on the street around him, as he darted home to fetch the gamepony he left at home. The one time he didn't have it on him, and he found something filled with such mystery, and lack of corporate trademarks!

He made his way home, rushed up the stairs and pulled his gamepony out of his very clever, and foolproof hiding place. His mom never looked under his bed, as far as he knew.

"Button Mash! Why are you up there, I thought I sent you to go to school already!" Buttons ears dropped to the side of his head as his mother entered the room, half of his body still hidden under his bed.

"But moooom~! I found a gamepony cartridge on the street that didn't have a label on it, and I didn't know what it was, but I didn't have my gamepony, since I left it here, so I went to go and get it so I can see what the game is!"

"No Button, you're leaving that here! You can play it when you get home. I'll give you a chance to 'hide' your gamepony again, and then you're going right back to school mister!"

As is the way of all moms, Button's mom took no nonsense when it came to school. But the gamepony is not nonsense. It's serious gaming business that she just doesn't understand, being from an era where pong was considered a valid form of entertainment. So archaic.

Which is why his mom could wait just 2 minutes for him to figure out what the game is.

After all, Button was doing very important research she didn't understand.

"-and then turn on the power and-! .......What." Before Button was just a simple screen. No menus, no start button, no title. Just a single text input, and an on screen keyboard.

What is it you wish for? >_

"......What."

The screen didn't change. It just waited for an input, any input.

"...This thing sucks. Why would someone make a cartridge that just asks you the question, 'What is it you wish for?'. How about that my mom would let me take my gamepony wherever I want!" And as if to reiterate his point, even though it likely wouldn't change anything. He typed on the screen.

What is it you wish for? >My Mom would let me take my gamepony wherever_

With that, he placed down the gamepony in the center of the completely open and highly visible area underneath his bed, which so effectively concealed his gamepony, and for the second time that day, left to go to school.

"Today's gonna suck without my gamepony. Why does mom not want me to have my gamepony with me? Stupid mom."

As Button was about to leave, he screamed a goodbye to his mother. Being annoyed was no reason to be rude. At least, that's what his mom told him.

"Bye mom!"

"Oh, are you taking your gamepony with you?"

"*sigh* No mom, I know you said not to. It's, uhh, defintely not under my bed in the exact place you saw it before. Nope. But it is, uh there."

"Did I say not to? Oh please Button, why would I tell you where you can and cannot take your gamepony? Go ahead and take it, if you so wish!"

"....Wait, what?!" He exclaimed.

And then everything clicked for Button. He thought back to the game, and how he wrote in his wish. And how it now became reality.

"Oh my Celestia."

This could only mean one thing. One very powerful thing, that was now in the hands of one Button Mash. A power that should never make it's way into the wrong hoofs, and yet is now in the possession of the worst possible hoofs.

"....I have super powers!"

No, you have a cartridge that grants your every wish and desire.

"Oh. Yeah. That."

Good, now that Butto-Hey! You're not supposed to be responding to me!

"Oh, sorry."

...Foals these days. Can't help but get in the way of a perfectly good narration. Especially one as beautiful and refined as this.

Anyway, now that Button knew what it was he had in his possession, and didn't bother to question both the contrived nature of such a thing, and how such a thing might be used responsibly, he ran off to his room, fetched the gamepony, and proceeded to school, inputting a few things into his new favorite game in the world along the way.

>Cheerilee lets me not do work_

>Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon can only say nice things to me_

>Ice cream for lunch_

>Longer lunch time_

>Everyone thinks I'm cool_

>Mom lets me eat as many snacks as I want_

And not once during his barrage of juvenile and extremely basic requests, did he consider how the setup for his absolute control was so short, that it's entirety could be described in as little as 1029 words.

Celestia help us all.