Button's Manehatten Minute

Eighteen. Six times three. Nine times two. In the grand scheme of things it’s a pretty small number. For Button tonight, it was massive though. It was the only one he could think about. That, and what the number meant.

Responsibility, stallionhood, and the first real step into the future. He would need to get a job soon. He had an idea of what he wanted to do, and the joystick on his flank made that all the more clear. He’d even been doing some temp work, saving up some money through playtesting that his mother had been holding onto.

His hand dipped into his pocket at the thought of his savings. In there, twenty five bits jangled. His mother said that it would be enough for him to have a fun night, or, so long as he kept his cutie mark hidden, he could get more if he needed. But that simple thought itself was terrifying. He’d never used his skills on physical games.

He raised a thumb to his lips, biting into it like a nervous child. He shouldn’t be so afraid of course. Him and his buddies had looked at stuff that would be here plenty of times. Still, to be told by his mom, on his eighteenth birthday no less, to go here himself…

Then again, Button couldn’t deny that she was right. He never really got out. He would certainly never come to this part of town without prodding. He just wasn’t a risk taker. A choir colt fit his description a lot better.

Looking to the red light that signified the start of the district, he heard his mother’s words echo in his ears. ‘It’s up to you in the end, but such experiences can help you be prepared for the chaos of adulthood. I know they did so for me.’

When he’d first heard the words, he’d turned bright red, wondering why in Equestria his mother would ever have come to a place like this, but now he realized how little that mattered. It was her business, just like his trip tonight was to be. Or… lack there of.

Button glanced back. He had been in Manehattan for the past week, celebrating graduation and his birthday with a lot of his classmates. They’d gone over a good bit of the place, and he could hear a few arcades calling his name. He could get a good bit of time at one with twenty five bits, and he could probably find some cocky kids to bet against if he needed more. It wouldn’t be too different from if he were here.

“Hey, you there! I don’t recognize you!”

Button jumped at the words. The voice sounded nice, maybe, but what if he turned around and it was a cop? What if she didn’t think he was supposed to be there? Or worse yet, what if it was some sort of mobster, ready to mug him?

Run away to the arcade

Turn around and face the stranger