Author's Note
(I hope you enjoy this story. Constructive criticism is always welcomed.)
Welcome To The Club
Button Mash tapped his fingertips against the wooden top of his desk one winter afternoon, the poor boy squirming in his seat. His thighs were squirming to and fro, rubbing against each other as he looked up at the clock.
“DAMMIT!” He shouted inside his own mind, sucking in a quiet breath as he tried to calm himself down. “C’mon stupid clock, MOVE FASTER!” He shouted internally to the inanimate keeper of time. The reason Button couldn’t say these things aloud was simple: the boy was in class!
It was sixth period, his last class of the day and by far the most boring. Poor Button had the immense misfortune this trimester of school of having algebra for his last class of the day. Button hated this class! No matter how much he paid attention, asked questions or even went to study hall to find a tutor, he never understood this math!
Math in middle school had been a breeze for him, but the jump from middle school to high school had really messed with him. How the hell did any of this math make sense to anybody?! What did “find X” even mean?! Button couldn’t understand the material, and it didn’t help that Mrs. Harshwhinny was the most boring, strictest teacher he had ever had.
Mrs. Harshwhinny made Mrs. Mayormare seem like the most intriguing person in the world. She made all the students put their cell phones into a basket on her desk and they would only be able to get them back at the end of the period. Any note passing or whispering earned a swift detention. Once, Rumble had gotten detention for speaking when he forgot to raise his hand!
Finally, after what felt like an entire lifetime, the sound of the bell finally rang throughout the school, signaling not just the end of that terrible math class but the end of the school day! Immediately Button bolted up to Mrs. Harshwhinny’s desk, the older woman giving him quite the glare for running in her classroom.
Thankfully though, the cranky woman let Button go with no more than the glare, and so the boy quickly went back to his desk, grabbed his backpack, slung in onto his back and hurried out of the classroom, slipping the phone into his pocket and hurrying through the school.
Math had been on the second floor, on the opposite side of the school from the library, and so Button scurried there as quickly as he could, bolting down the flight of stairs so quickly it was amazing he didn’t fall and hurt himself. Finally, he reached the library and went to the back of the room where the TV area was, but Button’s heart quickly sank into his stomach and he let out a sad sigh.
Empty. Again. This was the third week in a row that Gaming Club was completely devoid of participants. When Button had petitioned to Principal Celestia to create this club four weeks ago, it had taken a lot of convincing on his part. He had to persuade the woman that it was not just a “nonsense, time wasting” club, but a way to bring the students of the school together for some fun after school, something the Principal agreed was a great idea.
Button had worked so hard to create this club! In addition to petitioning for it to be created, he had made the fliers posted around the school grounds himself, and he had been very proud of them. All that work, and for nothing!
Letting out a huff, Button swung his backpack off his shoulders and nearly slammed it into the carpeted floor. This area had beanbag chairs for comfort, and Button swan dove into one, letting out a sad sigh as he stared to the ceiling. As Button lay there, he became embroiled in thought. Why did nobody come to the club?
Button knew for a fact that he wasn’t the only gamer in this school! Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and even some upper classmen like Rainbow Dash loved video games, and he was sure that they would show up! So, why didn’t they? Was it because of him?
Button had never really been popular. Before high school, he had been a major recluse, hurrying home after class every day so he could hop onto his Ponystation 4 and game. Button never attended social events, but when he got to high school he had really and truly tried to change himself!
…did people not show up because he was the one managing the club? That thought really stung Button and made him sad.
Button was just about to get out of the bean bag and head home, figuring if nobody was here to game with him, he might as well go home and game where he was more comfortable. But right as he was about to get up, he heard a voice from nearby.
“Hello? Is anybody there?” The voice asked, and the voice made Button’s ear prick up. That voice…he knew that voice. It sounded older and more mature than his classmates or really anybody in the school. Button heard footsteps on the carpet, and they were getting closer and closer and closer, until…
“Vice Principal Luna?” Button asked, looking over to the woman in worry. “What are you doing here? Wait, you’re not here to kick me out of the library, are you? I was just about to leave, you don’t have to kick me out!” Button said to the woman, who simply looked down at the boy sitting in the bean bag chair and blinked in confusion.
“Kick you out? Dear Button Mash, kicking you out is not the reason that I’m here. I’m here for the gamers’ club advertised here.” Luna said as she held up one of the fliers Button had designed. “My sister told me that you were the leader of this club. But…where are the others, dear Button Mash? Why are you here alone?” Luna asked the boy. Button sighed and looked back up at the ceiling.
“Nobody else is here. It’s just me here. For the third week in a row!” Button said, his annoyance clearly evident in his voice. But then he blinked in confusion and looked back towards Luna. “Wait…you’re here for the club? But why? Aren’t video games kinda…a young person’s thing?” Button asked the woman, watching as her dark blue cheeks turned red from anger at his statement.
“Excuse me, young man?! Why, I’ll have you know that gaming is not just a thing for young people! I play video games all the time and I owned a Ponystation 1 when I was in high school, not that I’m old anyway! I’m only 32 years old, 5 years younger than my sister! I’m only twice your age!” Luna said, her anger very evident in her tone of voice.
Button Mash, not wanting to incur the wrath of his Vice Principal and perhaps get detention, quickly tried to calm the woman down. “Whoa, whoa! Vice Principal Luna, I wasn’t trying to anger you, it was just an honest question! I’m sorry if I insulted you!” Button said to the woman, watching her as the red on her cheeks visibly disappeared and her skin tone went back to normal.
“Apology accepted.” Luna said simply as she suddenly hopped into the bean bag chair next to Button. Given how much bigger and heavier she was than Button it was a miracle the bean bag chair could take such abuse. Button looked over at the woman curiously.
“But can I ask a question? Isn’t the Vice Principal participating in a student club highly unusual?” Button asked the woman, who looked over at him and gave him a smirk.
“Isn’t having a gaming club in a high school weird? College, perhaps not, but high school, yes. And whose TV and Ponystation 4 do you think those are?” Luna asked the boy as she pointed over to both objects, giving Button a bit of a smirk. “You didn’t think my sister agreed to allow this club’s creation on purely your proposal alone? Your proposal was convincing, but I gave my sister the final push needed.” Luna said with a chuckle, but then she suddenly became sad and stared towards the floor.
“Though I didn’t expect no other students would attend, dear Button Mash. I’m sincerely sorry about that. I’ll try to see if I can get some students to show up, but I can’t force any of them to do so. I wanted to attend this club the last few weeks but being a Vice Principal can be a very tiring, time consuming job!” Luna said with a sound of dismay in her voice. Indeed, she had been shoveling through much paperwork the past few weeks and hadn’t gotten the chance to think, let alone attend this club.
“Though, if others do not show up it won’t be the end of the world, Button Mash. You and I shall have great fun together. Tell me, what games do you play?” The older mare asked the younger colt, and Button thought about her question for a few moments before replying.
“If I tell you, you promise not to give me detention or tell my parents. Promise.” Button demanded the mare, who looked over to him and smiled.
“I promise I won’t tell or give you detention.” Luna said with a chuckle, waiting for Button to answer her question. The boy rolled his eyes and smiled back at the woman.
“Lately I’ve been loving GTA V. It’s got some horrible language and stuff and I know it’s 17+, but my mom got it for my birthday and I love it! It’s so much fun!” Button said with a bit of a giddy laugh as he spoke about his favorite game in the entire world. Luna grabbed a remote to turn the TV on and a controller to the console and booted it up.
“GTA V, eh? I’ve heard much about it but have never played it. I insist that you let me play!” Luna said, her voice making it clear that it was a demand and not a request. Button nodded and signed in to his Ponystation Network account so Luna could download the game onto her console for the time being. Once the game was downloaded, she loaded the game up and Button sat back in his bean bag chair, getting ready to watch her play.
“It’s awesome! Just make sure you think quickly when driving or shooting. You should try playing in first person!” Button told the vice principal as he grabbed a Harmony Cola and cracked it open. Luna looked at the screen as the game booted up and loaded into story mode. Button got comfy in the bean bag chair and sipped his cola, figuring it would be a fun show watching Luna try to figure out how to play.
Luna seemed to fumble with the controls for quite a few minutes, since Button’s save loaded her directly into the story and not the prologue with the tutorial. But after a few minutes, she seemed to be understanding it.
“Uh-uh, ok, so L1 lets you change your weapons, circle is melee…oh and triangle lets you steal cars. I think I’m getting this now!” Luna said excitedly as she walked into the marker nearby to trigger the next mission. In game, the time of day quickly moved forward from night to day and they both watched the cutscene involving Franklin talking to Simeon. Some time later, Luna had arrived at the house as Franklin.
This mission required her to be stealthy the entire time, and while she tried her best she ended up getting caught. Then twice. Then thrice. On the fourth time she got upset and kicked the floor. “What am I doing wrong?! Why do they keep seeing me?!” Luna huffed, upset. Button quickly grabbed the controller from her and showed her what she was doing wrong.
“You were going too quickly. See, the point with a lot of these stealth missions is that you have to go slow and let the events play out. So here, Tracey is walking from Jimmy’s room to her room, and she can see you. You have to wait until she’s in her room before you move forward.” Button stated as he did as he said. “And here, Amanda is talking with her tennis coach. So you have to wait until they start touching each other to move to the garage.” Button explained as he once again did as he was explaining.
He got into the car, and handed the controller back to Luna. Luna took the controller and began to play again, driving from the house back to the dealership, though she was shocked when Michael appeared and held the gun against Franklin’s head.
Luna then played the game without any problems for the next hour, managing to complete the first heist involving the jewel store. Luna was positively giddy at the end of that mission, acting as if she had actually completed the heist in real life. Honestly, she might be his Vice Principal, but Button found Luna’s antics and excitement…really cute. She was almost nerdy while still being his VP.
“Did you see that?! Oh my gosh, the way we escaped on the bikes and rammed the cops out of the way with the truck! That was so fun! Oh goodness!” Luna said excitedly, giggling as the cutscene finished. It was then that the game changed to the viewpoint of Trevor, who was…getting frisky with a girl in his trailer.
Luna grimaced and turned her head away from the screen momentarily. “My my, Button Mash, you’re lucky I’m here and not my sister. If my sister saw this cutscene she might put an end to your gaming club, or at least put more harsh restrictions on what we can play while here.” Luna said with a chuckle, grabbing a Harmony Cola of her own and cracking it open. She brought her head back and began sipping from the can, enjoying the flavor.
She let out a refreshed ‘ahhhhh’ sound, and smiled. “Sugary and delicious. My sister says I drink too much soda but it’s too tasty to give up.” Luna said with a smile.
“So, dearest Button Mash, do you have any other games?” The vice principal asked the boy, figuring now was a good time to switch to a different game since the game had moved on to Trevor. It seemed like a natural pausing point.
Button rubbed his hand upon his chin for a few moments, trying to think of another game they could play. He looked at Luna for a minute, as if trying to decide on something. “Well, I do have another game, but you have to promise not to cry when I kick your butt at it.” Button said with a mischievous chuckle escaping from his mouth. Luna rolled her eyes at her student, watching him as he grabbed the controller and selected the next game from his library.
“Super Smash Bros. Melee?” Luna asked inquisitively as she watched the game boot up. “If I might ask, why Melee and not Brawl or Ultimate?” Luna asked the boy curiously. Button gave the woman I smile and sat back into his bean bag chair, getting comfortable as he handed Luna a second controller.
“Cause Melee is clearly the best in the series! I know armies of people would say Ultimate is the best, but I think it’s the best one. The combat fluidity is the best, there’s no clear cut OP characters, and the levels are insanely fun. Let’s go to Temple, that’s my favorite Smash level of all time!” Button said excitedly as he chose the level, and then the character selection screen booted up.
“Alright, so we’re going to go with the rules I always play with my friends. Classic tourney rules. Two minutes, most KO’s wins. I’m going to be Link.” Button said as he quickly chose the character. Luna perused the character menu for a few moments before ultimately deciding on Ganondorf. This surprised Button.
“Ganondorf? Huh. Interesting choice. He’s really slow and it can be hard to stay off the edge with him sometimes. But I guess he’s really powerful. I would have guessed you’d go with Shiek, though.” Button said with a chuckle, and Luna turned to look at him.
“Oh? And why is that?” Luna asked, her voice sounding curious and inquisitive. Button chuckled again and hit start, letting the map load up.
“Because you’re dark, and mysterious, but undeniably cool just like she is.” Button said with a smile, and in return he saw a sudden blush form upon Luna’s features. Luna wasn’t used to being complimented by anyone, let alone a cute student like Button Mash. The level loaded, and Luna immediately went from blushing to putting on her game face.
Luna was no stranger to these fighting games, and she quickly got into her competitive mindset. She and Button spawned in on Temple, and she made the first move, aggressively jumping down to where Link was and slashing with Ganondorf’s sword. Button countered by using jumping over Ganondorf with Link, and using the downward slash for a quick strike.
They quickly got into a very heated, competitive battle. Button took the first KO, knocking Ganondorf out of the arena, but then Luna returned the favor and knocked Link into next week. Button ended up winning the first game.
Then, they ended up playing a second game, which Luna won this time. Then a third, with Luna winning again. A fourth, with Button taking that one. Before they knew it, they had each won five games, and with their thumbs starting to cramp from the nonstop action, they both knew it was time for a tiebreaker.
“Alright…one last round. This one is for all the marbles. GO!” Button shouted as the level loaded up. The two of them entered an intense battle filled with lots of jumping and use of combos. Button made it competitive the entire match, but at the very end he let Ganondorf slash Link with his sword, sending him off the map and giving Luna the win. Button easily could have won the match if he wanted to, but he wanted to be nice and let Luna win, as a way to thank her for showing up to the gaming club today.
Of course, Luna didn’t KNOW that Button threw the last match, and she thought she had won it fair and square. She hopped up from the bean bag chair and threw her arms up in a happy celebration. “YES! I’M THE ULTIMATE MELEE CHAMPION!”
Luna’s happiness made Button smile, and he was going to speak when suddenly, Luna’s face crashed towards his own, and before the young man could react, Luna had pushed her lips onto his own, initiating a kiss which turned Button’s world upside down!
Button’s eyes opened wide from complete, utter shock, and while for the first ten seconds or so he didn’t kiss back and tried to squirm his way away from the vice principal, eventually he gave in and melted into the kiss. It was a relatively chaste kiss, but it was one filled with energy and excitement on Luna’s part, and Button found himself struggling to keep up.
They kissed for the better part of an entire minute, before Luna’s eyes suddenly opened as wide as Button’s eyes had, and she quickly pulled away from the kiss. Luna looked at Button, blinking a few times, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just done. Luna looked horrified.
‘...no contact with the students…’ Luna thought to herself internally. ‘…no contact with the students...’ Luna repeated inside her conscience as she looked at the boy, the look of horror magnifying more and more by the second. Suddenly, she spoke. “I have to go, Button Mash!” Luna suddenly shouted at the boy, and before Button could say another word, Luna had sprinted out of the library to…lord knows where. Button, himself, blinked dumbly a few times, not believing what in the world had just happened.
With a sullen sigh, the young man walked to the TV and unplugged everything from it, storing the TV back in the supply closet along with everything else. He then put the bean bag chairs in their proper place and threw away the Harmony Colas. Once everything was clean, Button swung his backpack over his shoulders and made the long trek from the library, out of the school, and beginning to walk home.
Thankfully, the Mash house was only a couple blocks from the school, but to Button it felt like it were miles and miles away. With practically every step he took, his mind flooded with thoughts of what happened today, especially the most recent bit with his vice principal. Why had she kissed him like that? And why did she suddenly run away like that? Had he done something wrong? Button really hoped he hadn’t done anything to upset her. He had a lot of fun with her, playing the games together!
Soon, after what felt like a lifetime of walk down the city blocks, Button finally reached home. Walking inside the house, he shut the door behind him, kicked his shoes off, and hung his backpack up on the coat rack. His mom was waiting for him, and with a smile she walked over with a tray of his favorite homemade chocolate chip cookies.
“Welcome home, sweetie! How was school? And how was gaming club? Did anyone show up this week? You seem upset, what happened?” His mom asked, her voice descending from a voice of excitement to hear about her baby boy’s day to one of sadness as she saw the upset look upon his face.
Button realized, telling his mom that the vice principal had kissed him would be a very bad idea, and lead to a headache he didn’t want to deal with, so he decided to omit that part from his answer. “School was okay mom, boring and math really sucked as it always does. Gaming club was great and someone did show up! We had a lot of fun playing Super Smash Bros, and…well not a whole lot else happened. I’m ok, I just…stubbed my toe on the walk home.” Button fibbed, looking at his mom, hoping she believed his little lie.
Button’s mom seemed more inquisitive, as evidenced by her eyebrows furrowing suddenly, but just when Button started to get worried, she smiled at him and handed him two cookies. “Well, it’s going to be dinner time soon, sweetie. Go upstairs and do your homework, and dinner will be ready by the time you’re done.” With that, his mother planted an affectionate smooch on his forehead before turning around and heading into the kitchen.
Button smiled at his mom, went to his backpack, grabbed his homework, and walked upstairs to his bedroom. He sat down at the homework desk his mother had set up in here, and got to work. But the entire time he tried to do his homework, his mind kept drifting back to Luna.
He…he hated to admit it, but he had really enjoyed that kiss they shared. And he was still so confused as to why she did it in the first place. Button was confused in general, and he found that he simply couldn’t write a five page essay on Romeo and Juliet with how distracted he was.
With a sigh, Button put down his pencil and sat back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. He could only say one thing at the moment.
“I really hope she comes back next week.”
