The first time she noticed him was probably after that disastrous talent show she and her friends performed for as young foals. If everything that happened between them could be traced back to that disaster, then maybe that stupid show was worth all the laughter and shame.

“Why are they all laughing out there at our act?” Apple Bloom cried after running off the stage.

“Because they think we’re a joke, obviously,” responded Sweetie Belle, tearing off her costume as quickly as she could, trying to hide the tears in her eyes.

“Well, maybe they’re right!” Scootaloo shouted in frustration. “Maybe this whole Cutie Mark Crusader idea was a joke to begin with, and we should all just forget the whole stupid thing!”

Scootaloo ran off as her friends called out after her. She didn’t know where she was going, and she didn’t care. She just wanted to get away from the stage, the laughter, and all the ponies she knew.

She didn’t even see the colt in front of her before running straight into him, knocking both foals to the ground.

“Whoa, are you okay?” the colt asked as the two collected themselves off the ground.

“Umm… yeah, I guess,” Scootaloo responded. “Sorry. Button, right? I recognize you from school.”

“That’s okay. Oh, hey, you’re Scootaloo! You were just performing on stage, right? “ Button asked.

“Heh, if you want to call it that. More like embarrassing myself on stage.”

“Hey, I thought you looked pretty cool!”

“Yeah right, sure.” Scootaloo dismissed his compliment. “You’re just teasing.”

“No, really!” Button insisted. “You looked just like the main character from my favorite game, Initial Reality 7! I thought it was really awesome looking!”

Scootaloo blushed a little from the colt’s compliment, but quickly remembered all the laughter from the audience. Her mood soured immediately.

“Well, no one else seemed to think it was cool. I think most ponies just thought we were a stupid joke!” Scootaloo shouted, before running off again.

Button shouted after her, but she didn’t hear what he said. She just wanted to get away from there. Away from the laughing ponies, away from her friends, and away from the awkward encounter with colt.

Even if his words did fill her with a certain warmth inside.

“Nice game, Scoots!” Rumble said as he walked off the field with her.

“Thanks Rumble! You too!” she replied. “That sure was a nice slide into the pitch to dunk that home run!”

“Yeah, well the way you shot that puck into the basket sure was a cool way to score a touchdown too, you know?”

“Heh, I guess,” Scootaloo admitted, rubbing a hoof through her hair.

“Say, Scoots, my brother is away this weekend and I was wondering if maybe you’d like to come over and, you know, maybe work on some ‘athletic maneuvers’?” Rumble suggested.

“Oh, uh, that sounds, um, neat and all Rumble, but… Oh! Hey Button!” Scootaloo shouted to the brown colt, running towards him and away from a shocked and slightly disappointed Rumble.

Rumble watched with envy as Scootaloo hugged her best friend, as the earth pony started showing her the game he was playing. Ever since she'd stopped hanging out with Sweetie and Apple Bloom, Button had grown increasingly closer to the pegasus filly. He was always sitting in the bleachers at her games, clearly not paying attention to anything happening on the field. His attention was constantly focused more on his games than anything that was happening in front of him. And yet, Scootaloo always treated him as if he were her biggest fan, and Button never failed to be at her games.

“Hmph! What does she even see in that nerd?” Rumble grumbled to himself as she watched the pegasus excitedly chatting it up with the earth pony. “Hope he realizes how lucky he is, that little bastard.”

It had been nearly a full year since that disastrous performance that Cheerilee had gathered the entire school together for a special announcement in the auditorium. Scootaloo looked around the room while she waited to hear what this was all about. Most of the students were gathered in small groups, gossiping and guessing what sort of news was so important to gather everypony together like this.

Sweetie Belle was laughing it up with her new friends Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, no doubt at some other poor filly’s expense. Apple Bloom was alone at the edge of the crowd, nose buried in some zebra book and barely paying to the other foals around her. The three of them had barely talked much since the talent show had proved to all three of them what a dumb idea that whole ‘Cutie Mark Crusader’ idea had been, but some part of Scootaloo still missed hanging out with the two of them. She felt like she’d lost an important piece of herself when they’d all gone their separate ways.

Lost in her thoughts as she was, she didn’t even notice Button walk up beside her until he said hi. Despite her best efforts, she felt the blood rushing to her face as soon as she realized how close he was to her. For some reason she reacted like this to his presence more and more often recently, but she could never figure out why.

“Oh, um, hey Button,” she greeted him as casually as she could. “Any idea what all this is about?”

“Nope,” he replied. “But rumor is that it’s some really big news that has all the adults excited.”

“Hmmph, well, whatever it is, it must be pretty big. The last time we were all gathered up like this was when Miss Cheerilee told us all about that failed changeling invasion of Canterlot last spring.”

“Yeah, let’s hope it’s not anything as scary as that this time.”

“Scary? You mean awesome, right?!” Scootaloo eagerly asked. “I wish I could have been there to see when the Royal Guards and the Wonderbolts kicked those bugs’ butts out of the city. So cool!”

“Scootaloo! Dozens of ponies lost their lives that day!” Button scolded the filly. “You shouldn’t be so glib about it.”

“Hmph, I guess,” Scotts pouted. “But it was still cool how the Wonderbolts drove them out of the city. Especially their newest member, Rainbow Dash! She’s so awesome, I’d give anything to meet her someday!”

“Well, maybe one day you will, Scoots!” Button encouraged her. “Oh! Looks like Miss Cheerilee is stepping up to the podium. Please don’t be anything bad.”

“Relax, Button. What’s the worst that could happen?” she asked.

“Fillies and colts,” Cheerilee began. “I have some exciting news to share with all of you today. The Crystal Empire has returned!”

“Why are they doing this!” Scootaloo cried as she saw the headlines plastered all over the center of town. Sombra’s armies had slaughtered their way to Neighagra Falls, and Equestria’s forces were only barely repelling their push toward Manehatten.

Ponyville seemed much quieter these days, with so many of the adult ponies being called up to join the Equestrian guard and help defend the country. Those who remained were all on edge, dreading every day that they’d wake up to a letter informing them that the worst had happened to a loved one. It was as if Equestria was losing itself more and more every day since the return of Sombra and his Crystal ponies.

“Hey, come on, relax Scoots,” Button comforted her, wrapping a hoof around her chest and pulling her close. “Come on, this will be just like the Changelings, you’ll see. Princess Celestia and the guard will beat these guys back so hard, they’ll seal themselves away again for another 1000 years.”

“Yeah… I hope so,” Scootaloo responded. “But! I bet it will be Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts who kick their butts back home!”

“See, that’s the spirit! There’s no way those dumb Crystal ponies can stand up to all the forces of Equestria!”

“Yeah, you’re right. Tha– ah!” Scootaloo shouted mid-sentence and ran off to get a closer look at one of the recent pieces of news.

“Scoots, wha… oh.” Button started to ask, before he instantly understood.

WONDERBOLTS DEFEATED: Lone Survivor in Critical Condition read the headline, a picture of a wounded pegasus being carried on a gurney into an ambulance cart accompanying the article.

“Rainbow Dash…” Scootaloo stared at the picture, tears welling in her eyes. “...that’s Rainbow Dash, but… her wing…”

“Scoots, hey… come here,” Button wrapped the filly up in his hooves, hugging her to his body. Scootaloo began to sob into his chest fur. He rubbed a hoof through her mane, petting her head as she cried into him, trying his best to comfort her. “It’ll be okay.”

“Will it really?” Scootaloo asked, looking up at him with reddened eyes.

He sighed. “I don’t know, Scoots. I honestly don’t know.”

The two foals remained there in the town square for a long time, trying to find some comfort in each other from the cold, uncaring world they found themselves in.

Graduation should have been a happy time for Scootaloo and her classmates, but there was no cheer to be found on any of their faces as Cheerilee somberly hoofed out their diplomas. Their teacher was clearly trying her best not to cry as she knew she’d likely never see many of their faces again. Most of the class was in a similar state.

“It’s not fair!” Scootaloo insisted as she and Button sat together, spending what little time they still had together.

“We all have to do what we can for the cause, Scoots,” Button told her, trying to keep his voice from wavering.

“But you can barely run a mile in gym class!” Scootaloo shouted. “And now they expect you to march on the front lines and Celestia knows what else?”

“If that’s what Equestria needs me to do, then what else can I do?”

“Damn it, Button! It should be me out there and you staying back here, teaching and training foals!”

“Scoots… you know why they won’t let you fight on the front. It’s because you, well…”

“Yeah, I know!” She yelled, anger flush on her face as the others in the room noticed her building rage. “It’s because I can’t fly, damn it. Who needs a pegasus who can’t fly, right?! Who cares if I’m in better shape and more athletic than most of the other mares my age being dragged out there? No pony needs a pegasus who’s wings don’t work, so I’m just useless! I might as well just–”

Whatever else she was planning to say in her rant was silenced by Button pulling her toward him and kissing her right there in front of all their classmates. Scootaloo was surprised, but returned the kiss reflexively. She let out a disappointed moan when Button at last pulled away from her.

“You’re not useless, Scoots, and there’s at least one pony here who definitely needs you. So, just stay here and stay safe, and I promise that I’ll come back to you,” Button promised her.

“Aw, geez. You definitely got that line from one of your lame animes, didn’t you?” Scoots asked, causing the young stallion to blush.

“...maybe,” he admitted.

Scootaloo smiled brightly at him. “Come here, you big nerd.”

The two kissed again, sharing a promise of many more to be had in their future.

Snow crunched beneath Scootaloo’s hooves as she hurried to the train station. It was winter time in Ponyville, but you’d hardly know by looking at the town. Where once there would have been colored lights and festively decorated trees heralding the approach of Hearth’s Warming, now the whole town looked like an entirely different place than Scootaloo remembered in her foalhood memories. Ponies had little cheer and even less will to celebrate the longer this war with Sombra dragged on.

None of that mattered to Scootaloo right now, though, as she stood at the station, shifting impatiently from one hoof to another as she waited for the train to arrive. That’s because she was receiving the greatest Hearth’s Warming gift that she could dream of, Button was coming home! Sure, it was only going to be a few days of leave before he was shipped back north to the front, but Scootaloo intended to make the most of those few days.

After what felt like an eternity, the engine finally pulled into the station. Scootaloo’s eyes scanned back and forth across the cars, watching for Button to step out of one of the cars. When the young stallion at last emerged, she galloped straight toward him and nearly tackled him to the ground.

“Button!” she shouted his name as she glomped him. Before he could even respond, she had already pulled him into a kiss, shoving her tongue into his mouth.

Unable and, frankly, unwilling to separate himself from Scootaloo, Button simply wrapped his hooves around her and pulled him closer to his body as they made out on the train platform.

Unfortunately, they eventually did have to pull apart from one another. The two struggled to catch their breath as they stared into each other’s eyes.

“Well,” Button finally broke the silence, “that’s certainly one way to be welcomed home.”

“Sorry,” Scootaloo said with a blush. “Guess I was just a little excited to see you again.”

“I guess so,” Button teased. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”

“Well, I would hope not, Button. Not many stallions I know who would complain about a mare as cute as me doing that to them,” Scootaloo replied haughtily, before her expression became more serious. “Seriously, though. It’s great to see you again. You have no idea how worried I’ve been for you since you left. For everypony, really.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. It’s really nice to see you again, Scoots. It’s been awful being away from home for so long, fighting against those crystal monsters for so long. Seeing you again, you can’t imagine how wonderful it is.”

“What’s it like out there, Button? Honestly, we haven’t been getting much news recently about the war. Everypony is really worried.”

“”Heh, I’m not surprised that they’re keeping updates on the war hushed up, to be honest. It’s… It’s not really going well…” Button told her, glancing away from her gaze as trailed off.

“Wait. What do you–”

“Hey. Come on, Scoots. Let’s not talk about the war today, alright? It feels like forever since I’ve been home, and all I want is to forget about being a soldier for a few days and spend some time with my best mare.”

“I better be you’re only mare,” Scootaloo told him with a sly smile, “or you’ll be begging to get back to the front by the time I’m done with you.”

“Ha! That’s the Scootaloo I know,” Button laughed. “Come on, let’s go for a trot around town and you can catch me up on what’s been happening around here.”

The two ponies walked side by side with each other in silence for a long while, sharing warmth with each other against the winter chill as they made their way through the mostly silent town.

“I missed you, Button,” Scootaloo finally spoke. “I didn’t realize how used to having you around I’d gotten until you weren’t there anymore.”

“I know, Scoots. I feel the same. I’ve missed seeing your smile, hearing your voice, listening to your dumb jokes.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry,” Button laughed as Scootaloo lightly punched his shoulder. “But seriously, I never really realized how much I enjoyed watching you running around doing those –you know– sports things, until now.”

“And I took for granted how nice it was having you in the stands, playing those dumb games and occasionally looking up to cheer when everypony else did, until you left and weren't there anymore,” Scootaloo admitted.

“Well, I don’t want to take it for granted any more,” Button told her resolutely, surprising her by taking her hooves in his. “How about it, Scootaloo? When this war is over and I’m finally able to come home for good, how’d you like to be my mare?” he asked.

“What? Are you kidding, Button? Was my greeting at the train station too subtle for you?” she responded with a laugh. “Of course I’d be happy to be your mare, you dummy!”

The two kissed again as the snow fell around them, promising themselves to one another directly in front of the old library tree.

“That means you’d better kick that Sombra’s butt and come home safe soon, Button,” Scootaloo told him once they pulled apart. “You know I hate waiting around for long.”

“For sure, Scoots. I know there’s nothing I’ll face out there in the war that will be scarier than knowing that a certain pegasus is grumpy and impatient back home.”

“Ha! And don’t you forget it!”

“I love you, Scootaloo,” Button told her. “I think I have since we were little foals.”

“I love you too, Button,” Scootaloo responded. “I love you so much, and I just wish we could be done with this stupid war and be together forever.”

“We will, Scoots. Once I come home, I promise I’ll spend every moment of my life with you.”

“Well,” Scootaloo whispered slyly into his ear. “You’re home right now, and my place isn’t too far from here. Why don’t we start showing each other our dedication to each other tonight?”

Button looked shocked at first, but smiled eagerly and the two raced to Scootaloo’s house. The earth pony didn’t end up getting much rest during his leave, but he did find a lot of satisfaction during his time away from the war.

Scootaloo galloped at full speed through the boarded up streets of Ponyville. She paid no heed to her surroundings, rushing past the few ponies out in the streets as she made a beeline toward the train station. She’d gotten news only moments ago of Button’s return to town, but silently she cursed herself for not being able to run faster as she made her way to him. A pregnant mare could only move so fast, after all.

So blind to her surroundings was she, Scootaloo hardly even noticed the oddly out of place table made out of crystal that was directly in her way. She nearly ran directly into it, stopping just short of hitting it. This definitely had never been there before, and yet something about it seemed… correct. As if it was more real than anything else Scootaloo had ever seen. There was a comforting warmth radiating from it that reminded her of old friends. For a single, fleeting moment, Scootaloo felt at ease.

But there was somewhere she needed to be, and as soon as she remembered where she was running, a cold dread overtook her. She broke off into a gallop again, forgetting all about the table and the map that it displayed.

She arrived just in time to see several ponies carrying Button off the train. Scootaloo watched in shock and despair as he was respectfully carried toward her. Her stallion had finally returned to her, as a war hero no less, and yet it was all she could do not to break down sobbing right there on the platform. The coffin was gently lowered in front of her, and Scootaloo looked down at her stallion. At the father of the foal growing inside of her. The ponies escorting his body tactfully looked away as the mare broke down crying over his body.

“You can’t be dead!” she yelled at his body between sobs. “You promised you’d come back and we’d be together! You were going to be my stallion and I was your mare! You can’t leave me, Button. Please. Please, you can’t leave our foal…”

Despite her pleas, Button gave no response. Scootaloo wasn’t sure how long she cried over him. It could have been minutes, hours, or an eternity. It didn’t matter anymore to her. All she knew was, her stallion was dead. It all felt so wrong.

“I swear, Button, I’ll always love you!” She vowed over his body. “No matter what, I’l never forget our love! I swear it to you, I’ll forever be yours and yours alone. So please don’t leave me! Please, somepony, anypony… please give me more time with my Button!”

One of the guard ponies finally stepped forward and helped Scootaloo up to her hooves. She let him lead her away, following her stallion’s body to wherever it was being carried. Neither her nor any of the other ponies noticed the strange magic lighting up the sky behind them, nor the unfamiliar unicorn and dragon being sucked into the air. A bright, white light flashed around them as the spell was completed, and then–

“Scootaloo… Scootaloo… Equestria to Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle called out, waving a hoof in front of her face.

“Huh? Wha-?” Scootaloo stammered. Strange, had she been daydreaming about something?

“Ya’ll okay there, Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom asked, looking concerned. “You totally just zoned out for a minute there.”

“Uh, yeah. I think so?” Scootaloo replied, trying to clear out the haze from her mind. “I guess I kind of got lost in my own thoughts there for a minute.”

“Thoughts about what?” Sweetie asked incredulously.
“Honestly, I don’t even remember,” the pegasus admitted. “Couldn’t have been anything important, I guess. Anyway, what were we talking about?”

“I was askin’ if any of ya’ll knew who that mare was that my sister and the others were singing through town with,” Apple Bloom reminded her, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Scootaloo shrugged. “I dunno. Sounded like it was something about friendship though, so I’m sure we’ll hear more about her later.”

“Why wait? If she’s a new friend, then let’s go meet her,” Sweetie Belle suggested. “After all, if she’s learning about friendship, then she should know that the Cutie Mark Crusaders are here to help!”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom agreed.

Scootaloo, however, barely heard Sweetie’s suggestion. Instead, she found herself staring at a certain brown furred colt sitting on a bench a few blocks down from where she and her friends were.

“Hey Scootaloo… you’re doing that zoning out thing again…” Sweetie Belle said, following her friend’s gaze down the road. “And why are you staring at Button Mash like that? What’s got you so fascinated by him all of a sudden?”

“Um… nothing,” Scootaloo lied. “But listen, I just remembered I’ve got a thing I need to do. Can I talk to you girls later?”

“Ooh. Ah see what’s goin’ on,” Apple Bloom said, smiling knowingly. “Come on, Sweetie. Let’s go see our sisters while Scoots ‘does her thing’,” she winked at the pegasus.

“Wha? Bu–!” Sweetie Belle tried to ask, before being dragged away by Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo barely noticed her friends’ antics as she trotted towards where Button was currently sitting, playing one of his games.

“Um… oh, hey Button!” Scootaloo awkwardly greeted the colt.

“Oh… hi Scootaloo,” Button replied, equally as awkward. “Did you uh, need me for something?”

“No, I just… um… I don’t know, honestly,” Scootaloo admitted. “I just kind of felt like talking to you for a bit.”

“O..kay? What, uh, what did you want to talk to me about?” he asked.

“Well, I… hey! Wow, that stallion’s outfit looks almost just like the one I wore at that talent show a while back,” she said, laughing, while pointing at the screen of Button’s game.

“Oh, yeah, I know,” Button replied, laughing with her, “I remember thinking the same thing back when you and your friends did that comedy routine.”

“What game is it?” Scootaloo asked, settling down next to him. Something about being close to the colt felt strangely right to her.

“It’s one of my favorites!” Button replied, angling the screen to give her a better look. “It’s called Penultimate Reality 7. It’s a, uh, a neighponese RPG about this mercenary and a bunch of his friends fighting against an evil empire before uncovering an even bigger danger caused by a former soldier that the main character used to serve in the Royal Guards with.”

“Sounds neat,” Scootaloo replied. “Do you mind if I watch you play for a while?”

“Not at all,” Button replied, blushing slightly. “I’d actually really like that.”

And so the pair of foals sat together watching Button’s game as the world around them moved past. Neither noticed as they both moved closer together, cuddling up on the bench as if it were the most natural thing in the world for them. As if they were just meant to be that way.

And this time, a much happier future awaited them both.

Author's Note

Merry Jinglemas, everyone! This year, I had the opportunity to write for Akataja, who was kind enough to write me a fic for the Summer Sin celebration last July, and who I also had the opportunity of writing a Jinglemas fic for last December. I think Shakespearicles might be trying to ship us or something at this point.

This year, I was asked for "a romantic story between Scootaloo, the sport-loving athletic energetic filly, and Button Mash, the nerdy games-loving colt." I, uh, I have no idea how that ended up turning into this depressing catastrophe, but I guess I just have trouble writing romance without the word tragic in front of it.

I've always been fascinated with the alternate timelines presented in Season 5's finale, and took the opportunity to explore one of them in a little more depth. I hope it was enjoyable, though I worry that I might have gone a bit dark for what should be a wholesome Jinglemas fic. I dunno. I liked writing it, at least.

Akataja, I hope you enjoyed this thing and wish you the very merriest Jinglemas. And to all my readers who have the "view mature" option turned off, I'll see you all again next year