“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” An earth-shattering scream exploded out of a house in a cul-de-sac. This house belonged to a family consisting of a brown-skinned, ginger-haired middle schooler named Button Mash, his mother, and his father.
Presently, his parents were both still at work, so he was hanging out in the living room with his best friend First Base and Base’s brother Flash Sentry. The three of them had been watching TV together before Button Mash got the shock of his life.
“My ship!” Button continued to wail, flopping himself face down on the carpet. “They were so perfect together. Why?!”
First Base blinked twice and shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, that happened,” Base uttered as he turned off the television.
“That was,” Flash paused to collect his thoughts, “unexpected and sad.”
Button just kept groaning and wailing.
“Will you cut that out? It’s not even that big a deal,” Base retorted.
“Oh, oh! That’s easy for you to say. You didn’t even care who those two ended up with!” Button shouted as he lifted his head and pointed a finger accusingly at Base.
“Button, calm down,” Flash scolded. “Cerise and Soleil seeing other people isn’t the end of the world or the series. Besides, don’t you remember the point of the episode? Just because life doesn’t go the way that you want it to, it doesn’t mean life is over.”
Button opened his mouth to argue, but before he could say anything, somebody’s phone rang.
“It’s mine,” Flash announced as he looked at the caller ID, “and it’s from Twilight.”
“You gonna take that, Bro?” Base asked as Flash got up from the sofa.
“Uh-huh,” Flash replied as went into Button’s dining room. “Hey, Twilight.”
“Hi, Flash,” Twilight greeted back from the other side of the phone. “Have you by any chance seen ‘Miracle Queen’ yet?”
“Yeah. Button Mash, Little Bro, and I just saw it.”
“And?”
“Well,” Flash paused as he glanced back at the living room where Button had resumed making a scene. “Maybe you should listen for yourself.”
Flash held the mouthpiece of his phone out towards the living room.
“Starstruck, you jerk!” Button bellowed skyward. “Those two deserved each other, and you blew it! You totally blew it! Why?!”
After that outburst, he put his phone’s earpiece back next to his ear.
“Oh,” Twilight stated. “I see.”
“Yep,” he replied. “Pretty bad, huh?”
“It’s nowhere near as bad as how Rarity and Sweetie Belle are taking it.”
“Wait,” Flash said as his eyes widened in realization. “Are you at Rarity’s house right now?”
“Yes.”
“And you just watched a TV episode with her where one of her ships got sunk, right?”
“Also correct.”
“So, how in the world am I hearing you right now?”
“I ducked into Rarity’s closet. It’s soundproof,” Twilight explained.
Flash blinked twice, trying not to question why Rarity would need a soundproof closet.
“So, other than our present company, what did you think of it?” Twilight continued.
“I liked it,” Flash replied. “I mean, sure, it was a pretty unexpected turn of events, and I’m pretty disappointed with Dorure’s choices, not mad, just disappointed. Also, Master Gui forgetting everything was,” he sighed, “sad.”
“Ugh, I know, right?” Twilight agreed. “I mean, yes, something good came out of it for him, but still, he didn’t just lose his memories. He also lost the kwamis as his friends, and Cerise and Soleil lost a mentor. On top of that, the two of them are going to have to protect the kwamis on their own from now on.”
“And since Hawkmoth knows their allies’ secret identities, it’s going to be incredibly risky for them to get help in the future. Talk about pressure.”
“Uh, Flash,” Twilight stammered. “There’s something else from the episode that I really want to talk about because it’s bothering me, but I’m not sure if I should tell you.”
“Why not?”
“It’s just that, well, with you having to deal with one utterly distraught shipper already, I’m not sure if you’re going to want to talk about anything Love Square-related.”
“Oh, well, if it’s really bothering you, then I don’t see why we can’t talk about it,” Flash reassured her. “What about the whole shipping situation is bothering you?”
“Do, do you think Love Square is still going to be endgame?” Twilight asked nervously. “I want to believe that it will be, but what if that’s not what happens? What if the two of them can’t be together until they’re older than Gui or until Cerise stops being a guardian, which means they’ll have to start their relationship all over again from the beginning except with probably at least five years of their lives totally erased? I, I’m just having a really hard time seeing this ship work out in a way that doesn’t come with the risk of even more pain and heartache.”
“Heh, yeah, Starstruck really loves torturing the fans, doesn’t he?” Flash scoffed with a laugh.
“Does he ever!”
“Twilight, I feel like a complete fool for what I’m about to admit, but I think Love Square is going to totally work out. I know there’s a risk that Cerise and Soleil will get even more hurt than they already have been, which is kind of a given considering who Hawkmoth really is, but I believe they’ll get out of it stronger than ever and that they’ll find each other along the way.”
“But what if they don’t?”
“In the words of my grandmother, we’ll cross that bridge if we ever get to it.” Flash waited for Twilight to reply, but she remained silent for a while. “You still there?”
“Yeah,” Twilight replied, “I’m still here. Thanks for the talk, Flash. It was…” She paused. “It was nice and really, really sweet of you. I’ll probably talk to you some more later, but right now, I’ve got to go help calm down Rarity and Sweetie Belle.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Thanks,” she giggled. “Bye.”
The two of them hung up, and Flash turned his attention to Button Mash who was still face down on the floor mourning his ship.
“Would it mean anything to you at all if I told you that Love Square still has a chance?” Flash said to Button as he returned to the sofa.
“How?” Button cried. “They’re with other people now. It’s over.”
“No, it’s not,” Flash countered. “Button, I know there are people out there who find their special someone on the first try, my grandparents being two of them, but most people might need a few tries before that happens. The first relationship isn’t necessarily going to be the one that ends with a happily ever after. Take it from a guy who knows.”
First Base looked at his brother and asked, “So, you think this new girl you’re with is going to be the one this time around?”
That question somehow managed to get Button off the ground and sitting up properly. All eyes were on Flash, and Flash couldn’t decide if this was better or worse than listening to Button whine about his ship. Nevertheless, the boys needed an answer.
“It’s,” Flash began, letting out a sigh, “It’s too early to tell right now. I mean, we’re both just getting to know each other, and I don’t want to move this relationship forward too fast.” He paused. “But if I’m honest with myself, I really, really hope she’s the one.”
“Well, you didn’t have to lie to anyone to have her,” Base replied with a smile. “That’s a good sign.”
Flash smiled back at him. Ever so slightly, Flash’s smile grew more sinister. However, by the time that Base noticed this change, Flash had grabbed his younger brother into a headlock and begun rubbing his knuckles on the top of Base’s head.
Base shrieked as he struggled to pull his head out of Flash’s hold, jabbing his hands under Flash’s arms in desperation. One three-way tickle fight/wrestling match later, Flash found himself at the bottom of a dogpile with Base pinning his shoulders to the floor and Button holding down his ankles, all three of them laughing.