After realizing her dream of earning her cutie mark—in the company of her best friends, no less—Scootaloo’s life should have been on an upward course. Instead, she sees herself on yet another crusade, one which will lead her to question her friends, her family, and what it means to love, and be loved. — Takes place immediately after "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" (S05E18).

New to the story? Start with the Recap Chapter!

Chapters 1-36 written by jowijo. Chapters 37+ written by myself. Information here.

(Need more? Scrapped chapters)

Editors:
Dreams of Ponies (21-36)
Level Dasher (36)
brokenimage321 (1-23;31)
Eruantalon (21 & 22)
JackRipper (26, 29, 31)

Prereaders:
I Thought I Was Toast (31-37)
TheGreatEater (1-24)
Krack-fic Kai (37)
jowijo (37)

This story is a sequel to The Gift of the Mash

Button Mash had been planning this out for years, ever since that one Heaths Warming Eve where Sweetie Belle kissed him. He was going to ask her out on a date. He's got the perfect idea, taking her out to the Canterlot Winter Ball after Hearths Warming Eve. Only problem is that he doesn't have tickets, but he knows somepony who does. Somepony he's going to regret working for.

Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle is getting prepared for her date with the one boy she's had a crush on for a long time. However, her entire world is rocked when she learns of a secret she was never meant to learn and questions everything in life.

Will this Hearths Warming Eve end up being a season of memories or a season of sorrows?

Edited by CommanderX5 , JumbledThought and Corpulent Brony.

Art work done by RoyalRainbow

The Cutie Mark Crusaders decide they need to expand their numbers, but things quickly go awry when their first target begins sobbing on the spot. Sweetie Belle soon finds herself roped into hanging out with the young colt.

Can Sweetie Belle see past the young colts weirdness and allow friendship to bloom? Can Button Mash fake enough normal behavior to make at least one friend? Will these two hit it off, or are Button’s only friends destined to be the ones in his video games, forever?

Cover art by users Vallis and Novel-Idea

Six years after getting her big break, Sweetie Belle is back in Ponyville filming for a new documentary about her life. She's a famous singer now, selling out concert halls and producing top 40 hits all across Equestria. Now, she's collecting interviews from all the ponies that played a major part in her life story as she grew up. However, there's one pony who she wants to interview more than any other: Button Mash. In addition to being six years since she got her start, it's also been six years since he broke up with her.

Despite keeping in touch with letters over the years, Sweetie had never brought up the topic of the breakup since it happened, yet she wasn't satisfied with the reason he gave. Deep in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think that it was somehow her fault. Now though, she had the chance she wanted to get the answers she sought. The only questions left to be answered are will she be able to handle the truth, and what will revealing the biggest secret he's kept the last six years do to Button?

No matter what happens, both their lives will never be the same.