"Well, there it is," said Wayfarer, pointing to the clearing. "Are you able-bodied enough to take the cart from here?" before Love Tap or her son could answer, he detached himself from the harness.
"We'll be fine. Aren't you going to come into the village?" asked Love Tap, carefully hooking herself up to the large wagon containing all her family's belongings.
Wayfarer shook his head. "I'm not allowed past the perimeter, I'm afraid. I used to visit here pretty regular, but back in February Upendo enforced a residents-only ban every day except for Tuesday... and today ain't Tuesday." He paused for a moment in thought before adding, "You foalks be careful in there, alright? As far as I can tell, everything's on the up-and-up, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about all this secrecy."
Button Mash gritted his teeth and tried to keep his knees from knocking together.
"I'm sure we'll be fine," said Love Tap, gently pulling her son into a side-hug. "They probably just enjoy their privacy. It's one of the benefits of living out here, after all."
Looking at the ground, Wayfarer nodded a few times. "Of course. Well, be safe," he said. Without making eye contact, he turned and trotted away from the village.
"I'm a little w-worried Mom," said Button. "It's not too late to turn back is it?"
"I'm sure we'll be fine, dear. Since you put me in touch—"
"Large welcome!" came a deep and sonorous voice. Trotting towards them was a horse in a cloak.
"Oh! You must be Upendo?" asked Love Tap.
Removing the hood of his cloak, the zebra stallion smiled and motioned toward the village. "Love Tap and Button Mash, we have been expecting you. Let me welcome you to our fine community."
"Wow, you're big," said Button. "And I thought zebras were supposed to rhyme?"
Upendo chuckled. "Lacking rhyme is not strange, as that quirk of speaking is but one particular vow taken by members of our culture. Little does it matter, yet I would be happy to discuss my people with you at another time. Let me first show you to your new home."
The zebra walked mother and son to a beautiful one-storey cabin which resembled a larger, flatter version of Button's old home from Ponyville. "Wow, this place is a mansion!" he said. Love Tap chuckled.
"Like it, do you now?" said Upendo. "Luxury it may not be, but there is electricity, running water, and a heating unit."
"This will be perfect. I can't begin to thank you for actually giving us a home here! I still don't understand why, though. Your need for childcare can't possibly justify building me a cabin," said Love Tap. Button sensed hesitation in his mother's voice.
"Love Tap, the moment I heard of your name and saw your cutie mark in Button's pictures sent to our dear Role, I knew we needed to have you in our community. Let me be forthright: Innocence is a village for family above all else, and the service you provide will help us immensely—as well as the addition of your son to our population. Lessons are also planned for our foals, as we would prefer you to adopt the role of teacher," Upendo said, then winked at Button Mash. Button blushed in response.
"Ah, now that makes more sense. Well, I don't have experience as a grade school teacher, but I'm relatively well-read and I work well with children. I should be able to teach them properly with the right materials," said Love Tap as she removed the harness. Upendo began to help with the unloading of the cart.
Button's ear swiveled as he heard a soft sound from behind him. "H-hello?" He turned around to see a small green colt with a long, bright blue mane, younger than Button and scarcely half his size. He had no cutie mark, but that was a guarantee at his age.
"Oh, um, hay there! I'm the new kid in town," said Button.
"So am I!" said the little colt, his face lighting up. "I heard you were gonna show up today. We just got here a few days ago. Oh, um, My name's Softhoof."
"Button Mash. Do you like video games?"
"Yeah! I got a Gamecolt, do you wanna see?"
"Maybe after I check out my new house. I have a Neightendo," Button bragged, grinning. "With a vactube to play it. You should come over sometime."
Softhoof bounced in place. "That's so cool! Wow, I was worried about meeting other kids here..."
Button raised a brow. "I don't get it. There's like, four other foals here, right? That's what Role told me, and she's one of them."
"There are, but they're on a special camping trip right now. Me and my parents and Upendo are the only ones around. I haven't met anypony else since I got here."
"That's weird. I mean, it kinda feels like we're already camping, right?" said Button.
With a nod of his head, Softhoof replied, "That's what I said! Um, but they're supposed to come back today, so we can meet them together." He paused for a moment. "Do you wanna play together later? I'll be in the playground. It's right over there."
"Sure thing!" said Button, smiling. "I'll be there later today, once my stuff's all unloaded."
Softhoof waved to Button and trotted off. Then somepony tapped Button on the shoulder, and he turned around to see his mother.
"See? Everything's going to be just fine," said Love Tap. She lifted her son up and carried him into the cabin.
"Mom, can you help me hook my Neightendo up to the vactube?" called Button Mash. "I need to do the thing on the back of it and it isn't working for some reason."
Button's mother peeked her head inside her son's room. Like every other part of the cabin, the walls and furnishings were made of wood. The small vacuum tube used for home video games was the most high-tech thing they'd brought with them on the move, since the cabin came with a clothes washer and dishwasher.
"Sweetie, Mommy needs some time to finish setting up the rest of the house. Why don't you go hang out with your new friend at the playground? Upendo told me the rest of the children are due back this afternoon, so you can wait there for them."
"Okay! I can't wait to meet them all," Button said. He pronked in place, grabbed a plastic bottle of Colta-Cola in his mouth, then ran past his mom and out the door—almost knocking over a box along the way.
When Button Mash reached the playground, he saw Softhoof standing there with four other kids. He spit out the capped bottle and cautiously approached one who looked familiar.
"Role Reversal, is that you?" asked Button.
Role Reversal turned around and smiled, flashing her braces. She was a tall unicorn filly with a white pelt and a shiny, straight black mane. Her cutie mark was a pair of gold and silver rounded arrows pointing at each other.
"Button Mash?!" said Role, then she enthusiastically leaped into him, bowling him over.
"Ow, oof!" complained Button, as Role squeezed him tight enough to stop his next breath. "I'm, um, I'm not the strongest colt around," he admitted.
"Sorry! I've just been waiting so long to finally meet you!" she said, kissing him on the forehead. "Welcome to Innocence!" Button Mash immediately blushed.
"I, um... S-Sweetie Belle," he coughed.
Role released her captive and stood up, then helped him up with a hoof. "No worries, kid. I'm not gonna steal you from your special somepony," she promised, "but there's nothing wrong with having more than one of those, y'know."
"What?" said Button Mash, shaking his head clear. "S-she's not really my special somepony yet, but... that's... weird." Turning his head, he saw Softhoof watching him. The other three earth pony foals were giggling, and Button blushed again.
Role Reversal sighed. "It's fine, Button. They're not laughing at you. They just think you're cute!"
"You don't have to lie. I know I'm not that cool..." said Button, looking down at his hooves and holding back tears.
"Dude, you're fine. We're all friends here!" said Role, gently tapping him on the shoulder. "This is one place in Equestria where you don't need to 'be cool' to fit in."
"Besides, she said 'cute' not cool," added the other filly.
"This place is gonna be so awesome!" said Softhoof, running around in circles.
Role smiled again, flashing her braces. Her grin was infectious enough that Button caught it almost immediately. He even forgot what they were talking about.
"Oh, okay... Um, hi everypony else! I'm Button Mash," he said.
"Yeah, they know," said Role Reversal. "All that info about your Sweetie Belle and the Cutie Mark Crusaders you sent us was really useful! We'd start a chapter here, but there aren't really enough ponies in the village."
"Well, I'm Softhoof!" shouted the runt.
"Grey Space," said one of the two other colts, standing up straight and tall. "That's with an 'E'." He had a grey pelt with white spots and a pink mane that dangled into his eyes. His cutie mark seemed to be a subtle grey spot a different shade from the rest of his body, framed by thin black and white arcs.
The other colt said, "Shoe Drop." He was a little chubby, with a yellow pelt and a frizzy red mane and tail, and didn't have a cutie mark. He blushed and hid partially behind Grey Space.
"Amber Vision," said a filly with eyes and hair of gold, and a silver coat. Her muzzle had a barely-detectable smile, and her cutie mark was a bullseye.
"Hay, I know," said Role Reversal. "Let's show the new kids the treehouse!"
"You got a treehouse?" squealed Softhoof. "This place has everything!"
"Eh, not really," said Shoe Drop.
Grey Space tackled Shoe Drop and tickled him. "We've got everything you'd ever want, though," he said.
"Stop it!" giggled Shoe Drop. Grey Space smiled and stopped, then just sat on Shoe Drop for a moment as they looked into each others' eyes.
"Boys, save it for later," said Amber, punching Grey in the shoulder. "Now onward, fearless leader!"
Apparently, Role Reversal was the fearless leader in question. She grabbed Button's soda with her magic and started walking toward the tree line.
"I guess she means Role Reversal?" Softhoof whispered to Button Mash, as Role herself began leading the pack into the woods.
"Seems that way. She used to tell me she ran things around here, but I didn't know she meant it literally!"
"I can see why she's in charge. She's pretty, and she's big for a foal, and she's a unicorn," said Softhoof. "Everypony else is an earth pony. Oh, or a zebra."
"W-what are you two talking about?" asked Shoe Drop, trotting up alongside the pair.
"I heard them talking about Roley up there," said Amber Vision.
Grey Space chuckled. "I bet they both got crushes on her already."
"Nuh-uh!" countered Softhoof, blushing. "Maybe Button Mash does, he seems to know a lot about her."
It was Button's turn to blush. "We just noticed what a cool leader you are."
Role turned around and walked right up to Button Mash, then bumped muzzles together. Her nose was warm and soft, and her breath was moist and pleasant. Something tickled deep down in Button's tummy. "Yeah, I get that a lot," she whispered up against his lips. Then she smiled as though nothing had happened, turned around and continued the march.
Softhoof giggled while Button's cheeks burned, and as they walked to the treehouse, his mind wandered.
Maybe Sweetie Belle was right?
No. Role was obviously too weird to be special someponies with, and right now Button missed Sweetie more than ever before. He'd find a way to bring her family out here, no matter what.
"Even if I have to sweet talk Role Reversal to do it," he mumbled to himself, although that felt a little bit like an excuse.