Sweetiebelle slowly opened her eyes, yawning and stretching as she did so. After several moments of blinking and stretching she took notice of the room she was in. It wasn't the living room, and she was no longer on the couch. Did she sleep trot up there? No that didn't make sense to her at all. Did Buttonmash carry her up there? She felt a sudden heat consume her cheeks. She did her best to shake that thought away, but was only able to push it to the back of her mind.
Finally her cheeks returned to their normal color and she was able to leave the room without getting caught. She slowly made her way down the stairs and could hear Button typing on his keyboard. He had been up all night working on his game. Sweetiebelle made it to his office space and tapped on the wall to get his attention. He perked his ears and turned around with a tired grin and a new set of bags under his eyes.
"You're awake. Did you sleep well?" He asked before yawning.
"Better than you did, from the looks of it," She answered.
"if you even closed your eyes." Buttonmash chuckled and turned back to his computer.
"How did I even end up in your bed last night?" The thought had returned and now Sweetiebelle needed to know.
"I carried you," he said bluntly.
"you didn't look comfortable on the couch so I put you in my bed." He finished as he continued his typing. Sweetiebelle blushed hard and was happy, for once, that Button was looking at his computer.
"Huh, well thank you." She thanked him and moved closer.
"No problem." He answered and moved a hoof towards his mouse. Sweetiebelle quickly grabbed the mouse in her magic and moved it further away from him.
"You can face me when you talk, ya know." She told him. He slid his chair towards the mouse and gripped in his hoof, tugging on it.
"I'm kind of working here Belle, can I have my mouse back?" He asked, tugging alittle harder. Sweetiebelle rolled her eyes and moved the mouse towards her, causing him to face her.
"This 'work' of yours isn't healthy, take a break and I will make us breakfast." Button shook his head.
"No, I have work to do, I'm on a dead-"
"You don't have a choice, if this goes on, you could seriously hurt yourself. Not to mention," she looked at what he was typing.
"you aren't even typing full words anymore...you need to rest." She told him.
"This is the second time you have stopped me from working, how would you feel if I stopped you from going to your concerts?" Sweetiebelle glared at him.
"This has nothing to do with your career, but it has everything to do with you. I will not allow you to work in these conditions as long as I'm here." Buttonmash sighed.
"Which is what, another two weeks? I mean you really think you can keep me from working when there are other ponies who want to see and speak to you, not to mention there would be more news articles and then Ponyville would be filled with-"
"I don't care, your health is more important than some stupid reputation." She interrupted. Buttonmash rolled his eyes.
"You do know if you ruin your reputation, everypony will look at you differently, right? I can tell you that first hoof, I'm a prime example of that. I did something great, I made a popular game and now I'm expected to make an even better one. Because I did so well with one game, all of Equestria is expecting something big...and if I fail them, I won't be able to step into the spotlight ever again without being tortured by all of the angry ponies." He told her, staring at the floor.
"I dealt with hate from the last game, and even then I struggled with it. If I fail Equestria by delaying my game further or the game isn't liked I won't be able to step hoof in public again...I...I have to live up to their expectations." Sweetiebelle put a hoof to his chin and raised his eyes to meet hers.
"Don't think like that Button. I deal with the same hate and although yes I struggle with it, I'm able to counter that stress and sadness with the happiness of many other fans. Some ponies are jealous, and others just don't like you, but your job isn't to please everypony...its to please as many ponies as you can, while keeping yourself happy and healthy." She told him with a warm smile. Buttonmash felt his cheeks get warm and his eyes widened as he felt Sweetiebelle's lips touch his. He didn't take long to embrace her kiss though and closed his eyes. Sweetiebelle didn't know what had come over her at that moment, but it felt right. After all, actions speak louder than words. They didn't separate until Button needed to breath.
"What...what was that for?" He said, his heart skipping a beat.
"For the stallion that I've fallen for of course." Sweetiebelle winked at him and pecked his cheek with another kiss.
"Now I want you to go rest while I cook breakfast, alright?" Button nodded slowly as she trotted away.
"What...just happened?" He asked himself as he placed a hoof on his lips. Buttonmash felt lightheaded and felt several emotions flowing through him, but only one remained in the end. This emotion he had felt before, one that had developed the minute he had seen Sweetiebelle in that light purple dress from their homecoming dance. He smiled and turned back to his computer.
"One more day couldn't hurt...could it?" He said as he pulled up an email and sent in a delay notice before heading to his room and taking a nap.
......................................................
Sweetiebelle hummed a small tune as she added oats to the bowl. She had a large smile on her face as she did so, knowing that had been the best kiss of her life. She had kissed other stallions before, but none of them actually took her breathe away like that. She blushed at the thought of Button's lips against hers and did her best to not mess up their breakfast. She was also relieved to get that weight off her shoulders, she could finally express her emotions to Buttonmash.
"Why did I not date him beforehoof? I wouldn't have had to deal with the heartbreak from those other colts." She asked herself as some other memories came back to her.
He had always been there for her, any time she was struggling in class, he would help her study. Every time a pony broke her heart, he would lend her his shoulder to cry on. She had taken him for granted and now she understood how he felt. He had reached for her and she never reached back and now, she had to reach for him.
_____________________________________
Button sighed and stared up at the ceiling, his hooves behind his head. He could still feel Sweetiebelle's soft lips and it made him smile before a new thought turned his smile around. One thing still hadn't changed, he couldn't jeopardize her reputation. She was a bigger celebrity and if she was in a relationship, she would lose several fans, especially stallions. To make matters worse she could get threatened because of it or worse. He shuddered at the thought and sat up. This couldn't continue, now he just had to break it to her that they wouldn't work out.
He did his best to think of a way to stop this to just cut it off before it got too far, but nothing was working. Instead he kept picturing their future together and found it difficult to even try and consider ending what had just ignited. He was about to get out of bed when there was a knock on his door.
"Button? Are you awake yet?" Sweetiebelle's voice called out as the door slowly opened.
"Yeah, I'm up." He replied as she stepped into the room, a tray floating in her magic.
"Good, I tried to make a special oat breakfast that Rarity told me about, but I may have burned it..." she chuckled in embarrassment.
"So, instead, we are having just plain old oats, if that's ok with you?" She said.
"That's fine, you didn't have to make anything special for me." He told her with a smile as she trotted over. She sat next to him, close enough that their fur brushed against each other. Button took his plate and started to eat as they sat on his bed silently.
"So, um...I was wondering if you would like to go out later, for a picnic I mean?" Sweetiebelle broke the silence before shoving another bite into her mouth. Buttonmash glanced at her for a moment and swallowed before speaking.
"Sure, I haven't had a picnic in awhile. Just let me get cleaned up first." He answered as he took another bite. He was trying to play it off like it wasn't a date.
"Ok! so it's a date!" She said excitedly. Button groaned mentally, it wasn't like he didn't want this, but he cared too much about her to ruin what she had going. If this was back in highschool then things could've been different, but it wasn't.
"Once I'm done eating, I'll head home and get myself freshened up." She mentioned. Buttonmash looked at her.
"What time do you want to meet up?" He asked, trying to get the details.
"How about you pick me up from the Boutique at five." Button looked at his clock, it was ten past eleven in the morning. Two o' clock wasn't a good time though, several ponies would be out and about.
"Why not earlier, like two or three?" Button asked as he finished.
"Scootaloo and I have plans with Applebloom at three so that's a no go. Why, is five not going to work for you?" Sweetiebelle stood up with tray and her now empty plate in her magic. Button shook his head, trying to think of an excuse.
"No, I was just thinking it would be a bit more romantic to have it earlier." He told her with a slight brush. That excuse was slightly true, he had been taught that mares love a nice lunch in the sun.
"Good." She started to levitate his plate out of his hooves. Buttonmash snatched it away though and quickly grabbed the other dishes.
"I got these, you just go grab whatever you brought with you." He told her and quickly left the room before she could argue. She followed soon after and turned into the living room as he went into the kitchen. She grabbed her belongings and moved towards the door before hesitating and turning back around.
"I'm heading back, I'll see you in a bit!" She called back as she went to open the door. Button practically sprinted out of his kitchen and slid to a stop in front of her.
"You are the most impatient pony I have ever met." Buttonmash said with a mock glare. Sweetiebelle smiled in return and kissed his cheek again. Button turned a bright shade of pink for a moment and smiled.
"Well I am a celebrity, and celebrities never wait for anypony." Sweetiebelle told him before trying to turn away. He stopped her and kissed her cheek before opening the door for her. Sweetiebelle did her best to hide her own blush as she stepped outside and left Button in his doorway.
"I have been trying to get ahold of you for hours, Sweetiebelle!" Vanillabliss scolded Sweetiebelle who was still trying to hide her blush.
"I'm sorry that I was busy and had my phone off, okay? You don't need to lecture me about it." Sweetiebelle argued back. Vanillabliss snorted at her response.
"And just where have you been, Sweetiebelle, I had already checked with Applebloom and Scootaloo, the latter informing me that you left her home around two in the morning. Do you not realize how dangerous-"
"You do realize this is my home right, everypony here already knows me so it's not dangerous, plus I found somewhere safe to stay and I'm here now aren't I?" She reminded her, leaning back in her chair.
"Just because you are from here darling, doesn't mean you are safe out there when the moon is high." Rarity intervened as she stepped away from the sink.
"You are a celebrity dear, anypony would do anything to be with you, trust me on that one." She added.
"Now there is something else you brought up that I must know about as your sister, where did you stay last night?" Sweetiebelle hesitated and felt the warmth in her cheeks expand to her whole face.
"Well that's none of your business," she replied, trying to play it off.
"Actually it is. I need to know so I can check in with them if you ever go missing." Rarity told her.
"Plus I want to know why you are as red as a tamato." Vanillabliss pointed out. Sweetiebelle sighed and looked at the table.
"Buttonmash..." she mumbled quietly. Rarity leaned forward and arched a brow.
"What was that, you are going to have to speak up darling." She said.
"Buttonmash!" Sweetiebelle said quickly this time. Vanillabliss held a hoof to her mouth and squealed into it while Rarity simply smiled.
"I knew it! You do like him!" Vanillabliss called out proudly.
"Well it certainly took you long enough, didn't it?" Rarity said.
"And from that blush, you did something didn't you?" Rarity added. Sweetiebelle looked at her sister.
"We may have...kissed, but that's all I am going to say!" Sweetiebelle put a hoof in her manager's mouth, cutting her off. Rarity giggled quietly at her sister, earning herself a glare.
"Now if you will excuse me, I need to get ready for our date and go meet up with Applebloom." Sweetiebelle told them as she left the room. Vanillabliss' jaw dropped before looking at Rarity.
"I'd say you owe me twenty bits dear," Rarity said with a smirk. Vanillabliss snorted in response and left the room to get Rarity's bits. Rarity planned on giving the bits back as she wasn't a gambling mare, but she thought it might teach Vanillabliss a lesson. As Vanillabliss returned with the twenty bits Rarity began her lesson on gambling and started teaching her about generosity.
___________________________________________
Buttonmash sighed as the warm water hit his fur and mane. He pushed his mane back underneath the shower head more before grabbing the shampoo and putting a dollop of it on his hoof. He rubbed his hooves together and started to lather up his mane as he let his thoughts take over. One of his thoughts being about his upcoming date with Sweetiebelle, the other was about protecting her and her reputation. Truth be told, he considered himself selfish for wanting the first thought to take over. He wanted the date to go smoothly and make the mare of his dreams happier than any other mare, but he couldn't get that other thought out of his head. It lingered there throughout the rest of his day as he got ready for the date.
These thoughts plagued him so badly that he had forgotten about his computer and when it dinged from an incoming email he didn't notice. He finished getting ready, his outfit being a bowtie that his dad gave him and left his home, locking the door as he did. He sighed and stepped off of his lawn and started his walk to the Carousel Boutique. He had hoped his bowtie would be subtle enough that he wouldn't have to worry about anypony asking about it. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case as some ponies would stop him every now and then and ask him about it. He would come up with a quick excuse and continue on his way until he eventually ended up at the door of the Boutique.
He took a moment to breath and knocked on the door. He could hear some slight shuffling inside before the door opened with its signature welcoming jingle. He was greeted by Onyx who looked at him funny.
"You know you could just come in right, this isn't a house." Button chuckled and rubbed the back of his head nervously.
"I forget that sometimes." Button replied as Onyx stepped out of the way to let him in. Buttonmash stepped inside and went to the kitchen where Rarity was cooking something and Vanillabliss was typing on her laptop.
"You're early." Vanillabliss looked up from her screen. Rarity turned around and smiled happily.
"Not bad, although an actual suit would've been better." Rarity told him before turning back around.
"Subtlety is the key Rarity." Buttonmash mentioned as he sat down at the table.
"And why is that?" Rarity asked, not bothering to face him.
"Well I believe we shouldn't have cameras in our face the whole time, not to mention this could hurt her reputation. I'm not fond on seeing what could happen if this gets out during her tour." Rarity hesitated and turned her head slightly.
"He's not wrong, Rarity, anytime a singer or an actor gets into a romantic relationship, their fans go ballistic. It's really fifty-fifty though, some ponies accept it and still enjoy that pony or she loses fans, gets some threatening hate mail until it all dies down or the she breaks up with him." Button gulped at the Vanillabliss' statement.
"Ponies are so demanding these days, but Button dear you need to let that go, it could leave a negative impact on you two," Rarity turned around and pointed a spoon at Button.
"Just enjoy each other's company for the day and try to forget about that nonsense, okay?" She finished. Button sighed and smiled at Rarity.
"That's better, now do me a big favor while you are out, make sure Sweetiebelle enjoys every moment with you." Button nodded as hoofsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. He stood up and prepared himself as the bell for the door jingled and Sweetiebelle entered the kitchen.
Buttonmash's jaw hit the floor when Sweetiebelle came into view. She was wearing a pink dress that matched her physique and her mane was twisted into a braid that mixed its color perfectly. Rarity gasped and giggled happily with Vanillabliss who was now standing.
"You look magnificent dear sister." Rarity complimented.
"And from Button's face there, I'd think he likes it too." Vanillabliss teased. Sweetiebelle blushed and looked at Button, her eyes glistening in the kitchen light.
"I...I love it." Was all Buttonmash could manage to say. She took his breathe away and he almost forgot how to breath.
"Now you two go have fun before the day ends." Rarity told them. Sweetiebelle nodded and levitated a picnic basket over behind her as they left the Boutique.
"So, where are they going? I was just about to show Buttonmash my new game!" Onyx said as he entered the kitchen.
"And why were they so dressed up?" Vanillabliss chuckled quietly.
"You will understand when you're older dear, now do me a favor and set the table." Onyx groaned in response and started on mumbling as he did what he was told.
_______________________________________
"You do realize we are going on a picnic, right?" Button said.
"Yes I know, but I haven't worn a dress for a date in ages, so I decided to now." Sweetiebelle replied with a smile. Button shrugged as they started to walk, catching the attention of more ponies as they did.
"We have a lot of ponies staring at us, are you sure this is a good idea?" Button asked her. Sweetiebelle responded by wrapping her tail around his and leaning against him slightly.
"I've never been more sure about this in my life." She told him, her cheeks a bright red color. Button blushed as well and did his best to ignore the eyes on them. He wrapped his tail around hers and soon found himself smiling. Soon they had both forgotten that they had an audience and walked silently towards Twilight's castle.
"So where are we having the picnic at?" Button asked quietly.
"I asked Twilight if we could use a spot behind the castle, away from wandering eyes and the paparazzi." She answered quickly. Button liked the idea of staying away from the paparazzi, less of a chance of their relationship getting out to the public sooner than expected. There was suddenly a weight shift where Sweetiebelle had been and her tail became untangled from his.
"What's going-" he didn't get to respond as Sweetiebelle looked at him. His words got caught in his throat as he found himself entranced in her green eyes. They moved in sync and their lips met halfway as they closed their eyes. The world was gone from beneath them this time, both of their emotions flying all over the place as the ponies gasped around them. Some of them clapped their hooves together, others snorted in annoyance or jealousy. None of that mattered to them at the moment. At that time it was just Buttonmash and Sweetiebelle. They finally parted and Button did his best to not fall over as Sweetiebelle giggled at his movements.
After a few moments Button finally got ahold of himself and he looked at Sweetiebelle.
"Now what was that one for?" He asked. Sweetiebelle smiled in response and stood next to him again.
"Because I couldn't help myself and I thought we might as well make it official." Buttonmash wanted to be mad at her for not at least consulting him about it, but he wasn't because he wanted it to be official too.
"No sense in hiding it even though I think they already thought it was official with our tails intertwined." He told her.
"Maybe, but now they definitely know." She responded as they started walking again to the castle.
It wasn't long before they reached the doors and the two went inside. Twilight was waiting for them with a gentle smile.
"Welcome back Sweetiebelle, and Buttonmash it is good to see you again." Button nodded.
"It has been awhile hasn't it." He told her. Twilight looked at the two of them before turning away.
"Follow me, I'll lead you to your spot." She gestured for them to follow her and started to walk away. The couple followed Twilight through the halls of the castle, trying not to lose her in fear of getting lost in the castle itself.
"So how is it you know about this spot Twilight?" Buttonmash asked as they turned another corner.
"I'm a princess, Button, so anytime I'm on a date I take them to this spot as to not draw attention to us and to not get the pony killed or taken hostage by somepony else. That's the big struggle of being a princess ya know, everypony is always looking for some sign of weakness." Twilight sighed as they got to two large doors.
"Well here we are, have fun you two, but not too much fun." She told them before leaving them alone.
"You ready?" Sweetiebelle asked Buttonmash who nodded in response. They opened the doors to reveal a nice patch of green grass and flowers. The two looked I'm awe as they did their best to find the perfect spot to put the blanket down. When they did they flapped the blanket in the air and set it down nicely before sitting on it and preparing their sandwiches. They began eating Button doing his best to not stare at the mare in front of him. She was even more beautiful with the sun's rays hitting her. She caught him staring in awe and blushed.
"What, is there something in my teeth?" She questioned. Buttonmash's blush returned and he shook his head.
"No...I'm just, enjoying the view." He told her. She smiled at him and moved closer.
"You are too sweet." She leaned in for a kiss, but Button smiled and stopped her with a hoof.
"You are so impatient sometimes, Belle." he told her and backed up alittle.
"We should just relax and watch the sunset." He smiled.
"But I don't wanna wait that long, what is this, payback?" She whined and pouted.
Buttonmash did his best to not chuckle at her childish attitude.
"Payback, what are you talking about?" Button asked.
"I just don't want to rush anything, I want to enjoy this time with you in every way." She arched a brow unconvinced.
"We have known each other for how long now, you have flirted with me for several years and now want to take things slow?" She tried to call his bluff that didn't exist.
"I have always wanted to take my time with you, just like I do with my games."
"So I'm just another game to you?" She glared at him.
"N-no, not at all," he stuttered, realizing his mistake.
"Its just, in my opinion, rushing things forces you to skip certain details that are important." Button started his explanation.
"For instance, in my game I made sure to not miss anything, I made everything in detail on pixel at a time. The same goes for a relationship. If you rush it, you may miss something that could put a glitch in the relationship, that someone could exploit to a virus that would cause everything to crumble and break." He explained, somewhat confusing Sweetiebelle, but also leaving her with an understanding.
"So it's like a mirror, if you get one with a small crack, it could expand to a point where it could shatter." She put it in her own words. Button looked at her and nodded.
"Yeah, something like that!" He smiled before frowning.
"Which...which is why I think we should just stick to the basics for now..." Buttonmash told her. Sweetiebelle looked down, a wave of sadness consuming her.
"You mean we should just stick to small dates and pecks on the cheek." Button sighed.
"Yeah, we don't want to mess this up, right? I'm not saying we don't ever have to...kiss, but keep it small and slowly build it up." He told her. This did nothing to fix her state, leaving Button perplexed. Sweetiebelle didn't want to take things slow, she wanted to enjoy what time she had left with Button in Ponyville before she went back on tour.
"But what happens when I go back on tour? Do we just start from scratch?" Sweetiebelle felt her heart start to race, as anger replaced the sadness or that's what she thought it was. She had failed to realize, that it was actually fear, as her body began to shake.
"Won't you get bored without me here? What...what...what if you leave me for another mare?" Button looked at her with his own horrified expression.
"What are you talking about, Sweetiebelle? I'm not that kind of stallion." He said.
"But, you never know until it happens Button, that's just it, I don't want to take things slow, I want to enjoy this time with you and I don't want to lose you when I leave." She confessed.
"I felt that way too...that feeling was at its strongest the day you left..." Button sighed again, this was the best moment to explain how he had felt throughout all the time he had spent with Sweetiebelle.
"I have always had that feeling, I think everypony experiences it at some point. The fear of losing the pony they were closest to, is not a feeling to be left unchecked. The day you left, I took it out on you, put all of my worst fears on you, I did the same with Scootaloo and Applebloom too, the difference was, I had completely abandoned them and when they tried to come back into my life, I snapped. My work became my drug, my addiction, and it has been keeping me in this loop that I was the one at fault for everything that had happened, I was the one that everypony lost. I had changed. Then you showed up and something changed. I don't know what it was, but now my heart beats regularly I have fallen asleep more often, I even tried to apologize to Applebloom for everything that had happened." Button looked at Sweetiebelle with a teary eyed smile.
"In some ways, I think you saved me." Sweetiebelle felt tears come to her eyes as she her heart raced. She had saved him, even though it felt like he had saved her. Not only that, but she had completely rejected him for years and yet he still stuck around. He consoled her when she was upset, he was there to make her smile, he was the shoulder she cried on, the pony she came to for dating help, the pony who had given her ideas and told her to pursue her dream. He had waited for the right moment and the second he tried she left. He had even vented to her and instead of being that pony to talk to, she attacked him and left him in a bad place. That day their friendship shattered and now she knew why her life had been so empty on tour.
She couldn't take it anymore and wrapped her hooves around him and placed her head into his shoulder as she sobbed as quietly as she could. Button wrapped his own hooves around her, and pulled her even closer to him. All negative thoughts leaving them as they held each other and watched the sun slowly set. They now understood each other in ways that friends could not, they were now a couple.
It wasn't long before Sweetiebelle's quiet sobs turned into a quiet snore as she had fallen asleep against Buttonmash. The sun had long since set, leaving them in the moonlight. Buttonmash, on the other hoof, just stared at the moon, a gentle smile on his face as he still clung to Sweetiebelle.
"So this is what its like to be in a true relationship." He whispered to the moon, trying to not wake Sweetiebelle. This was something that Buttonmash had wanted for years and now that it was his, he didn't want to ever do anything to ruin it. He looked down at the sleeping mare on his shoulder and lightly kissed her forehead. He then moved slightly and readjusted himself so that they were both laying down. Sweetiebelle squirmed and moved closer trying to get some warmth as a breeze blew against them. He wrapped a hoof around her before laying his head on hers. His eyes closed and he slowly drifted to sleep.
____________________♡♡♡____________________
"Mr. Mash!" Button's eyes opened slowly as a face appeared in his vision, his boss' face. Buttonmash jumped as he realized how close he was to the pony who was yelling at him to wake up. This caused Sweetiebelle to jump as well and fall on her back. Button smiled sheepishly at Sweetiebelle who glared at him in return. He then felt dread wash over him at the realization that Mr. Clearglass was in front of him.
"Mr Clearglass? What are you doing here?" The unicorn stallion in front of him was slightly shorter than him, his fur a pale blue and his white mane and tail long and cut perfectly. His tie was the only dark color he had him, bearing a dark purple.
"I was here to make sure my partner wasn't on his death bed from some unknown sickness, but it seems I was...unfortunately wrong." His voice was a mixture of raspy and smooth with a very elegant tone. He looked disappointed as well to see his partner choosing some mare over his project.
"Well, thanks for worrying about me, but I'm fine. I was just spending time with-"
"With a manipulative popstar, I know." Clearglass tried to finish Button's sentence.
"I'm right here, ya know, and I'm not-"
"Manipulative? I disagree, and even if you were not, you are keeping my partner from working." He interrupted Sweetiebelle, who started to sulk. Button glared at Clearglass.
"You have no right to talk to her that way, if anything she is the reason I have remained your partner." He defended his marefriend. He was lying somewhat, as he never once thought about quitting, but he needed to be there for Sweetiebelle.
"You have never been a good liar Mr. Mash, although I do commend you for standing up for the mare." He looked at Sweetiebelle.
"I do apologize for what I said." Sweetiebelle grit her teeth.
"Apology accepted." She said with a fake grin. She was slightly grumpy from being woken up so abruptly.
"That still doesn't change the fact that you need to be working, Buttonmash, your fans are not exactly happy that you have delayed the game further, which is why I came to see if there was a good reason for the delays." Clearglass expressed his concern for his coworker.
"I understand Clearglass, but I wanted to spend time with her," he leaned closer.
"She has also been giving me ideas to better the game, I think I needed a mare's touch for this style of game and I'm getting one." He whispered. Clearglass smiled at the thought of the game being better. Buttonmash held an evil smile back. In truth, the only truth he had told Clearglass was that Sweetiebelle had helped with only a small portion of the game. Clearglass had accused the wrong pony of manipulation. Sweetiebelle just stared at the two stallions whispering to each other with a confused expression on her face. Clearglass straightened himself up and stepped past Buttomash with a hoof outstretched.
"Once again I apologize for my comment, you must be Sweetiebelle, I am Clearglass, Button's business partner and friend." Sweetiebelle took his hoof and shook it as Buttonmash stayed behind Clearglass and smiled.
"I must thank you, by the way." He mentioned, Button's eyes widened as he realized what Clearglass was doing.
"Thank me for what?" Sweetiebelle asked, tilting her head.
"For helping Button with our game, it means alot to me that you are helping him on his path." Sweetiebelle glanced at Button who was nodding for her to go with it. She smiled and nodded at Clearglass who smiled in return.
"Well, I noticed he was having trouble with some of the characters so I made some adjustments and helped him with their personalities."
"Ah, that is wonderful!" Clearglass stated excitedly before looking at Buttonmash who fixed his composure.
"You have picked a fine mare Button, I am proud of you! Now if you'll excuse me, I have something else I need to attend to before I leave tomorrow, I expect some progress very soon Buttonmash, don't let your fans and I down." Button laughed uncomfortably as Clearglass started to trot away.
"So that's your boss?" Sweetiebelle asked as she stood next to Button.
"Yeah, he's a good pony, just transparent." Sweetiebelle smiled before looking at the stallion.
"So how does his talent help you with your game." She asked.
"His cutiemark is a computer with a paper on the screen...his talent revolves around his family business that makes computers." Buttonmash explained.
"When we had first met he had this idea to promote both of our newest projects and we became partners. He may not seem nice, but his attitude is in his name, he's translucent. He likes to speak his mind even if it means offending somepony." Buttonmash continued as he started to pack up their picnic from yesterday. Sweetiebelle began to help before looking at the sky to see where the sun was at. It was high in the sky, they had slept until noon. Her eyes widened in shock and she dropped her basket.
"Oh no, I was supposed to check on Applebloom and Tender Taps!" She said out loud. Button looked at her.
"What do you mean?" He asked as she started to pack faster.
"Scootaloo and I are trying to find a special somepony for Applebloom and before our date we had them meet and everything seemed fine, but I was supposed to check on them today." Button, still confused, just nodded and continued to pack.
"Well, if you're in a hurry, go ahead and go, I'll pack all this up and drop it off at the boutique." He told her. Sweetiebelle looked up at him with eagerness.
"Are you sure?" She asked with some concern. Buttonmash smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, go on ahead, I'll see ya later." He reassured her before bidding her farewell. She turned to leave, but than turned back and hugged Button who was too surprised to hug her back.
"Bye." Was all she said before galloping off. Her dress was still on and looked a little wrinkled but Button was sure she had a plan for it.
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Sweetiebelle threw her dress into one of Button's bushes as she galloped past, ponies looking at her funny as she continued towards Applebloom's house.
sorry Button, but I'm in a hurry. she thought as she turned a corner. She had hoped everything was still going ok, considering what had happened yesterday.
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ONE DAY AGO
"Sweetiebelle, why are we headin' to the train station?" Applebloom asked as the two mares walked through town.
"What are you talking about?" Sweetiebelle asked trying to throw her off.
"I know this path, you ain't exactly the best liar ya know." Sweetiebelle ignored her somewhat rude comment and continued onward.
"You will see when we get there." She assured her friend who just shrugged and continued to follow. She was wearing her work attire, the only difference being her mane was now in a pony tail rather than her usual due. It wasn't long before the train station came into view and Sweetiebelle could see three ponies talking to each other at the bottom of the stairs.
"Hey guys!" Scootaloo yelled as she noticed the two mares in the distance, waving her hoof at them. Beside her was Rumble who was chatting with an orange stallion in a suit. His purple mane was medium length and slicked back slightly. Sweetiebelle noticed immediately that Applebloom had turned the other way.
"Now Ah see what y'all are doing, count me out!" Applebloom said as she started to leave. It seemed that Tender Taps had heard her as he turned his attention to the two mares.
"Applebloom? Is that you?" He called out as he started to trot towards them. Sweetiebelle bit Applebloom's tail and whipped her around, surprising her. Applebloom glared at her before smiling at Tender Taps.
"Hey Taps...How's it goin'?" She said awkwardly as Rumble and Scootaloo arrived next to Tender Taps.
"You recognized me? Well that's good, I didn't know if I had changed too much." He chuckled.
"I'm doing good, just taking a break to see Rumble." Applebloom looked unconvinced.
"Uhuh, well it was nice talking to you Sweetiebelle, but Ah have to get to work." She turned away.
"It was nice seeing you too, Tender Taps." She added before trying to trot off.
"I thought you were off today?" Sweetiebelle mentioned.
"Yeah, Ah was until Ah realized what was happening." She said bluntly before leaving the three ponies confused.
"That's...different?" Tender Taps questioned before looking at us.
"What is?" Scootaloo asked.
"I don't remember her being so...blunt about something."
"She's just a busy pony, you'll get used to it." Scootaloo added.
"Maybe you should ask her out to lunch and get to know her better." Sweetiebelle advised him.
"Now that, is a good idea, Sweetiebelle."
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From what Sweetiebelle had found out from Scootaloo, Applebloom had accepted his invitation to lunch, and they were meeting today. The only problem was, that by the time she had found them, they were going their separate ways.
Buttonmash on the other hoof had finally finished packing everything and was one turn away from the boutique when he noticed a small group of ponies outside of it with cameras and microphones. He turned back around the corner and went a different way to where he could sneak in through the back. The paparazzi had found Sweetiebelle, or at least where she was at. By the time he had reached the back of the boutique, the group had gotten bigger, and they were now yelling for Sweetiebelle to show herself.
Buttonmash quietly knocked on the back door to which Onyx answered the door.
"Button what-" Buttonmash placed a hoof to loud colt's mouth and pushed his way inside before closing the door quietly. Rarity came rushing to the back to see who was there and sighed in relief that the ponies hadn't found a way in. She locked the door with her magic and glared at Buttonmash.
"What happened yesterday? You two never showed back up and now this crowd of ruffians have appeared!" She yelled at him over the loud crowd outside.
"We both fell asleep, Rarity, I'm sorry." Buttonmash explained.
"You better be, because now there is a crowd of ponies outside who are demanding answers from Sweetiebelle, who isn't with you I suppose." Buttonmash shook his head.
"She had an errand to run before coming back." He told her as he placed the basket down.
"Where's Vanillabliss?"
"Trying to talk those crazy ponies into leaving, but she did give me this a moment ago." Rarity floated over a newspaper that had a picture of Button's and Sweetiebelle's kiss yesterday.
"They want to know about it and Vanillabliss is having trouble trying to calm them down." Rarity said.
"I didn't realize they would be this way after finding out!" Buttonmash told her in a concerning tone. Suddenly the crowd outside went quiet and Button's face turned pale. Sweetiebelle had returned home.