The cool children

by therandomone95

7. Decisions

Spike and Button Mash were walking towards their homes, thinking about how the party had been just a great flop for them; Snips was probably going to kill them, Spike got in the middle of a conflict between Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, Button Mash was starting to be a loser and he had lost a chance to speak with Sweetie Belle. Then again, it wasn't exactly their fault, since Rumble was the one that made them drink that cider. Maybe if they hadn't drank it everything would have been fine.

Eventually, they reached a point where they needed to part ways; Button Mash left for his home and Spike left for the crystal castle that was his home. Neither of them said a word to the other, and they didn't need to, since they both knew that words would fail them.

As both boys started to go home separately, they both thought that maybe drinking that liquid wasn't such a good idea. Pipsqueak had talked to his crush, and they got along nicely! WITHOUT WEIRD POTIONS! The facts smacked their minds as they walked drunkly to their homes.

Once Button Mash arrived at his house, he was greeted by his mom, who let him inside the house before planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Well, you're earlier than I expected, not even an hour!" Said Button's mom.

"Yeah, I don't wanna talk about it." Replied Button wihout emotions in his voice.

"Are you sure? You seem sad."

"Mom, I'm sure."

"And you don't want anything to eat? I think I can make some-"

"MOM I-!" Said Button Mash, who calmed down before yelling at his mom, who was surprised by his outburst. "Sorry, mom, it's just been a bad day."

"Oh, it's fine, honey, just go to your room and try to relax, okay?" Said Button's mom with a smile.

"Yes, thanks, mom. I love you." Said Button before going to his room.

Button Mash had just locked himself in his room, and he wanted to think about the events of the afternoon, luckily for him, his brain started to get clearer and his body wasn't so heavy anymore. Button thought that maybe some good old-fashioned mario game would be good to relax and get back into reality.

But suddenly, just as Button was about to pick up his controller, he saw a violet light appear in front of him, Button stepped away and he saw that the light started to become a suit, and then, a stallion appeared from inside his suit. Button's dad was back.

"Oh, Spike, I thought you were going to a party." Said Twilight as she saw Spike enter the castle.

"I did go, but it sucked, so I came back." Replied Spike with no amusement.

"Well, I still have to research this potion thing, but if you want, we can get some ice cream." Said Twilight as she levitated some bits.

"Thanks Twilight, but I think I just have to get some rest for now." Said Spike, who went to his room without delay.

"Oh, okay then." Said Twilight as she walked out of the castle, leaving Spike alone.

Spike was in his room, and even though his body was still sore from falling from that window, he was starting to get a clear mind since the alcohol was losing its effect on him. And just as Spike was going to grab a comic book to entertain himself, he saw a bright white light in front of him.

Spike took a step back, and the light started to take the form of a pony; the light took colors and Spike saw that the fake Rarity had re-entered his brain again.

"Didya miss me?" Said Button's dad, brushing his moustache.

'Finally! What happened?' Asked Button.

"This was a minor inconvenience, nothing more." Said Button's dad with confidence.

'A MINOR INCONVENIENCE? I just got drunk, I was made fun of and I missed a chance to talk to Sweetie Belle!!! And all because you vanished!' Said Button to his dad, who just frowned.

"As I said, alcohol messes me up, but by drinking it you gained a lot of status by showing everypony at the party how mature you are."

'AND?! I don't care what other ponies think of me! I just want to be noticed by her! And thanks to YOU, I ignored her!' Protested Button with rage in his soul.

"And thanks to YOU, we just lost a chance of doing that." Said Button's dad calmly but firmly.

'Can you just STOP being so... VAGUE?!'

"Hi, Spike, I bet you're wondering what happened at the party." Said the fake Rarity with a frown.

'Yeah, I am, what was that?!' Asked Spike in a very angry tone.

"But you should admit that what happened at the party was also your fault." Said the fake Rarity, defending herself.

'HOW WAS THAT MY FAULT?'

"Look, the turn of events at the party was the result of a probability of 1 divided by 2,936. So the odds weren't in our favor, but what REALLY NAILED THE COFFIN WAS YOU! You let Silver Spoon drag you to Snips' parents' room! YOU let the situation escalate! And YOU decided to jump out of a window instead of facing the consequences like a man! The situation could've ended there and then, but now Snips surely hates you, just like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon!"

'Uh-huh, and all that happened because you made me drink! Me and Button aren't even old enough to drink!'

"So what? Now you and him will be respected! This situation will be hard to fix, but with me-"

'And why should I listen to you? I don't even know what you are!'

"Spike, I promise you that my sole purpose is to improve your life."

'Well great job! Things are starting to look very bad for Button and me!'

'I was happy before I met you! Even Pipsqueak is happier than me now...' Said Button to his dad before remembering what Pipsqueak said. 'And by the way, Pip said I've been ignoring him. Did you have anything to do with that?'

Button's dad looked away, he sighed and went back to looking at Button in his eyes. "Yes, I was the reason you weren't seeing him."

'What?!'

"It's very simple, I have access to your optic nerves, and I have been erasing Pipsqueak from your field of vision. I also have been moving you around so that you don't bump into him or touch him." Said the fake Rarity to Spike, who looked horrified by what she said.

'Why would you do that?!'

"Because Pip is a case too far gone to repair. Also because he is a very strong link to your previous self."

'And what does that mean?'

"It means that you still don't understand, Button!"

'Understand what?'

"That in order to impress Sweetie Belle, you need to be a very popular guy, but to upgrade, you need to be willing to make sacrifices, like your helicopter hat, but bigger and more meaningful."

'You mean I have to... to... erase who I am?' Asked Button with hesitation and sadness.

"At least in public, I have been telling you from the very beginning, I am here to help you, but you need to cooperate with me."

"Just think about it from a logical perspective, Pipsqueak didn't accept the potion, meaning that he is not as open to change as you were, but if he keeps henging out with you he'll never let you change for the better. He'll keep staying low on the social map, while he keeps dragging you down with him. In order to be a better dragon, you need to cut ties with him, make better friendships, form bonds with socially accepted ponies! Unless you want to stay like that?"

"Button, we already have a plan! Now you just need to follow it. If you repair the damage with Snips, Rumble and Scootaloo then you won't start from the bottom. Then, you progress with better ponies, you reach the pinacle of the social pyramid and you use the tools at your disposal to let Sweetie Belle know you love her. All you need to do is get rid of your friendship with Pipsqueak, accept some changes in your life and never look back. Do you understand?" Asked Button's dad to him with a grin.

'Ugh! Did you really need to dump all that on me-'

'-all of a sudden? I need to think!'

"Very well, I need to dwell on the information of the party with more detail anyway! I'll disappear for now, and when I get back I want to get some answers! Choose to cooperate with me and have a better life, or choose to stay friends with him and stay a loser forever." Said the fake Rarity to Spike before disappearing without giving him a chance to protest.

Spike shrugged it off and began thinking about his situation. His life had changed so much since the fake Rarity appeared, it was becoming harder for him to imagine his life without her, but she had caused enough trouble as it is.

Spike thought about how he hurt Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and probably their friendship as well. Probably Snips hated him for making out in his parents' room. That was a horrible party without a doubt.

But then again, he thought about Apple Bloom, and how she supposedly had a crush on Snails. The thought of Apple Bloom dating somepony else, let alone, dating Snails, sent shivers down his spine. But if Apple Bloom had a crush n Snails then Spike had to step up his game in order to get her to like him.

The price to pay was his older self, taking that into account, there was only one logical solution:

Button thought about how his life had changed since he drank that potion; he dressed better, he was socially more active and he had more friends, but now he was starting to lose them. Button thought about how he had messed up his chance to prove himself and to everypony else that he wasn't a loser.

Button wanted so badly to blame it on his dad, if his dad hadn't disappeared then Button might've talked to Sweetie Belle and remain friends with Rumble and Snips. But Button knew that it wasn't his dad's fault, it was his. His dad just disppeared, he didn't make Button ignore Sweetie Belle, and neither was his fault that Button almost fell asleep in front of Rumble and Snips. Without his dad, he was just nothing.

Now, he had a chance of fixing things with everypony, he could be popular, he could talk to Sweetie, or any girl without having a mental breakdown. But Button also thought about how high the price would be, he had to sacrifice some of his most loved habits and get rid of his friendship with Pipsqueak.

Button weighed the options on his head, and when he had some time thinking about it, his decision was clearer than water:

'Rarity' Spike called the fake Rarity, who appeared in front of him with a frown on her face.

"So? What do you wish to do, darling?"

'Dad' Said Button, to which the stallion appeared in front of him with an unamused expression on his face.

"And? What it'll be, champ?"

"Just erase him already."

Ten minutes earlier, Rumble had just left Button on the entrance to Snips' house, and he had gotten back with Scootaloo, who instantly gave him a glare. Rumble didn't know why Scootaloo was glaring at him, and he saw that she was pointing at the kitchen, probably because there was nopony else in there.

Once they were in the kitchen, Scootaloo still glared at Rumble. "What?" Asked Rumble with sweat on his face.

"You know 'what'." Said Scootaloo, to which Rumble still didn't understand. Scootaloo facehoofed before continuing. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You know, their drinks."

Rumble's eyes widened when he realized what Scootaloo meant. "Oooooh, so that's why you were glaring at me." Scootaloo still glared at him. "Look, my assistant told me to do it, I didn't do it on purpose!"

"Whatever, I'm going to see Sweetie Belle, she looked down earlier. I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow, but you better apologize to them!" Said Scootaloo before leaving the house, looking for Sweetie Belle.

'She is right, why did you make me do it?' Asked Rumble, to which a stallion similar to his brother Thunderlane appeared in front of him.

"Don't worry too much about it, I'm sure they'll be fine! Once the effects pass their assistants will return to their brains and they'll be able to-"

'You're dodging the question, why did you make me spike their drinks with my bro's special drug?' Asked Rumble furiously.

"It was just an experiment. I wanted to test how much it would take for one of us to vanish from alcohol excess on a child." Said Thunderlane with a clock on his hoof. "And by the looks of it, it doesn't take that long."

'But why them? Those guys were just trying to socialize like I was when I entered school!'

"If I had asked you to do it with Scootaloo you would've said no instantly, and there's no one else you know who drank the potion other than them. Look, if you really feel that bad then I suggest you hang out with them at school and help them apologize to everypony."

Rumble felt like the right thing to do was apologize to them and do what his fake brother told him to, he didn't want anyone else to suffer what he had suffered when he entered school. Plus, those guys weren't bad kids, they could actually be friends!

"But if you don't, there's always the alternative..." Rumble just ignored his fake brother as he walked out of the kitchen to get something to eat before leaving the party.

Scootaloo had just left the building searching for her friend, while trying to shake off something her fake Rainow Dash had suggested earlier. Scootaloo was passing through the front door and she saw Sweetie Belle on her own sitting below a tree. When Sweetie Belle saw Scootaloo rushing towards her, she tried her best to look happy, but it was no use, Sweetie Belle just curled up into a ball and rested her head on the tree, trying her best to choke back some tears.

"Sweetie Belle? Are you okay?" Sweetie looked up, and she saw that her friend was already next to her.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. And you?" Said Sweetie, trying to look as casual as possible.

"Sweetie, you don't look "fine", what's wrong?" Said Scootaloo with a soft voice.

"I... It's just... It's Button Mash, okay?" When Sweetie looked at Scootaloo, she saw that the pegasus was completely confused. "Ugh, Don't you get it?! I like Button Mash!"

"Oooooooh!" Said Scootaloo, who finally caught up.

"I told you I don't make mistakes. I told you I knew she liked that colt." Said the fake Rainbow Dash, appearing besides Scootaloo.

"And what's wrong with that? Did he do something to you?" Asked Scootaloo, gritting her teeth at the thought of Button Mash doing something bad to Sweetie Belle.

"Umm, not exactly. It's more what he didn't do."

"Huh?"

"You see, since I met him, I've been trying to find a way to get his attention, I've been trying to be more like him, like playing more video games, going to the comic book store or something like that. Now, when I thought I could be closer to him, I see him and I don't see Button Mash anymore, I see somepony different."

"Wait, so you've been changing who you are because of him?" Asked Scootaloo in a surprised tone.

"I guess I have."

"Now, now, you don't get a say in this matter, I mean, I've been helping you do the same, right?" Said the fake Rainbow Dash, taunting Scootaloo.

"And you're saying he is not the same?"

"Yeah, I saw him inside, and when he arrived I saw somepony very different, then, Apple Bloom suggested me to talk to him."

"Oh, yeah, whatever happened to Apple Bloom?" Said Scootaloo, looking around to see if Apple Bloom was around the area.

"She just stormed out of the house, I don't know why. Anyway, so I finally got the courage to talk to him, and when I tried to talk to him, you, Rumble and Snips all blocked me! I tried to see if he wanted to talk to him, but he didn't seem very interested, so I just walked out." Said Sweetie, her voice getting softer as she remembered the events. "Maybe he is just not interested in me, maybe he is better off with somepony like him."

"Just tell her the truth, tell her that Button Mash likes her too. I think this might be beneficial for everypony at some point." Said the fake Rainbow Dash, who looked really interested in the situation.

"Sweetie Belle, that was mostly our fault, we should've let you through, Snips just wanted to talk about that stupid idea of his to earn bits by playing buckball. Besides, I'm sure he likes you too."

Sweetie sniffed back a tear. "D-do you really think so?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it! But maybe we should do something to show him that you like him."

"How did you do it?"

"What?"

"How did you and Rumble get together?" Asked Sweetie Belle, which made Scootaloo's eyes widen in surprise.

"Well... We... Uh, just started hanging out? Until we confessed to each other?" Said Scootaloo, hoping her friend would buy it. Sweetie looked skeptical but she decided to just accept it.

"Umm... Okay, but how did you get the courage to confess to him?"

"Well, he kinda confessed first and I pretty much just went with it."

"Oh." Said Sweetie in a sad tone.

"Hey, don't be sad, I'm sure you can confess to him tomorrow!"

"WHAT?! NO!" Shouted Sweetie Belle with her face red as an apple. Scootaloo was surprised by Sweetie's outburst. "Oh, I'm sorry for reacting like that, but I'm just so scared! What if he rejects me?"

"Then it's his loss, there are plenty of more colts out there who would love to have somepony like you in their lives." Said Scootaloo automatically.

"But there's nopony like him..."

"Look, Sweetie, yoou either have to mare up and confess to him or you have to live like this forever. If you don't want to confess to him tomorrow then don't, but please just do something!" Said Scootaloo, which made Sweetie jump in surprise at how direct Scootaloo was. Scootaloo was about to apologize, but Sweetie Belle interrupted her:

"O-okay, I'll do it, but just let me prepare first, I don't think I can do it tomorrow; I have to go, I guess I'll see you at school." Said Sweetie as she got up and left the place. Scootaloo was confused at how sudden Sweetie's departure was, luckily, there was somepony willing to explain it to her:

"Don't look so surprised, she left because this conversation was starting to become awkward for her, plus, she probably left so she could process what you just said." Said the fake Rainbow Dash, hovering above Scootaloo.

'Did you have to be so direct with her? Poor Sweetie...'

"It was the only good way to assure that she would leave."

'Why did you want her to leave?'

"Because we need to discuss something else..." Said the fake Rainbow Dash, smiling at Scootaloo.

'If this is about what you suggested earlier, then I'm not doing it.' Said Scootaloo firmly to the fake Rainbow Dash.

"It's the only way to achieve peace!" Replied the fake Rainbow Dash, somewhat annoyed.

'You don't know that! No means no and that's my final decision!' Said Scootaloo as she walked away.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll change your mind..." Said the fake Rainbow Dash before vanishing.

"Dumb Spike, he'll get it tomorrow..." Said Snips as he walked away from his parents' room.

It had been two minutes since Spike jumped out of the window, and Snips decided to open the door with the key, and when he did, he found Silver Spoon with a very disappointed face sitting on her own on the bed. Diamond Tiara had entered the room with a VERY angry expression on her face; but she didn't say anything to Silver Spoon, she just ignored her.

Silver Spoon, on the other hand, was too buried on her own thoughts to notice Diamond Tiara's aggression, she had taken Spike to the most private room on the house with hopes of making him her colt...dragon...boyfriend, but he had just jumped out of a window to avoid her. Why did he do it? Did he just not like her? Was she not enough for him? Or maybe he had somewhere else to be and couldn't stop to give her a kiss?

"So... Now what?"

Silver Spoon snapped out of her thoughts to see Diamond Tiara staring at her with disappointment on her face. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"You were making out with him, weren't you?" Said Diamond Tiara, not changing her expression.

"N-no! It was totally his fault because he dragged me in here and-!"

"It's no use hiding it, I know you two were kissing, you practically were shouting it." Said Diamond Tiara, interrupting Silver Spoon.

"I... I... I'm sorry." Said Silver Spoon, looking down.

"So... Now what? You kissed him knowing that I liked him, are you two a thing now or what?" Said Diamond Tiara calmly, even though Silver Spoon could practically FEEL the venom inside Diamond Tiara.

"Well, not really, he jumped out of that window before I could kiss him." Said Silver Spoon, pointing at the window. This made Diamond Tiara's expression soften a bit, but she returned to her original expression, knowing that she had to make the most out of this situation.

"Did he? Oh, what a jerk!" Said Diamond Tiara, which took Silver Spoon completely by surprise.

"What? I thought you hated me!"

"Look, maybe I was a bit angry at you before, but what he did was completely uncalled for."

"Huh?" Silver Spoon looked at Diamond Tiara as if she had been kidnapped and replaced with someone else.

"Yeah, I get you, girls like us have to stick together through it all. I can't believe Spike just dumped you!"

"Well, maybe I was rushing things a little bit." Said Silver Spoon, to which Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. "Maybe he ran away because he was scared of me."

"Maybe, but you were looking for someone to love, right? I understand that, we aren't so different." Said Diamond Tiara with a soft expression on her face, which Silver Spoon reflected.

"I don't think I'll ever find someone like him ever again." Said Silver Spoon, starting to tear up.

"I'll be there with you, after all, we ARE friends, right?" Said Diamond Tiara, offering her hoof, to which Silver Spoon responded by just hugging Diamond Tiara instead. Diamond Tiara was hesitant but decided to let Silver Spoon have this moment.

"Still, I think it'll hurt me when I see him walking along with you."

Diamond Tiara smiled. "You know what? Let's make a promise!" She said, letting go off the hug. "I promise to NOT go out with him as long as you promise it too."

"What?"

"Trust me, it's the best way to get over this."

"What if he talks to us at school?"

"Then we'll ignore him, plain and simple."

Silver Spoon hesitated to answer but decided to give in anyway. "Okay, it's a promise." Then, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon proceeded to shake hooves. "This decision is final."

"Look, I have to go, but I'll see you at school!" Said Diamond Tiara before starting to walk away.

"Oh, okay then, see you tomorrow!" Said Silver Spoon, waving goodbye at her best friend.

As Diamond Tiara was leaving the party, a devious smile appeared on her face, and soon, she started to get lost on her own thoughts. 'Good, now that Silver Spoon is out of the picture for now, I can win Spike over for sure when Nightmare Night comes, I just need to figure out a way to keep him from running away when the time comes. Spike, you will be mine soon. Silver Spoon, you will pay for this humilliation.' Diamond Tiara softly chuckled as she was imagining how great the next weekend would be for her, and how horrible it would be for her former "friend".