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// Diary Entry #2 
// Story: Cozy Glow’s Diary Entries of Love 
// by HAKDurbin 
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Dear Diary,

I guess I have more need of you than I thought. I hate that I have to use you to express how I'm feeling again, but there is no alternative. I have to let this out before I scream.

It was after I completed my plan with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. While I was unable to have the three of them go to the School of Friendship with me, my confession to Starlight Glimmer led to them becoming friendship tutors, and so the four of us started tutoring other students together. It wasn't how I planned to obtain more friends, but the results have been very productive. It's what happened after we were tutoring that's why I'm writing again. 

The Crusaders were walking me back to the school after we had some milkshakes at Sugarcube Corner, talking and laughing as we walked. But along the way, I saw Button Mash playing on an arcade machine. Without thinking about it, I said hi to him, and he turned to me and happily said hi back. Unfortunately, I distracted him so much that the spaceship on the screen blew up, and he lost the game. 

Unsurprisingly, he was crying hysterically, and I begrudgingly walked over to comfort him. The Crusaders were baffled at the way Button Mash was acting. Scootaloo asked how I knew him, and I told her the story about how I bumped into him. She thought it was odd how we became friends, but she and Apple Bloom were glad that I have another friend. 

But while we were talking, I was glancing at the arcade machine. When Button Mash noticed, he asked if I wanted to try. For the sake of appearing to be a good friend, I said, "Oh, golly, Button Mash, I sure would." The Crusaders were befuddled with my answer, but Button Mash was thrilled and immediately put a bit in both slots on the machine so that we could play together. He instructed me how to play, but he said it so quickly that I missed most of it. 

The game started, and Button was shooting down enemies with ease, but I was moving the joystick and pressing the buttons at random. Within seconds, my spaceship blew up, but Button Mash said that I had two more "lives." I tried to be optimistic, but then my spaceship blew up just as quickly as the first time. I stopped pressing buttons and just focused on moving the stick to avoid the red dots coming out of the enemy ships, but more just kept coming until my spaceship blew a final time.

I wanted to scream my head off, but I kept my cool and pretended to be bummed and say "Oh, golly," again. Button Mash patted my back and said that it was okay and that it takes practice. I smiled and thanked him, but at the same time, my cheeks felt warm again just from feeling his hoof patting my back. 

But while Button Mash was patting me, I saw Sweetie Belle staring at the arcade machine with a curious look. She had her hoof on her chin and was humming as if she was looking at a painting. She stepped forward and asked if she could give it a try, and Button Mash happily said yes. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were surprised that she wanted to play, and she simply shrugged and said that it looked like fun. Sweetie Belle got on the stool I was standing on while Button Mash put two more bits into the machine. I imagined Sweetie Belle fairing no better than I did while I stood beside our friends.

At first, it looked like I was right because her spaceship blew up as soon as mine did the first time. But she didn't seem bummed about it. She acted more like it was just a practice run before getting serious. When her spaceship appeared again, she started destroying enemies with ease, much to everyone's shock. Button Mash was excited about how well Sweetie Belle was doing. Before I knew it, the two of them were practically in sync while destroying enemy spaceships. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were baffled with how well Sweetie Belle was doing.

Strangely, I felt a sense of resentment toward Sweetie Belle as I watched her play. Eventually, they lost all of their spaceships, and the game ended, but they didn't mind. Button Mash praised Sweetie Belle for how well she did, and she thanked him. Then he hugged her tightly, and her white cheeks turned red before she smiled and hugged him back. I felt my skin crawl while the other Crusaders and I watched them have their moment.

But why? Why did I get this feeling over how well they did playing a video game? What was it about Sweetie Belle's reaction to him hugging her that I disliked? At first, I thought it was because she figured out how to play by watching me, but the more I thought about it, the more I seemed like I hated how well she worked together with Button Mash. Maybe I wanted to be the only friend who feels the strange urge to blush when he hugs me. 

But then again, what do I care if I'm not the only one? Button Mash is just the first of many friends for my plans. I'm sure the Power of Friendship is just trying to force me to have feelings irrelevant to my scheme again. Still, I am curious about what it is about Button Mash that is unique. I think I shall investigate while I make new friends. If I find any discoveries, I might let you know.

Cozy Glow