//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Pie for your Thoughts? 
// Story: Nothin' but Button 
// by TheGandyMan 
//------------------------------//





A very haggard male pegasus was making his out of the train station in Fillydelphia.  At a glance, he just seemed tired, but upon further inspection, it was obvious he had just been through what one would call "the ringer." 

Beside hum walked a brown earth pony, who's spirits directly contrasted that of his friend.  His smile was contagious, his gate was perky, and his a golden aura of happiness seemed to practically emanate from his very being.

"I'm glad we're finally here.  I haven't see Sweetie since I left." He stopped and gasped, "You don't think she's forgotten me, do you?"

Though tired and practically spent, Mic still answered, "I don't think she's forgotten you Button."

"But what if she has?  I'll have to redo everything I've ever done with her, including the pie thing."

Mic raised an eyebrow but never got the chance to ask what that meant as a white blur practically attacked Button.  It may have been a cat, though Mic was not completely sure.  Do cats not like the color brown or something?  Mic turned his head with this question in mind but quickly quelled the though when he realized who it was.

Button had managed not to completely fall over, but was locked in an embrace with Sweetie at this point as she planted little kisses all over his face.  Mic smiled at the couple, they looked very happy together.

As the two of them broke apart finally, Button motioned a hoof to Mic, "Sweetie, you remember Mic, right?"  Sweetie's face lit up.

"Stereo Mic?  I haven't seen you since... well forever.  How have you been?"

"I've been fine.  Not much to report on that honestly... at least not right now."  Mic nodded to Sweetie, "What about you though?  I've heard enough stories about the Equestrian Belle to know you've been busy."  This elicited a faint blush from Sweetie.

"Haha, I guess it can't be helped can it?"  Sweetie whipped her head, allowing her mane to whish in a grandiose way, "After all, they say I sound like an angel."

Button shook his head with a mock look of sadness, "That's what fame will do to ya.  She's full of herself now."

"Oh, Phooie, you're just jealous."

"BUTTON!"

Button and Sweetie turned to look at Mic.  He was holding one of the brief cases in his hooves and was looking into it with a horrified expression.  Button tilted his head.

"What?"

"Did you pack food into my suitcase!?"

"Ohh... yeah there wasn't room in mine."

"Why did you bring food at all!  They had food on the train!"

"Emergency rations."

"We're not in the army, Button."

Button shrugged, "But we could be.  It never hurts to be prepared."  Sweetie gave a nod of approval as he shrugged, "Besides, what's the big deal.  if you're clothes got dirty, we can just wash them."

"My admission papers are ruined!" Mic pulled what looked like a Picasso painting made of frosting.  If one squinted, they could possibly be conceived as documents with text.

Sweetie cringed a bit, "Oh... okay yeah that's actually pretty bad." she gave the papers - although calling them papers would be extremely generous at this point - a confused look, "Why is it all mashed up like that though?"

"He put his bag on top of mine."  Mic threw the papers into a nearby trashcan before groaning in frustration, "Well there's not much I can do now.  Without those papers, I probably won't get the classes I want."

Button tilted his head again, "Why not?"

"You have to make a small essay and fill in the questions so they can set you up good times.  It includes the ponies that you plan on associating with if you know anybody from the school.  Helps to set up schedules so friends can stick together.  Pretty sure Celestia herself had that changed."  He raised an eyebrow, "How do you not already know this Button?  What did you do."

"I just walked in and told them what I wanted.  Didn't even know there were admission papers."

Sweetie and Mic stared at Button for a moment in disbelief.  He stared back with a blank look on his face.  The silence was finally broken by a groan from the Pegasus.  Sweetie giggled and planted a quick on Button's cheek.

"Never change, Mashie."

Mic lifted his face from it's home in his hooves, "Mashie?  Really?"  Sweetie blushed a little and huffed.

"Well it's certainly better than calling him Butt or something."  Button did his best not to laugh and failed.  Sweetie turned a deeper shade pink before turning around and quickly leaving the station, "Oh, p-pipe down.  Let's just show Mic around already."

Mic shook his head, his red mane cascading a little, "I would love to, but I need to go to the school office and sign in.  We took the early train so I could sign in as soon as possible."

Sweetie stopped and turned around rigidly, "Well... you better start flying then, cause it closes in ten minutes."

"Oh sh-"





Mic blasted through the doors of one of the many offices in the building.  Panting, he collapsed on the floor, his wings twitching.  In front of him stood a tall desk.  No, the desk was not tall, Mic was on the floor.  Perspective.  Just above the desktop he could see the tip of a green horn and mane.  All other details were hidden.

Forcing himself to a standing position, Mic could see the pony in front was probably the greenest pony he had ever met before.  His coat was green, his mane and tail were green.  Though he could not see it, Mic hoped his cutie mark was anything BUT green.

The green pony stood up.  It must have been a green cutie mark because there was nothing visible, "Greetings, my name is Scarlet Or Something.  Nice to meet you.  Can I interest you in one of our patented cherry flavored mints?"  His... or wait... her voice?  Mic really couldn't tell.  Normally he would not care, but this pony was so stuck in the middle of looking like a male and a female that it was suddenly at the forefront of Mic's mind.  A minute passed before he finally gave up.

"Uhm... sorry.  No thank you.  Uhh... is this the school office?"

"This is an office at the school."

"Oh."

"..."

"Wait... but we're not on the school grou-"

"Just kidding!"  Scarlet gave a wide toothy grin and sat back down, "What do you need?"

Mic took a moment to recover before sitting down at the seat available.  He looked around the office.  It was... the definition of boring.  It looked exactly like how a office should look like, which was strangely annoying.  Even the family photos looked like they were there just because they had to be.  Scarlet's smile did nothing to help.

"My uhh... my admission papers got messed up... by something." Mic chose to refrain from mentioning the cause, "I was told I could just say what needed to be said?  Or do I have a chance to retake the admissio-"

"Impossible!" Scarlet's voice was extremely cheerful for no explainable reason and the smile had remained, "But I am willing to help you fill out the paperwork within the next... twenty-seven seconds."  Scarlet used some magic to flip out a small stack of papers and began writing and blindingly quick speeds.

"Twent-?!"

"Name?"

"Uhh... Stereo Mic, but-"

"Residence?"

"I'm er... lodging with Button Mash... is that oka-"

"What do you want to be?"

Mic stopped for a moment.  Silence reigned in the room at the very simple question.  What did Mic want to do?  In fact, what kind of question was this?  Was Scarlet asking what Mic wanted or what he was supposed to want.  Deciding he didn't have enough time to think of an appropriate answer, he let the words pour from his mouth.

"I... want to make music.  I want... I want to hear ponies walking down the street humming to songs that I've made and that kinda thing.  I guess you could say-."

"Done."

Mic jumped a bit from the sudden word.  Scarlet was smiling at him, but the smile seemed less for show.  A more genuine smile.  The stack of papers had tons of writing on them but they were swept up quickly and put into a file.

"Thank you, Mr. Mic for coming to the school.  I assume you already know where the school grounds are?"  Mic nodded hesitantly, "If you get lost, ask anyone around.  They will help you out."

Mic nodded and smiled, his eyes darting over to where his new papers had disappeared to.  He got up and began walking out.

"Oh!  One more thing." Mic turned back to Scarlet's voice, "tell Button that Scarlet's back in the office."  Mic nodded and exited the building.