Button Mash slammed the door shut behind him, he tossed his saddle bags to the floor. Bulky was such a giant prick! The school bully had been waiting for him as Button made his way home. Suddenly he had flown down from the tree, his bully friends jumping out from the bushes. The three of them had bombarded him with paradise apples. Button Mash had to run away fast, but Bulky managed to toss one of the apples right into Button's side.
He winced, feeling the sore spot where the apple had hit. Wiping a tear from his eye, he made his way to the hallway mirror and looked at himself. In the reflection he saw a brown colt with a fiery brown mane, a red, yellow, and orange beanie with a green propeller that spun continuously on his head. His flank was still blank, something he had only recently started to care about. The fur hid any marks, but Button was sure that under his brown coat was a racer red mark from the apple Bulky had tossed into his ribs.
Button opened the door into the living room, it smelled like freshly baked bread. Love Tab, Button's mom, sat on the couch reading one of her books. She was a light tan colored mare, with a long brown mane tied up in a ponytail. His mom had always been very easy going, reading comics with him, playing video games, and had always been able to stand up for him when he was little. Now Button was almost 13, and he had pretty much stopped telling her about any problems he had at school.
"Hi, sweetie," she said and smiled at him.
Button forced himself to smile back, not wanting his mom to find out what had happened. "Hi, mom." He gestured towards the kitchen with his head. "What are you baking?"
Love Tab didn't seem to notice anything, and so just smiled lovingly and returned to her book. "Just a loaf of bread."
Button couldn't help but smile a little. His mom had many talents, but baking wasn't one of them, although she was getting better the more she practiced. Her last attempt at a bread could have been used to make a wall of solid stone, so there was still some practice to be had there.
"How was school?" She then asked, almost making Button flinch.
"Uhm, fine, the usual," Button replied, trying not to show any signs of discomfort. "Do we have any more apple juice?" He asked, looking for anything to change the subject. It just so happened the distraction suited him with the thirst he felt after the long run back home.
His mom looked up from her book, and nodded. "Yes, there should be two juice boxes left in the fridge."
"Thanks, mom."
He made his way to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and took out a green juice box. His older brother, Gibson, told him juice boxes was for little foals, not growing colts like Button. He didn't care, he enjoyed them, and Gibson was not here to tell him how lame it was.
Gibson was in Manehatten, this time not with their dad, but studying at a university. His room still remained as he left it, as he used it whenever he happened to visit. His dad on the other hoof, Chip, traveled a lot across Equestria. He was a computer wiz, he'd pretty much invented all Button's games and consoles. His inventions had taken Equestria by storm, and so he was often away to set up stores, or set up deals.
It was a good job, and he did what he loved. Button was happy for his dad, and supported it as much as his mom did. That didn't mean Button didn't miss him when he was gone, because he did. Not that his dad was absent from his life, but he wished the two of them could play more games together, or Button could watch his dad work on one of his games.
Still, he and his mom did quite well, and she was everything a colt could ask for. His mom was really cool, and shared Button's love for not only comics and video games, but for a whole bunch of nerd stuff she had passed on to her son. She could even speak fluent Humgonian, how many moms could do that? Of course, she did have a temper when it came to other ponies picking on Button. She was very protective, but always did her best to give Button a push in the right direction when needed.
Maybe that was part of the reason Button didn't tell his mom about his bullies, he didn't want to worry her. Not to mention if she did find out, she would confront Bulky and his stupid friends, and while she might scare the living daylight out of them, Button knew it would only make the problem worse. Besides, he was at an age now when telling your parents something personal felt wrong, or embarrassing.
Finishing his juice box, puttting it in the trash, and made his way upstairs. His side had stopped hurting, now it just felt a little sore whenever he moved in a certain way, nothing that bothered him. He entered his room, which was a little chilly, and smelled of some sort of cleaning product. His mom had apparently cleaned his room while he was away, so it was strangely refreshing to walk into.
Closing the door behind him, Button jumped into his bed, laying down on his back, and listened. Silence. There wasn't a sound, or rather, there was the sound of birds, and the occasional passing pony on the street, but otherwise there was total silence.
He thought back to the events of the day. School was pretty ordinary, nothing really stood out. Miss Cheerilee was a really good teacher, and had a talent of making her lessons interesting. Although even she could not fight the mundane times when the lessons seemed to blend in with each other to a strange boring blob.
Button hadn't started in the school house, like most other foals in Ponyville. Button and his family had moved here when Button was just eight years old. He'd never really been good at making friends, and had pretty much kept to himself and his Joyboy, whenever he could play it. In turn, most of his classmates had left him alone, finding him strange.
There was one who approached him though. A filly in the class, around his own age, and with the most beautiful singing voice he had ever had the luck to hear. Sweetie Belle was her name, and she was part of a group of friends that called themselves Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Button didn't have a word for it back then, but he had known he liked Sweetie Belle. She was not just kind, but seemed genuinely interested in who he was, and what he liked to do, and not just because of pity, or a dare. Now that Button was older, he knew that the word he had not grasped back then was love, or crush.
They'd never really spend time together, but whenever Button saw Sweetie Belle, he saw that kind and sweet side she had. Her loyalty to her friends, her beautiful eyes, she was just so cute. Button wished he could get to know her better, or at least have the guts to talk to her, even once!
He'd often thought about how it would be if he could just sit beside her in class. Maybe Sweetie Belle would lean over, place her hoof on his and ask. "Button, can I borrow a pencil?"
Then it was just a matter of playing it cool. "Pencil? Of course you can, one hundred percent." Or, maybe just give her the pencil with a relaxed smile. "Here you are, babe." Okay, maybe that was a little too much Coffee House attitude. Ponies who used the expression, babe, so casually had a habit of being stupid.
Button got up, and sat down at his desk. He took out a piece of paper, grabbed a pencil with his mouth, and started to write. 'Dear Sweetie Belle.' What was he doing? He knew he would never dare give Sweetie Belle such a letter. Nevertheless, it felt almost taboo just writing her name, like somepony was looking over his shoulder. Button erased the line, feeling it was wrong to use the word 'dear', like it was a knight who wrote a poem.
He tried again. 'Hi, Sweets.' A little too casual, Coffee House attitude again. "A skinny latte for, Sweets!" Perhaps Button should get a cap, and seek employment.
'Hey, Sweetie Belle.'
'I'm sure you've probably already forgotten who I am, but I know who you are. I'm writing this to tell you that I think you're very cute, and sweet, even if I don't know you very well.'
Right, that sounded super lame to write that she was sweet. He erased the word and wrote, nice, instead, but that was also kind of a loser thing to say. "Yo, what's up Sweets?! You're a totally nice filly!" He wrote, kind, instead. Button blushed. Screw it, it wasn't like he was going to send the letter anyway,
'Hey, Sweetie Belle.'
'You probably don't remember who I am. My name is Button Mash, and I'm writing because I think you're really beautiful, and kind. I often glance your way in class, and I really want to be your coltfriend.'
Button put down the pencil. 'Sincerely Button Mash from school'? Yeah right, nice one, Button. His granny usually say that love has no age, but she was eighty-one and had no special somepony. When you were at school then love very much had an age. Button sighed, wishing he was bigger and stronger. "Hey, Sweetie Belle. Do you want to walk home together?"
Button picked up the letter, and read through it a few times. Then he closed his eyes, and kissed the paper. He didn't really know why, Button didn't wear lipstick or anything, but it was like the letter had to be sealed in some way.
Suddenly he heard hoofsteps outside his door, and with a beating heart he quickly hid the letter in a drawer. He closed it just as his mom opened the door to his room. "Honey, are you hungry?"
Button looked at his mom, answering without thinking. "Y-yes!" He felt a bit stupid, it wasn't like he had done anything wrong, but this was so personal he didn't want anypony to know what he had written!
His mom raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on his hasty answer. "Me too. The kitchen is a death trap right now, so I won't be cooking unless I have a gasmask on. What would you say if we just ordered some pizzas?" She smiled casually.
Now that she mentioned it, Button could smell the smell of burned bread. Thankfully it wasn't severe enough to alarm him, but he knew it was another failed attempt at baking. With his heart calming, and a bemused smile on his face, Button nodded. "Sounds good, mom."