"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you."
Button dreamt there was a large fish that was slapping him with its fin while singing for him. Button gasped, and woke up. Love Tap sat on the edge of his bed, and stroked his mane, she had a small Equestrian flag by her hoof.
"Happy birthday, dear Button Mash."
Oh, his birthday was today...
"Happy birthday, to yooooou."
His mom made a dramatic look, as if she was trying to serenade him. Button couldn't help but laugh a little, she was really putting on a show for him. However he imagined if this was the introduction round for that talent show, his mother would have been stopped right about now. 'Yeah sorry, I have to go with a no, but you I can tell you have a really good personality.'
Button snickered, and his mom ended the song with a smirk. "What are you laughing about?"
"Nothing." Button continued to snicker.
"Probably your terrible singing, ma."
A voice came from the doorway. It was Button's older brother, Gibson. Gibson was an earth pony just like Button and their mom. He shared the same coat collar as Love Tab, but his mane was dark blonde, or something like that. Button had never pinpointed the exact collar.
"What was that sweetie?" Love Tab asked, smiling but giving Gibson a look that made the older colt gulp.
"Uhm, nothing..." He smiled nervously, then quickly turned his attention to his younger brother. "Hey, runt. Happy birthday."
Button smiled. "Thanks, Gibson."
"Happy birthday, sweetheart." Love Tab smiled, running another hoof over his mane. "Did you sleep well?"
Button nodded. "Better get up so we can eat, squirt, I'm starving." Gibson added.
"Take all the time you need." Love Tab told Button, grinning teasingly at her oldest son.
"You're spoiling him!"
Love Tab stuck her tongue out. "Only because he is still my baby colt."
"Mooooom..." Button whined.
"Oh hush, in a few years you will be just as unbearable as Gibson, then who will I spoil?"
Button and Gibson exchanged glances, then both suggested in unison. "Dad?"
There was a few seconds of dead silence, and then the three of them burst out laughing. When the laughter died down, Love Tab looked over at her eldest son. "Sweetie, do you mind setting the table?"
"No problem, mom." He nodded, then winked at Button before he left.
Love Tab turned her attention back to Button, smiling lovingly. "I hope you will have a great birthday today, Button. Your father has sent you a package." Button smiled, but Love Tab could see the slight disappointment in his eyes. She pulled him in for a hug. "I've also gotten a quick letter from a certain somepony who is back in Equestria."
Button's eyes lit up. "Uncle Stardust!"
The guests arrived around 2 PM, most of them anyway. Button's great grandmother arrived first with her male nurse, who talked really loudly. "Let's sit you down here, gran gran!" He yelled, and rolled his grandmother's wheelchair to the end of the table.
Button gave her a very gentle hug, so as not to break anything off her. Grandma didn't return the hug, but Button didn't mind, she was 98, and probably didn't have much energy. She did however manage, with a shaking hoof, to give Button a small coin purse with 50 Bits inside.
Button thanked her.
Uncle Glitch arrived with his Zebra wife, Calista. "Congratulations, Button Mash," his uncle said. "That's great!" Button wasn't sure what he meant by 'great', did he mean that he was born 13 years ago? That wasn't really his achievement.
Calista kissed Button on the cheeks, and gave him a long thin package with silver ribbons. "This gift is from your uncle and me, and I assure you it is for free. Try it on, if you can, otherwise we need a whole new plan" She rhymed. Button smiled, and opened the box. Inside was a T-shirt, a hoofball team T-shirt from her homeland. Button didn't care much for sports, but it looked pretty cool.
"Thank you, aunt Calista!" He said and slipped on the T-shirt. It fit him perfectly, which made Calista smile even more as she hugged him.
Aunt Delilah Gem, his mother's sister, arrived as usual without uncle Jackpot, and went outside to light up a cigarette. However she had brought her son, Button's older cousin, with her, along with his wife and their newly born filly. Button got some trading cards, and some new figurines he could add to his collection.
Then there was another knock on the door, and there stood uncle Stardust. He looked like himself, with his side beard, and his white sailor cap. Button leaped into him for a hug, and Stardust laughed heartily. "By the royal rear!" His black leather vest was cold against Button's cheek, and he smelled of beer and tobacco mixed with some aftershave. He ruffled Button's mane. "Yes sir, it's shore leave time. Happy birthday, my boy."
Love Tap trotted over and smiled. "Welcome home, uncle," she greeted, and gave him a peck on the cheek.
Stardust grinned widely so his gold tooth glinted. "Thanks, my lovely."
Uncle Stardust trotted inside the house, and followed Love Tab into the living room. He yelled out a greeting, and winked at aunt Delilah, who quickly turned around with an annoyed look in her eyes. He didn't notice, or didn't care, because he trotted on, and was about to pass Calista when he smacked her flank.
"Ahoy, Calista!"
"Stardust!" She chuckled. "Let me be frank, keep your dirty hooves off my flank."
Stardust just grinned, and licked his lips. "Striped meat." He hummed, then continued to the table and gave grandma a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, gran gran, enjoying yourself?" She did not answer, but Stardust was used to her silence. Instead he pulled out a chair and sat down beside Gibson. "Long time no see, Gibson! How is Manehatten treating you?"
Gibson smiled. "Oh hi, uncle Stardust. Well, it is going pretty well, it's really interesting, and I met this mare-"
"Remember to reach out if you want some tricks." Stardust winked at his nephew.
"Uhm, well..." Gibson blushed, and Button had to bite his lip in order not to laugh. Stardust always liked to tease Gibson, but it was never mean, it was Stardust's way of showing he cared for Gibson.
"Of course, it depends on which kind she is. If she is a Pegasus, you should try rubbing her right between the-"
"Stardust!" Love Tab cut in with a strained smile, carrying a mug of coffee. "Do you want something to drink?"
Stardust chuckled. "Thank you, las. I'm as dry as a desert." He took the mug, and in one go emptied it. Button was ready to swear under oath that he saw steam leave his uncle's muzzle.
"Isn't it hot?" He asked almost in awe.
Stardust shrugged. "Nah, I would call it ready to be consumed, but it is as thin as piss, Love Tab. You need to work on your brewing skills." He wiped his lips and reached down. "Button, open your present!" He called, and threw a brown package over the table.
Button caught it, smiling excitedly. The wrapping paper was brown and boring, and instead of having used ribbons, he had used white string. It didn't bother Button Mash, the more boring a present looked, the more interesting it was. The package was just as big as a huge squirrel, or a puppy, you never knew with uncle Stardust. At aunt Delilah and uncle Jackpot's last wedding, he had showed up with a stuffed fish, the kind that could sing if you pushed a button.
"Is it alive?" Button asked with a small smile.
Uncle Stardust answered, his mouth full of cookies. "You would think so, Button my boy. That package has shaken and made sounds all the way back from Nippone. Hah! I was tempted to call an exorcist!" He wiggled his eyebrows, as if to show off how mysterious the whole affair had been.
Button ripped off the paper!
It was some sort of doll, or a plushie. It wore a hood, and two black shining buttons for eyes. Button had never seen anything like it. "What is it?" He asked, pulling the plushie free from the brown wrapping paper.
Stardust hesitated. "It's a, uhm.. It's a.. Wait, what was it again..?"
Gibson looked up from his coffee. "Looks like a ninja."
"A ninja, bingo!" Stardust smiled excitedly, and punched Gibson's shoulder in excitement, almost making him fall out of the chair. "It's a ninja plushie from Nippone. By the royal rump it was expensive!"
The doll had a little metal sword in his black belt, and Button was pretty impressed by the little ninja suit the doll was wearing. He wasn't sure if he believed that the doll was expensive, but it was from uncle Stardust, and that was enough for him.
"Thank you so much, uncle!"
Stardust smiled widely as he took a bite of one of Love Tab's home cooked buns. "Anything for you, my boy!" He replied, then spat the unchewed bun pieces out in a napkin. "Seafoam and hell fire, what kind of devil worship took place to create these abominations?"
Both Button and Gibson had to look away in order not to laugh. Love Tap huffed a bit, but soon smiled as she pushed another package towards Button. "This one is from your father and me."
Button Mash gently placed the ninja doll on an empty chair, and reached out for the package. Smiling excitedly, he started to open it, and gasped as he saw what was inside. "Wow, isn't that dad's new PlayPony 1?" It was one of his dad's new inventions. It was a small gray box, with a power button on one side, and a button to open the CD player on the other.
There were also a few games, and these ones used CDs instead of game cartridges. There were also two controllers, and of course the power cord, and the cable that went into the TV. All of this wasn't even supposed to come out for another six months!!
"Wow, thanks mom!"
Love Tap smiled. "You're welcome honey."
"You better share, runt." Gibson smirked, still rubbing the place uncle Stardust had playfully punched.
Button nodded. "Can we go play?!" He asked his mother.
"Of course, sweetie."
"Yaay!"
Gibson rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Alright, if you want to get beaten that much."
Button just smiled, excited to play some video games with his brother again. He took the package with the PlayPony console, but stopped, looking at the doll. The black buttons had a sort of strange shine to them. Although he assumed it was just because of the lighting. He took the plushie, and took it with him to the TV.
Love Tab smiled. "Thanks for coming, uncle. It means a lot to Button."
Stardust grinned. "No problem, my girl. Anything to see him smile." He winked at her, and drank another mug of steaming hot coffee in one go. "Say, you don't have a beer, do you?"