//------------------------------// // Induction, Crusading, and more // Story: Love games // by Digiquill //------------------------------// After school Button Mash was lead to a tree house in a secluded wooded corner of Sweet Apple Acres, he was lead up the stairs and into the tree house by Apple Bloom, once inside he saw Sweetie Belle standing at a podium at the other end of the one-room club house, to the left of the podium was Scootaloo who beat a slow steady beat on a large pair of Congo drums. Button was lead to the center of the room and Apple Bloom took her place to the right of the podium, all of the CMCs were wearing red capes with a shield bearing the silhouette of a caped pony of their age which he took to be the order's symbol sewn onto it. Sweetie Belle held up a hoof signaling Scootaloo to stop drumming, then Sweetie Belle began to read from the piece of paper in front of her. "Button Mash we the Cutie Mark Crusaders have chosen to welcome you into our order, we welcome you as our brother, friend, confidant, and fellow crusader. Do you accept?" "I accept" "And do you swear to stay true to the purpose for which our order was founded? And to help and support us, your sister members and fellow crusaders, in our quest to find our Cutie Marks and help each other to find theirs?" Sweetie Belle continued. "I swear" Button Mash answered "Then we welcome you, Button Mash, to the Cutie Mark Crusaders" Sweetie Belle concluded the reading of the induction rights. and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo placed a cape identical to the ones they were wearing over his back which Sweetie belle tied around his neck. "What do we do now?" Button Mash asked the three fillies. "Hey, I have an idea," Apple Bloom said "since we are on Sweet Apple Acres lets try and get our cutie marks in Apple buckin" "yeah, that sounds like a great idea," Scootaloo said excitedly. The four young ponys trotted off toward the orchard, after several unsuccessful tries at knocking the apples out of one of the trees in the orchard the CMCs were ready to call it quits, suddenly Sweetie Belle had an idea. "I got it, what if one of us just climbed up into the tree and picked one of the apples?" She suggested, "Hey, that's not a bad idea, Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom said, "but my big sis would kill me if she saw me climbing one of them trees." "I'll do it," Sweetie Belle said excitedly, "give me a boost Scootaloo." Scootaloo helped Sweetie Belle climb up the first branch of the tree, from there Sweetie Belle nimbly ascended five more branches before she found the perfect apple,hanging from the branch directly above her, out near the end of the branch. She carefully shuffled herself to the end of the branch until she was directly under the apple, she reached up with a single hoof to grab it and just as she was about to claim her prize, SNAP, Sweetie Belle screamed, first in suprise at the sound, then in fear, as the branch she had been standing on snapped in half, and sent her falling towards the ground. Button Mash ran as fast as he could over to where she was falling, intent on catching her, Button slid to a halt underneath the falling filly and stood on his hind hooves with his front hooves stretched up toward Sweetie Belle. No sooner had Button Mash set up to catch her, that Sweetie Belle came crashing down on top of him. "GOOD CATCH BUTTON!!!" Apple Bloom shouted. "THAT WAS AMAZING!!!!!" Scootaloo cheered. "How....how did you do that?" Sweetie Belle asked genuinely curious and quite impressed. "To be honest, I have no idea," Button said dazed, "but holy Celestia, did that hurt." "Sorry," Sweetie Belle said, starting to feel bad about having landed on Button Mash and possibly injuring him. "Your good," he said chuckling as he began to get up. The three fillies were relieved Button and Sweetie Belle had received no real injuries, and decided one near death experience was enough for one day. And decided to go to sugar cube corner for milkshakes _____________________________________________________________________________________ Five hours later. "I gotta get going ya'll. I still gotta do my Chores before sundown or else Applejack won't be happy with me," Apple Bloom said getting up from the table. "Yea,h me too," Scootaloo said, "Rainbow Dash said since I can hover she can teach me some exercises to do till I can fly for real," she said as she headed for the door. "Are you guys sure?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Button and I still have another round coming" "That's fine Y'all can just finish up without us," Apple Bloom replied "I guess," Sweetie Belle said. She had a sneaking suspicion there was a different reason her friends were leaving her and Button alone. Maybe they suspected her feelings for him. The two milkshakes reached the table and Button was desperate to break the now unbearable silence. Come on Button be fun, he thought to himself, "MILKSHAKE RACE! 1.2.3. GO." _____________________________________________________________________________________ One bad brain freeze later Button Mash and Sweetie Belle began walking home talking about nothing in particular. Being that the Carousel Boutique was on the way to Button's house, Button decided to walk Sweetie Belle home. After several minutes of walking they reached the Carousel Boutique. "Thanks for walking me home Button," Sweetie Belle said brushing a lock of her mane away from her face and smiling at him. "No problem It's not out of my way or anything," he replied. "Oh, and thanks for saving me when I fell. I hope you didn't get hurt," she continued, this time looking at the ground and feeling a little guilty. "Nah I'm fine. I just didn't want you to get hurt," he answered almost without thinking. Sweetie Belle drew her gaze up from the ground and looked at Button Mash, she looked him in the eyes, her face now bright red. "Really?" She asked. "Yeah, if you get hurt, you won't be able to come to school till you're better and I won't be able to see you." He stopped and looked at Sweetie Belle, realizing the effect of what he was about to say, he took a deep breath and decided to proceed, "and that scares me." Now Button's face began to turn bright red as he met eyes with Sweetie Belle, then without thinking, as if both ponies were possessed by some unknown, outside force Button Mash and Sweetie Belle leaned in toward each other, their eyes closed as their heads tilted opposite one another's, the lips of both ponies puckered as they drew nearer, then they meet at the equilibrium of the distance between the filly and the colt, the kiss lasted only a few seconds and was ended with a simple relaxing of the lips. Sweetie Belle's and Button Mash's eyes opened and suddenly reality returned to them as they realized what had just transpired between them, both were overcome with joy and embarrassment. Sweetie Belle was the first to speak. "Well, um, good nigh,t Button," she said the words coming in quick panicked burst. She then began an uneasy trot to her door unsure whether she wanted to leave or hear his response. "Yeah, see you tomorrow," Button said, trying to sound confident but unable to keep his voice from shaking. He then ran home as Sweetie Belle quickly entered her house and ran to her room. In the bushes two unseen watchers have observed what had happened and prepared to deliver that information to their nefarious employers.