//------------------------------// // Cease and Desist // Story: Hasbro's Persistence // by Matthais Unidostres //------------------------------// When Button Mash mysteriously vanished one Sunday morning, his family and friends quickly took notice. Before long, a huge search party swept all of Ponyvile, and even extended into Ghastly Gorge, Froggy Bottom Bog, and the Everfree Forest. However, the search was completely fruitless. This left Button's brother depressed, Button's father angry at himself, and Button's mother completely distraught. However, all was not lost, as Princess Twilight announced that she had learned a Scrying Spell that she was sure could locate the 8 year old colt. So, with a piece of Button's hair from a brush, a crystal on a string, and a map of Equestria, Button was located. . .on an island in the ocean. This was most certainly perplexing, but Twilight assured everypony that magic didn't lie. She even repeated the spell multiple times, and got the same result. And so, the Mane Six all boarded a Royal Airship with the promise that they would bring Button Mash home safely. And so, the Mane Six soon found themselves stepping out of the airship and onto the shore of the strange, rocky island. However, just as the got off, a Royal Guard ran up to Twilight. "Princess Twilight! We have stowaways!" he said. "What!?" Twilight gasped as she and everyone else turned to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders along with none other than Milano Mash being brought towards them by three more Royal Guards. "Sweetie Belle! What are you doing?" Rarity gasped. "Applebloom! Do you realize that this could be very dangerous! Those ponies might try and kidnap you too!" Applejack said admonishingly. "You actually stowed away!?" Rainbow Dash said, sounding almost impressed. But she reined in her emotions and said in her best serious voice, "Not cool, squirt. Like AJ said, this is dangerous business." "And Mrs. Mash! Why are you here?" Twilight said in shock, "Did you put them up to this?" Milano's eyes widened and she shook her head frantically. "No-no-no-no-no! I snuck aboard alone. It seems that Button's friends had the same idea, and they ended up finding me before the Royal Guards did." Twilight sighed, and she shook her head. "Mrs. Mash, I know this is hard for you. I know that you love your son very much, and that you want to get to him right away. But if you, or both you and Button ended up getting hurt, then that would just make everything worse. Please, just leave the rescuing to us." Milano hung her head shamefully, "I suppose you're right. I just wasn't thinking. . .I just. . .I'm just so worried. . ." "It's okay," Twilight said comfortingly, putting a hoof on Milano's shoulder. "We're going to save him." Twilight gave the mare a smile, who slowly returned it. Twilight nodded, and turned to the three fillies, "Now as for you three, you had better stay here with Button's mother-." "Button's our friend! We've gotta help him!" Sweetie Belle said desperately. "That's right! He may not be a Crusader, but he's still a friend!" Applebloom declared. "We'll kick whoever kidnapped Button to Fillydlephia and back!" Scootaloo shouted, flapping her wings in rage. "That's just crazy!" Applejack shouted back. "I must agree with Applejack on this," Rarity said calmly. "Sorry, Squirt, but they're right. Whoever did this are probably big, strong, tough creeps who know powerful freaky magic. There's not much little fillies like you can do here," Rainbow said. "But-" Sweetie Belle said, still looking and sounding desperate. She turned to see that here friends had their heads hung low in resignation. "Sweetie Belle, please. We don't need to loose anypony else," Rarity said kindly. Knowing that the bigger ponies were right and that she had nothing else to say, Sweetie Belle sighed. "Alright. . ." "Alright! It's rescue time! Go! Go! Go!" Pinkie Pie shouted before running off to the large ziggurat-like structure in the middle of the island. "Pinkie! Slow down! We'll loose the element of surprise!" Twilight called after her. "I am the Element of Surprise, silly!" "What does that even- ugh, never mind!" Soon, the Mane Six were on their way to the mysterious temple, followed by a band of guards. Meanwhile, the four stowaways were getting back on the airship. "Rainbow Dash will save him," Scootaloo said, "She'll kick those evil kidnappers' butts into outer space!" "Not if mah big sister bucks them first!" Applebloom challenged. As Applebloom and Scootaloo had their conversation, Sweetie Belle fell back and walked besides Milano Mash. "Um. . .Mrs. Mash?" Sweetie Belle said bashfully. "Yes, Sweetie Belle?" Milano replied. "Um. . ." Sweetie Belle stared at her hooves nervously, not wanting to look up. "Um. . .well. . .with Button in. . .trouble like this. . . I just have to. . . I gotta. . . ." "Sweetie Belle?" Milano asked in concern, cocking her head at the filly, "What's the matter." "I. . . I. . . I. . ." Sweetie Belle shook with nervousness as her cheeks turned red. She swallowed down the lump in her throat hard, and she said in a loud whisper, "I think I've had a crush on Button!" Milano's eyebrows raised in surprise as Sweetie Belle closed her eyes and looked away. Then, Milano smiled, and put a foreleg around her. "You know, Button likes you very much. Sweetie Belle looked up in surprise. "Really?" she squeaked out. "Really. He talks about you a lot, how he really likes spending time with you, and not just playing video games. Just listen. . . ." "I don't like this place," Fluttershy said nervously from within the temple, "It just feels so. .. evil. . .." "Relax, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash said, "All we gotta do is grab Button and get out." Soon, the Mane Six and the band of guards came to a set of stone doors. "What do we do know?" Applejack asked Twilight. "Enter!" a voice said before Twilight could reply. The doors then opened by magic, revealing a very harrowing scene. Button was standing in the middle of a large room, his hooves fastened down by metal clamps, and he was surrounded by ponies in black robes. "HELP ME! I DON'T HAVE ANY EXTRA LIVES HERE!" Button exclaimed in fear. "Oh my gosh!" Rarity exclaimed. "Let him go, you creeps!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "You are all under arrest!" Twilight shouted as the guards ponies readied their spears. Suddenly, a pony dressed in purple robes came forth, chuckling evilly. "Toys," he said, "You are attempting to interrupt something that cannot be stopped." "Who are you ponies?" Twilight demanded. "We are not ponies, not in the way you're thinking," the purple robed figure said, "We were brought into existence by magic, simply to complete the task of Lord Hasbro." "Lord Hasbro?" Rainbow Dash echoed in distaste. "Yes, toy. Lord Hasbro. The creator of this world!" "The creator?" Twilight said in disbelief. "Yes! And he has summoned us to restore order to this world!" "Now see here, mister!" Fluttershy said angrily, "How is kidnapping an innocent little colt restoring order?" "Because this colt is not supposed to exist!" the purple robed pony said, "He is an example of this world rebelling against Lord Hasbro's wishes! He must be deleted so Lord Hasbro's control over this world can be absolute once again!" "That's crazy!" Twilight shouted, "No one has the right to decide who gets to exist and who doesn't! If someone shouldn't exist, than they never would have existed in the first place. The fact that Button Mash exists at all proves that he should exist! He didn't do anything wrong, so this alleged creator has no right in trying to get rid of him!" "You foal of a toy! Don't you see? Lord Hasbro did not create this pony. Others did! Only Lord Hasbro can create in this world, and no one else!" "If Button isn't hurting anything, then this big, bad, powerful 'Lord Hasbro' should just let him be a part of Equestria!" Rainbow Dash countered. "That's right! What's the harm?" Twilight said. "The harm is that when others create using this world, Lord Hasbro loses power and influence to those other creators! Lord Hasbro must hold all the power and influence!" "Well that sounds horribly greedy!" Rarity remarked. "And really mean!" Pinkie said. "It doesn't even make any sense! One single colt couldn't possibly affect this 'Lord Hasbro' control if he's as strong and powerful as you seem to hold him up as!" Twilight added. "You toys are simply to small to understand! But understand this! You are powerless to stop the deletion of this miserable colt!" "HELP ME!!!" Button screamed as tears streamed down his face, "PLEASE HELP ME! MOOOOOOOOOOOM!" "We will not allow you to harm this innocent!" one of the guards said as they squad prepared to charge. "Too late," the purple robed pony said callously. Suddenly, in a terrifying instant, the floor underneath Button Mash exploded, and purple fire burst up in a huge geyser. The roaring flames only barely masked Button's screams of agony as he disappeared in the fire. "NOOOO!" everypony screamed in horror. All the robed ponies laughed manically, oblivious to the fact that the entire temple was starting to collapse all around them. "Princess, we have to get out of here now!" one of the guards shouted. "No. . ." Twilight said in shock and horror, staring at where Button Mash once stood. "PRINCESS!" the guard shouted as he grabbed Twilight's leg and pulled. "Move, you fools! Think of your own families!" another guard shouted as the entire squad urged the Mane Six to move. Eventually, everyone got over their shock enough to move and flee from the destruction around them. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! Lord Hasbro's word is law!" the purple robed pony said, "You toys cannot-" A huge rock silenced him. Beneath the temple, a huge power burst forth, blowing up the entire temple in one enormous blast. The ponies had only just managed to escape the temple before the blast, but they were thrown down hard and had the sense knocked out of them for a while. After a few quiet moments, the ponies slowly got to their hooves. They were silent as they looked up and around, all in complete shock. Voices could be heard shouting in the distance, and they looked up to see Milano, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and the rest of the guards. "Applejack! Are ya alright! What happened?" Applebloom shouted. "Whoa! Did you blow the bad guys up, Rainbow Dash? That was awesome!" Scootaloo said excitedly. "Princess! Are you okay?" a guard said. Sweetie Belle ran up to Rarity and hugged her tightly. "Sweetie Belle. . . ." Rarity said softly a she hugged her back. Sweetie Belle looked around nervously, "Wha-? . . .where is. . ?" Rarity's only response was to hug her tighter. "No. . ." the filly whispered sadly as tears filled her eyes, and she sobbed into her big sister's mane. Milano Mash stood a few meters away, looking on at the scene before her. Before long, her knees gave out, and fell down hard and painfully. She let her hang down as she began to let out her wails of anguish. Twilight looked around her. The guards were taking their helmets off and putting them over their hearts. Fluttershy, Rarity, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were crying. Rainbow Dash was laying flat and pounding the ground in anger. Applejack had her hat over her face. Pinkie Pie's hair was completely flat, and she was in a state of shock. "What kind of Princess am I. . ." Twilight said softly, "I couldn't save just one innocent colt. . . ." "Please, don't say such things," a guard said, "You are not to blame. It is only the villains who did this deed who are to blame." Twilight shook her head as she silently wept, "I should've acted . . .done something. . .why-" BOOOOOOOM! Out of the huge crater left by the explosion of the temple burst a huge plume of purple fire. As the flames shot into the sky, an enormous, towering, dark figure the size of the Statue of Liberty and made of dark shadows arose from the bottomless pit. It resembled a bipedal creature, with huge hulking arms and hands like claws. Where the face would be, there was only a glowing blue smiling mouth. "WHAT THE HAY IS THAT THING!?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Lord Hasbro, I presume?" Pinkie Pie said in an uncharacteristically fearful voice. "Oh no!" Twilight gasped, her eyes wide with fear. The huge entity laughed maniacally. It was a loud, harsh, booming laugh that simply oozed with evil delight. "Behold, toys! Behold your god!" the thing exclaimed. "Wha- what are you doing!? Why have you come here?!" Twilight shouted. "You have already been told why we are here! Button's Adventures angered us, because it was not our creation! So we are making ourselves known in this world, as we erase all traces of him!" "Did that thing. . . ?" Sweetie Belle said softly. Then, an enormous rage erupted inside of her. Wrenching out of Rarity's embrace, Sweetie Belle ran out in the open and glared up at the shadowy being. "YOU! YOU DID IT! BUTTON IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!" she screamed at the top of your lungs. "Sweetie Belle! Get back!" Rarity cried out in fear for her sister's life. The dark being laughed in amusement as it smiled down at the heartbroken filly. "Do you think feeble shouts and complaints can overturn our demands? Especially from a little toy like you!?" "I REALLY, REALLY LIKED HIM!" Sweetie Belle shouted back defiantly. "Not for long, for we plan to erase all traces, all memories of Button Mash from OUR world! He will be forever forgotten!" Horror quickly replaced the rage in Sweetie Belle's heart. "No. . .NO! NO! I DON'T WANT TO FORGET HIM! I WON'T! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!" "Sweetie Belle!" Applebloom shouted. "Sweetie Belle! Get back!" Scootaloo shouted, her normally brash and confident nature lone gone and replaced with fear and panic. "Hasbro!" Twilight shouted as she teleported in between the entity and Sweetie Belle, "Why!? Why are you so determined to destroy Button Mash!?" "The truth is, in a way, he was one of our creations, but others sought to take him, and use him as their own! They sought to take our power!" "If you really are the strong creator, why do you feel threatened by a harmless little colt!?" Twilight asked. "Because our power comes from the souls of those who observe the world we created back in our home dimension! If those souls look to other sources, we will loose our influence and power to them!" "All this over one colt? You seriously can't allow one little 8 year old colt to be free from you! You're that desperate to hold onto every scrap of power?! And if he originally was yours, why not let others enrich his existence! Wouldn't that make others like your world even more! Button was practically helping you! Don't you see!?" Twilight shouted, although it was starting to almost sound like pleasing. "BAH! We have no reason to listen to a toy! We have already done this before with a certain fighting tournament you planned to have! Even now, it's existence is wiped from your minds. And now, we shall do the same thing to that wretched colt Button Mash, who dares to steal OUR power!" The huge entity roared as it raised its arms. A huge dome of dark energy expanded out from the being, making rapid progress towards them. It looked similar to the shields that were used to defeat Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra, only this shield radiated hate and greed. "Is this it?" Scootaloo said nervously, "If that thing touches us, are we all going to forget that Button Mash ever existed?" "No. . ." Applebloom said in horror, "Say it isn't so. . .it can't be!" Held down and unable to move due to some dark force, the ponies could only watch as the dark shield began to expand towards then , after which it would envelop the entire world. "BUTTTON!!!!" Sweetie Belle screamed tearfully as the dark shield headed straight towards her and the other ponies. When Button opened his eyes, what he saw nearly took his breath away. He was floating in an astral plane, with billions of stars floating around in a nebula like space. "Oh man, oh man, either I've transported to the Hyperspace Plane Portal Axis via Resonance Cascade. . .or I'm dead!" Button Mash exclaimed fearfully. "No, and no." Button gasped when he heard the voice. He looked all around him, but he couldn't see anyone. "Uh. . .hello? Who's there?" Button asked nervously. "You cannot see us. . .but we are the ones who gave you life." Button began to feel goose bumps all over his body. "What. . .what do you mean? Wait, 'us'! Are you some kind of alien bug hive mind from another planet like in Metal Core X!?" "No. We technically are aliens, seeing as we're from another dimension. But we are individuals, very much like you ponies. We're merely speaking in plural to express our unity in speaking to you, Button Mash. For you see, you were erased by the original creators of Equestria, due to the fact that it was us and not them who gave you a life. For you see, in our world, we are able to look into Equestria through magic windows. When we. . .the Bronies. . .watch and enjoy the world Hasbro created, they gain power. And we gain joy." "So. . .Equestria is being watched by aliens from another dimension? And Hasbro gets power whenever you. . . Bronies . . .watch us?" Button said in amazement, "Wow. . .that'd make a good plot device for a video game. . .like a inter-dimensional traveling adventure. . ." When the voice spoke again, it took on a sad tone, a tone that Button could almost feel with his heart. "However, may of us Bronies wanted to expand on the joy we felt, so we attempted to add on to the world Hasbro created. We didn't want to steal Hasbro's power, and we made sure that everyone knew it was Hasbro who deserves the credit so we would not take away. Ironic, because we Bronies are truly so small compared to Hasbro. But Hasbro was just to greedy and selfish to understand. So when we gave you a life of your own, Hasbro felt threatened, because they wanted to be the only ones to give life to Equestria. And so, they made plans to destroy you." Button's lip trembled as tears rolled down his cheeks. "And they did," he said sadly as he cried. He couldn't believe it. Why did this have to happen to him. All those games he'll never get to play. New Super Mareo Sisters U looked like so much fun. And what's worse, worse than loosing his last life on the final boss, worse than the power going out right before a save point, was that he never got to see if his secret crush on Sweetie Belle would ever become anything more. "They haven't destroyed you let, Button Mash." A ray of hope pierced the darkness in Button's heart. "They haven't!?" Button gasped in joy, his tears trying. "No, Button. They never could. The fact is, you never were in any true danger at all." Button blinked, "I wasn't? But I was kidnapped and set on fire like a Spy running from a Pyro! And now I'm here-." "The actions taken by Hasbro did damaged your existence a great deal. So much was very nearly lost, so it is natural the bearing of your existence would be. . .misplaced for a time. But your end could never be permanent Button, because the Bronies posses something Hasbro can never take away. For you see, Hasbro may have set Equestria in motion, but they are certainly no god. They cannot be in Equestria all the time. They merely set small events in motion through magic windows of their own. But 99.999999999% of the time, life in Equestria goes on behind the scenes, out of Hasbro's sight and control. That means, that within that 99.999999999%, you do exist Button Mash. We Bronies may be unable to see you, but you're still there. You're just as real as Derpy Hooves, or Doctor Whooves, or Dinky Doo, or Snowdrop, or Poindexter, or Snowflake, or even Spike's parents. We Bronies carry the ones who Hasbro says don't exist inside our hearts and in our minds; and from within our communities, we communicate the story of your life, and in that way, no matter what Hasbro says or does to erase the memory of you, we will never truly forget you." Button sniffed as his heart was deeply touched by the words. He wiped his tears away and said, "So. . .now what?" "Ah yes. .. now it is time to use your Continue, and fight the Final Boss." "Fight!? But I'm just a-!" "Don't worry about a thing, Button Mash, for the Bronies are ALL with you." At that moment, all of the tiny stars in the distance zoomed in, all focusing on Button's chest. Button gasped as thousands upon thousands of lights flew into his body. As more and more lights fused with his very soul, Button began to feel thoughts, emotions, and feelings; all directed to him, all focused about him. A joy and confidence unlike anything he ever felt before filled his entire being. His propeller hat spun faster than ever before as a big smile spread across his face. "LEVEL UP!" Button exclaimed as a huge burst of light filled the area. The dark shield stopped only a few feet away from Twilight, who was standing at the front. "WHAT!?" the entity shouted. "The shield thing stopped!" Rainbow Dash gasped. Suddenly, the shield went in reverse, and collapsed right around the dark being's mid section, bursting with a loud explosion. "URRRRRAAAAAAAAARGH! The thing roared in pain as a huge hole was blown in its chest. It quickly sealed back up, but not before a ray of white light shot out, arced up into the sky, and came crashing down into the ground and kicked up a huge cloud of dust. "HUH?!" The dust began to settle. "No. . .it couldn't be. . ." Twilight said softly. The dust finally cleared. Everyone was speechless, except for one. "BUTTON?!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. Button slowly got to his hooves, amazed that his hat was still on his head after that crash landing. He looked down at himself and gasped. He was glowing gold. "Heh. Guess I'm Super Button now. Didn't even need any emeralds. . ." he thought. He then looked up at the enormous creature in front of him. A smile spread across the gamer colt's face. "They were right after all," he said aloud, he then stood tall and shouted confidently, "I've got an amazing power that no matter how hard you try to control it, you can never ever posses!" "What's he saying?" Twilight said. "I just can't believe he's still alive!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Go, Button! GO BUTTON! YEAAAAAAAH-HOOOOO!" Pinkie Pie cheered wildly, her hair now back to normal. Button pointed at the creature dramatically and said, "Here we go, Hasbro! I'm gonna make you regret hurting my friends and family! I'll send you packing like the Tortoise King in Super Mareo Galaxy 2!" "You insignificant little waste of space!" the creature shouted, it's glowing blue mouth still stuck in that dumb looking open mouthed smile. "You're not even a toy! You're a piece of the background! We refuse to let you exist as anything but that! We will crush you! You WILL Cease and Desist! "You Final Boss monsters are all the same!" Button said mockingly, "Blah, blah, blah. How about we skip the cut scene and start this fight right NOW!" A huge beam of blinding golden light burst out of Button, forcing everyone to look away. "You know what one of my favorite video games of all time is?" Button shouted. When the light finally faded, to everyone's shock, there was a large flying griffon-like Mech about half the size of the dark creature. It was glowing golden and partially see through, similar to something Power Pony Radiance could make if her magic were gold instead of purple. Button could be seen at the controls, the biggest smile ever on his face. "STRIKE SUIT GIFFINITY!" Button shouted. "No way. . ." Scootaloo gasped. "Woah. . .Button. . ." Applebloom said in amazement. "Go now, Strike Suit! Attack mode!" Button shouted as the Mech's wings folded up, and then flew towards the monster, blazing away with lazer beams. The creature roared and attempted to swat Button out of the sky, but the Mech was too fast for it. The creature's arm was battered with lazer fire. "Oh yeah! Get him, Button! Mess him up!" Scootaloo cried. "Knock this evil thing down!" Applebloom shouted. "You can do it, Button! Use this new power to defeat him!" Twilight shouted. "You're the master in things like this, Button! You can win this!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed loudly. "Button! Button! Button!" The Royal Guards chanted, stomping there hooves to urge the young gamer on. Button shouted a battle cry as he manipulated the controls in his cockpit. The ship opened up to look more like a griffon, and the wings opened wide as jet engines allowed the Mech to hover. "This is the power of all the Bronies in your world combined!" Button shouted as he launched a huge barrage of missiles that struck the creature hard, causing it to roar in pain and stumble back a few steps. "Of a never-ending future!" Button exclaimed as his Mech folded up again and rapidly fired two streams of lazers at the creature's shouders, knocking it back further. "Of hard work and good plots amid a world of low quality garbage!" Button shouted again as his Mech folded up even tighter and fired lazers even more rapidly, this time into the entity's chest, knocking it backwards even more. "The bonds and connections made between people through their love for our world! That's the totally awesome godmode power I have, and it's something you will never understand!" Button shouted. For a brief second, the dark entity found itself surrounded by an army of Bronies that extended infinitely in all directions. "RAAAAAAARGH! You little fool! They're just stupid sheep and cash cows to us, and nothing more, don't you see?! And you can't destroy us! We are the creator of this world! Of this universe! Of this reality! This world would die without us!" "You're WRONG!" Button shouted, "Sure, you created this world, but even if you were gone, Equestria would still live on in the hearts and minds of Bronies! And no one, not even you, could ever destroy it!" "You still cannot destroy US!" "I know," Button said, and he turned his Mech around and flew high into the sky, away from the creature. When he had reached what he felt was the right height and distance, he turned his Mech around and dipped into a dive, right towards the entity. "But I can send you back where you came from!" Button declared as he zoomed at top speed towards the dark being. "This is futile! This is idiocy!" the creature shouted. "NO! THIS! IS! EQUESTRIA!!!!!!!" Button shouted as he activated the final controls. The Mech unfolded, and held it's leg out. The leg, moving at top speed, collided with the entity's chest with so much force that it sunk into it. At that moment, the entity's glowing blue smile turned into a pained frown, as it realized that Button's attacks had pushed it back right to the very edge of the huge crater pit. "NO! NO, IT CAN'T BE! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo. . . ." Everyone was dead silent as the entity that sought to bend their world for its own greedy desires fell back into the pit from whence it came. Then, a final burst of golden light erupted from the crater. The earth moved as the hole began to fill with rock, sealing itself up, and closing the doorway to the other dimension. And after a final whoosh, a final crack, and a final rumble, everything was still. Absolutely still. The golden Mech landed on the ground, and quickly faded away, gently floating Button down onto the ground. Button looked to be seriously out of breath as his heart and lungs worked in overdrive. "Button?" Fluttershy said, breaking the nervous silence. "BUTTON WON IT!" Pinkie suddenly shouted through a megaphone she had somehow brought with her, leaping nearly 20 feet into the air as she shouted loud enough for ponies back in Ponyvile to hear, "BUTTON HAS WON IT! IN AN EPIC BATTLE THAT WOULD PUT EVEN THE BEST OF VIDEO GAMES TO SHAME, BUTTON MASH HAS WON THE MOST SUPER DUPER MEGA ULTRA AWESOME INCREDIBLE AMAZING VICTORY IN THE HISTORY OF FOREVER!!!!" "Eep!" Fluttershy squeaked as she fell down flat and covered her ears. Button Mash looked out over the sealed up crater as he finally managed to catch his breath. "It's. . . .over. . . ." Button said, sounding very much relieved. He looked down and saw a glowing orb of golden light come out of his chest. Button smiled as the orb of light floated in front of his face. "Thank you. . .everyone. . ." Button said. Button watched as the ball of light floated up into the air, and then vanished in a flash of light. Button turned around to see everypony staring at him. "Button . . ." Applebloom whispered with wide eyes. Scootaloo could only gape at Button in silence. Button smiled nervously. "Hey girls." Button was immediately tackled by a trio of huggers, led of course by Sweetie Belle, who was crying tears of joy. "You were so awesome!" Scootaloo squealed, still amazed by the epic battle that had just happened. Sweetie Belle was the closest to Button, and he made sure to hug her back tightly. "I was so afraid. . .I afraid you were gone. . ." Sweetie Belle sobbed. Button smiled as he patted Sweetie Belle on the back gently to comfort her, "Don't worry, Sweetie Belle. I'm here to stay now." "Um. . .Button?" Applebloom said. "Yeah?" Applebloom cleared her throat and gently nudged he friends aside and pointed. Button's eyes widened in realization, and he quickly ran off, past everypony else, and skidded to halt in front of the shaky mare in front of him. "Mom . . ." Everyone, except maybe for Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, couldn't help but "daww" as the mother and song tearfully embraced after nearly loosing each other after a time of so much danger. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie landed back on the ground and said, "Hey, you know what this calls for?" "A party," everyone answered. Pinkie Pie pouted, "That's my line." But then she perked up instantly and said, "But you're right! Let's go!" Everyone in Ponyville was overjoyed to see the new colt in town back home with them safe and sound. They had all looked hard in the initial search party, and were genuinely concerned for him. The whole town cheered when the ponies returned home with Button Mash. Button's father and brother were quick give their youngest family member a passionate hug and mane ruffling. Pinkie Pie's party just as amazing as always. In fact, the circumstances may have made the party even sweeter. The whole day was filled with delicious snacks and great dancing music. Everypony stood in amazement as Button Mass related the tale of his capture, his time between dimensions, and his ultimate Final Boss Battle; with the Mane Six and company there to Pinkie Promise that every word of it was true. Button even got Spike to help him write the story down later for when he grows to become a game designer. Button was totally sure that his story would make an award winning game. Speaking of games, the after party consisted of Button, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Spike having their own private all out gaming tournament. Even the rest of Button's family joined in for a while. Of course, time flies when you're having fun, and all good things must come to an end. However, Button didn't mind when it was time to shut things down. In his mind, he had his whole life ahead of him to play every good game ever made. The whole ordeal hadn't changed him too much. He was still Button Mash, the eight year old colt who liked video games and loved his family. But he did have a slightly different perspective on life. "We'll see you tomorrow, Button. Right?" Applebloom asked slightly nervously. Button laughed and nodded, "Sure, Applebloom. I'm home, and here to stay, right where I belong." "Hear! Hear!" Scootaloo cheered. "Remember, tomorrow we sort a few of the details of your story out," Spike said. "And we come up with some cool game mechanics!" Button said excitedly. Spike smiled, "Sure thing. Good night, Button!" Button's friends all wished him a good night and went out to return to their homes. Button closed the door and was halfway to bed when there was a knock on the door. Confused, Button went back to the door and opened it to find Sweetie Belle standing there by herself. "Sweetie Belle? What is it? Did ya forget something?" Button asked. "Um. . . ." Sweetie Belle looked very nervous, and she was slightly blushing, "It's just. . .there's something I just gotta do. . .or I'll never get to sleep tonight. . ." Button cocked his head in confusion, "Huh? What is it?" Button smiled in an attempt to put her at ease, "If you're worried about me, then don't. I'm fine, really. I-." Button was silenced by the kiss that Sweetie Belle put on his cheek. It wasn't anything overboard or excessive. It was just a small, sweet, innocent kiss on the cheek. Immediately after doing it, Sweetie Belle felt a whole lot better, and even managed a cute giggle. "Goodnight, Button!" she said, still with a blush on her face as she skipped away. Button lightly touched his cheek with his hoof, his heart pumping just as fast as when he was fighting for his life. "Goodnight, Sweetie Belle," he said softly, a small content smile on his face. Button closed the door, and walked over towards his mother and father's room. Suddenly, Button's brother suddenly came by and caught the younger colt in a tight hug. "Did I tell you how much I love ya, little bro?" he said with a laugh. "Heh-heh! Ya sure did," Button said. He let Button go and playfully ruffled his mane some more. "Sweet dreams, little bro." "Same here, big brother." Button then entered his parents' room. Button's dad gave him a hearty smile as Milano walked over a hugged her son for the umpteenth time that night. "Just for tonight, sweetie," she said soothingly. Button nuzzled his mother and said, "Sure, mom." Button's mother held him gently as he lay in bed with his parents on either side of him. It felt, really nice actually. "I love you, mom. I love you too dad." "I love you, sweetie." "Love you, my son." And so the family fell asleep. And tomorrow be a new day of Button's Adventures.