It was a fine morning, and as Celestia’s sun arose the sky, Love Tap opened her son’s bedroom door, announcing, “Wake up, Button! Time to get ready for the day!”
“Mmmph…” was her answer, and she looked at the lump on the bed, smiling mischievously.
Going over, she took the end of the blanket in her mouth pulled it off the bed in one quick sweep, revealing a little brown earth pony colt with a two-toned lighter brown mane, his eyes scrunched shut as he tried to ignore the rude awakening.
“Button sweetie, wake up!” Love Tap giggled in a singsongy tone. “Don’t you remember what today is?”
She counted down from five and right at the one, Button’s amber eyes popped open and he gasped!
“Dad and big brother are coming back!!”
He leapt out of bed, hurried over to his desk, gave his mane a quick brushing, and pulled on his red and white beanie cap with the perpetually spinning green propellers, before hurrying downstairs, yelling, “What’s for breakfast, Mom?”
Love Tap chuckled and followed him downstairs.
In no time at all, they were enjoying a breakfast of waffles and hay-bacon with glasses of orange juice, Button saying, “And then Dad’s gonna get me a new game, and big brother will take me out to play catch, and then-”
“Ha-ha-alright, Button,” Love Tap calmed him down. “Save the excitement for when they get here! Y’know they won’t arrive until after you come home from school.”
“But I’m so excited!” Button whined before hiccupping, Love Tap giggling.
“Settle down, sweetie,” she said in a calming voice. “Just be patient! Before you know, we’ll all be going out tonight for a family outing, dinner and a movie!”
“Yay!” Button cheered, when they heard a knock at the door. “Oh! Maybe that’s them, maybe they’re early!”
“No, honey, if it was them they’d come in with their house-keys,” Love Tap corrected as she got up from the table.
“Wait right here, I’m gonna go see who it is.”
Love Tap opened the door, revealing Ditzy Doo the gray-coated, blonde-maned local mailmare, who said, “Delivery for Love Tap and Button Mash!”
She reached into her mailbag and pulled out two envelopes, holding them out to Love Tap.
“Well thank you, Ditzy, how’s Dinky by the way?”
“Oh my little muffin’s as sweet as can be,” Ditzy reported, “her father is going to take her to work with him after school today. She’s been asking him about his job at the clock tower.”
“Well that sounds fun,” Love Tap replied, happy to hear of another little one getting spend time with their father. She looked at the envelopes and realized who they were from, but it gave her cause to worry.
“Um, Ditzy, I have to look at these, and I certainly don’t want to hold you up.”
“Not at all, see you around Tap!” Ditzy said with a smile before flying off.
As she closed the door, Love Tap looked at the envelopes to be sure, and unfortunately she was. The one for her was from her husband while the one for Button was from the Royal Guard. She hoped with all her heart they didn’t say what she feared they might but knew she couldn’t hide them form Button.
“Mom! Who was it?”
Hearing him, she pulled on a smile and returned to the table, saying, “It was just Ditzy, delivering some mail to us! Here, this one’s for you!”
Button gasped and took the envelope.
“Hey, it’s from big brother!”
They both tore into the envelopes and read what they had to say, and Love Tap immediately felt her heart sank when she saw the message from her husband. The whimperings-turned-sobs from Button told her she had been right, and she went over to hug her little Button as he cried.
“Hey Rumble!” Twinken greeted him as they met up on the playground. It was still early so everypony was playing before school officially started.
“Hi Twinken, what’s up?” Rumble asked as they walked over to the picnic table.
“Not much, but my big brothers and Applejack are preparing something down at Sweet Apple Acres,” Twinken explained. “They said it was a surprise!”
“Y’know, Thunderlane said he had a surprise for me too,” Rumble brought up.
“Hey, lookit Button!” Twinken said, pointing past the gray Pegasus colt, and they saw a moping Button slowly walking their way, and it looked like he’d been crying.
They waited patiently for Button to join them at the table, and for an awkward moment no one said anything.
“Uh, hey Button!” Rumble tried to break the ice. “What’s up, you don’t look so good.”
“My dad and brother…” Button moaned. “They canceled on me and my mom, we were gonna have a family day after school today!”
“What happened?” Twinken asked.
“My dad’s always away on his dumb business trips,” Button complained, “and my brother got assigned to a new platoon in the Royal Guard so he can’t come home either!”
“That sucks,” Twinken agreed. “But hey! We’re here for ya, brony!”
“Yeah, best friends forever!” Rumble added.
“Yeah, you blank flanks deserve each other!” said a snotty voice and they knew immediately who it was.
They all turned and gave Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon the stink-eye, the former saying, “Whatsamatter blank flank? You’re so worthless your dad and brother don’t wanna see you?”
Button whimpered at those harsh words, Twinken stood between his friend and their tormentor.
“Why don’cha back off, Diamond Tiara? Before something happens to that rat’s nest you call a hairstyle?”
“Wha- You- How dare you!” Diamond Tiara growled. “I can have my dad arrange for you to be kicked out of school, blank flank! So you’d better watch your step…”
“Our brothers are the Guardians of Harmony,” Twinken boasted, “Do you actually think we’re scared of a dumb business pony like your dad?”
“Ergh!” Diamond Tiara and Twinken growled as they butted heads, the colts and fillies gathering and started chanting, “Fight, fight, fight, fight!”
“What is going on here?!”
They all froze as Cheerilee walked up, looking cross.
“Well?”
“Miss Cheerilee!” Silver Spoon wailed. “Twinken and his friends were making fun of Diamond Tiara!”
“Nuh-uh, she was saying awful things to Button, and he’s already upset!” Twinken contradicted.
“You started it, blank flank!” Diamond Tiara accused.
“Nuh-uh! You did, you little brat!” snapped Scootaloo, butting in.
“I don’t care who started it, I’m finishing it!” Cheerilee stated, Sweetie Belle going over to Button Mash and wiping his tears. “Class is starting, everypony inside now!”
“Yes, Miss Cheerilee,” everypony said submissively as they filed inside, Cheerilee bringing up the rear to make sure there was no more nonsense.