//------------------------------//
// The Only Winning Move 
// Story: Final Mashtination 
// by Rinnaul 
//------------------------------//

“No! No, I’m not playing again!” Button Mash slammed a hoof down on his character sheet—based on himself—and swept the dice off of the table. “This is nothing but a killer dungeon! No matter what I do or don’t do, I’m just going to die over and over!”

Sweetie Belle glared at him, eyes only just visible over the top of her DM screen.

“Why did we interrupt our usual weekly D&D session for this?” he asked.

Sweetie sighed. “Do you seriously not know, Button?”

“Wait, is this just because I forgot which day your birthday was?” He blinked. “I still got you something.”

Sweetie’s eye twitched, and she sputtered before pushing the DM screen over to plant both of her forehooves on the table. “That’s not the point! It’s not that you got me something or not! It’s the part where you forgot about it!” She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before fixing her gaze on him again. “And besides, it wasn't just the birthday. It’s also about what you said to my sister.”

“What did I say to her? Was it the part where I asked how her mane stayed that shape?”

Sweetie ground her hooves into the table and threw her head back in a growl that seemed to be restraining a scream. “You said ‘oh wow, you’re almost as old as my mom’! You said that to Rarity!”

Button blinked again, and cocked his head to one side. “And? What’s wrong with that?”

“Now she thinks she’s getting old!” Sweetie shouted. “She was in hysterics the entire day! I spent most of my birthday trying to console my hyperemotional sister instead of going out and having fun with you!” She sank down into the chair and grumbled. “And she ate all the ice cream I was going to have for my birthday, too…”

“I could… take you out to get more ice cream?”

Sweetie Belle stared at Button for a moment, then sighed and rubbed her temple with one hoof. “Okay, you know what? It’s a start.”

“Great! Just let me get my wallet and—”

“But if you ever do something like it again, I’m having Apple Bloom loan me an axe.”

“—and make a note to change the locks on our house.”