"We should've known you wouldn't easily stay in one place." gestured Scootaloo when they met up in Sweetie Belle's room when the ball was done at midnight. It was just the girls as Rumble and Pip retired to their own guest rooms for the night.
"I know, and I'm sorry about that."
"Don't be sorry. We're glad you came after all and it looked like Button was especially glad…" Apple Bloom winked.
She blushed as she recalled her and Button's dance at the ball.
"But you do realize he's going to be hard to get to, right?" Scoots asked, "What with this ridiculous competition going on for winning his hoof."
"I know that, which is why I'm determined to win, but not for marrying him."
The two of them looked at her in puzzlement, going, "Huh?"
"He wants to be free to make his own choices," Sweetie explained, "as much as I really like him… and yes, you are right. I have a crush on him."
They couldn't help but smirk as she continued.
"The point is he should be free to marry whoever and whenever he wants to… I will not marry him unless he wants me to."
"That… is… so… unselfish!" AB's eyes gleamed.
"You're darn right it's not selfish!" Scootaloo beamed, "She's letting the guy have a say in his fate, even if she does want him for herself!"
"Button is his own pony. Who he loves should be his choice, even if I have… a fondness…" she went pink again.
"Hmm-mm." both sisters nodded and the three just burst into laughter before Sweetie pointed out.
"Oh, and by the way, Button's going to show us around the island tomorrow!"
"Cool!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"Wait, does that count for us…?" Apple Bloom asked, pointing to the three of them, "or for all the princesses?"
"Us."
"Oh yeah, he's got it bad for you!" Scoots clicked her tongue.
"Now stop that! Just because I like him doesn't mean he feels the same way!"
AB playfully grinned, "But you'd like him to be, right?"
"That's not the point! And what about your guys' love lives?!" she smirked, knowing she finally got back at them.
"Love lives?!" both shouted.
"What are you talking about?!" demanded Scootaloo.
"Yeah…" Apple Bloom stammered with cheeks flushing red, "I don't know what you're getting at…"
"You do so! Pip…? Rumble…? Making any sense to you?" she winked.
"Me and Rumble?! No way! Besides, he's just paying off his debt to me. We are not an item of any sorts!"
"Same for Pip and me! He's… just a friend, that's all he'll ever be… Plus, he has a job to do, so he can't socialize with me! I mean us!"
"That's too bad, because Button was courteous enough to invite them along."
Their faces softened in surprise.
"He did?" Scootaloo questioned.
"He did." she repeated.
The two sisters exchanged glances before coolly replying that it was fine that the guys came with them.
Sweetie yawned, "Well, I'm going to bed now. This day was exhausting."
The sisters agreed and decided to hug each other quickly before saying their good nights. Once Scootaloo and Apple Bloom went to their own guest rooms, they couldn't help having a smile playing on their lips.
"You're going to do what?!"
"Keep quiet!" Button had to silence Featherweight with his hoof. They were in the castle's gym late at night, "Listen, I'm counting on you to help me out here. My mother can never know I'm taking three princesses out to town! I'd never hear the end of it and what's worst, she might send Sweetie Belle back! And I don't want that to happen!" he released his hoof.
"Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do, but I won't be able to hold them off for long."
"It's mostly my mother you have to keep entertain. If my dad found out, he'd be on my side. Say… that's not a bad idea… make sure you can get my pop to help you out. He's bound to keep Mom busy until I get back!"
"Good plan, I like that."
"I would like to count this as a first date with Sweetie, but if we're bringing her sisters along including their escorts, I don't think it does."
"You could always have Truffle in the kitchen to make a romantic dinner for the two of you."
"Oh, sure, while dining with my parents and other princesses with whom I'm supposed to be courting with, that's a superb idea."
"You could have it in the kitchen!"
Button could only shake his head, warily saying, "I'm going to bed. Wake me when you come up with a better approach…" he walked away.
He trailed after him, "We could always-"
"Good night, Featherweight!"
Morning shone brightly as princesses lined up into the banquet hall. There was chatter among them as some of them made friends at the ball last night. Twist and Dinky were certainly talking to each other. Diamond and Silver just kept to themselves as did the trio, but the latter group was open to the other princesses talking directly to them. Most of them were asking questions, especially Sweetie Belle about how it felt to be dancing with the prince.
"It feels like you're floating on air." she answered.
The girls exhaled dreamy sighs while Diamond huffed.
"So, how come we didn't see you getting off of the ship yesterday?"
"Well, I…I fell overboard the night before and the next morning, I was washed ashore where But- Prince Button found me."
"You're so lucky!" Aura said.
"Lucky?!" Babs yelled, "The girl fell overbroad and you're calling her lucky?!"
"In a way, I was, but yeah, at the time it was really scary…"
Dinky gulped, "Like how?"
"Like I didn't know if I was going to survive or not. When I drifted away from the ship, I didn't think I was going to see my sisters again." she wrapped both her hooves around their necks and they wrapped their arms on her back.
"Awww…." the girls, excluding Diamond and Silver, were awing in sympathy, realizing now how horrifying it must have been.
"But thankfully, that wasn't the case because we're all here again and that's what matters."
The surrounding mass smiled at that comment before they heard the butler announce, "Breakfast is served!" Almost immediately, ponies wearing chef hats were pushing carts with white tablecloths on them with the breakfast trays. Each set a plate before the princesses. Twist smiled warmly to a grey pony with cute chubby cheeks and blue eyes. He had a fork and knife for a cutie mark. He acknowledged her and smiled back at her.
"What's your name?" she asked.
He gave an unsure look, "I don't think I should… Your Highness…"
"Please? I would like to know."
"It's… Truffle, Your Grace." he quickly moved away to avoid her gaze and went back to the kitchens.
Twist felt sorry if she embarrassed the poor guy. She hoped she could find a way to apologize to him if she was the given the opportunity.
The butler stated before they started eating, "Their Majesties will be dining alone today, but I was instructed to tell you all that with the first test being tomorrow, you are allowed to roam around the castle to get used to it."
Excitement ran up the large group, but Sweetie, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom knew they had different plans today.
"Thanks for doing this, gents." Button was telling Pip and Rumble as they set up an open carriage that had enough room for six.
"When you came to us this morning, how could we have refused?" Rumble motioned.
"No one can say 'no' to the prince, after all." said Pip.
Button instantly thought of his mother and he murmured his under breath, "Wanna bet?" Then he turned his head to Rumble, "So, Sweetie Belle tells me you're… a thief?"
"Uh, most of time, I mostly steal what I need. The only reason I'm here is because Scootaloo gave me this," he pointed to the wing still in a cast, "and the fact she offered me a deal I couldn't refuse, so you don't have to worry about me stealing anything valuable. I wouldn't be stupid enough to steal from royalty."
"Good to know." Button said as they had pulled the carriage close to the gates leading to the village, "Now it's up to you to bring the girls here and I will get my guards to pull for us."
"Right." both said and they headed back inside.
Moments later, the princesses were with them and they saw the carriage being hooked to two guards.
Button opened the door and gestured them to get in, "Ladies?"
They giggled to the prince's mannerisms and Pip and Rumble helped Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom up. Rumble was about to help Scootaloo, but she brushed him off by saying the same thing he told her at the ball during their dance, "Thanks, but…" she opened her wings to flap, "I don't need it." she got in as Rumble smirked.
When the boys got in, Button told the pullers, "Ready when you are."
The guards nodded to the command as the gate keepers opened the gates and they headed straight for the village.
"What do you think, oh brother of mine?"
"Hard to say, brother." Flam paced in their pawn shop, "An old couth sells us a treasure map in exchange for a pearl necklace. Either he was off his rocker or he sold us a fake map!"
"If only we knew a way for sure…" Flim thought out loud, "But say the map is real, who's to say there won't be any risks to get to it?"
"I dare say, that won't help at all."
"Which is why we need a pawn to check it out for us!"
"Marvelous idea, brother! But who would this pawn be?"
"Hmm…" he walked to the front door to put up the 'open' sign. Just as he did, he saw a carriage stopping a few feet away and saw a white stallion with brown spots all over him getting off to help a mare with red hair get down. Flim grinned and stated, "Him."
Flam came over to see what his brother was seeing, "Who him?"
"The one with the build and the spots! He's perfect!"
"Then we best get him over here and put on the charm, eh, brother?"
"Naturally, brother, naturally!" they shook on it as they waited for the right moment.
Scootaloo and Rumble started going around the streets of Marendelle's quaint village where performers were performing all over the place. There was a puppeteer, a clown, a mime, and jugglers. The little foals cheered them on until the group watching the jugglers gasped as one of them started losing the balls. Rumble saw this and immediately went into action of juggling the balls back. The other juggler caught them and the foals shouted with joy.
"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Scootaloo mentioned.
"Just something I learned while being on my own." he replied.
"What'd you do? Join a circus or something?" she joked and started laughing.
"Well…"
"Oh…" she faced him with intrigue, "You seriously were?"
"More or less, it was for a short time until I realized that it wasn't for me. I only did it to raise money to bail my brother out."
"What did you do while you were there?"
"Juggled, like you saw, did the tight rope, and tamed the lions."
"Whoa! Really?!"
"Nah, I was assisting the lion tamer by handing him the chair."
"Humph, had me going for a while there."
"But enough about me. I'm very interested in what you did in the palace before you became a princess as you said."
"Not much there, I'm afraid. I was just helping Rainbow Dash with her thing, that's all I did."
"And by 'thing', what do you mean exactly?"
"Helping her train. She may have been a princess, but she did just about every sport there was. Fencing, jousting, soccer… you name it."
"So I take it you were just as good as her if she had you helping her out."
"Maybe little…" she smirked, "I don't like to brag… but I did have some slick moves."
"Oh, really…" He gave her a sly look, "Care to show me…?"
"Hmm, I would… but I don't want to hurt you more than you already are." She pointed to the wing still in the cast.
"Sounds like a challenge to me."
"Ha! As if! I could win at any challenge you give at me!"
"Is that so? Then how about we settle on a bet?"
"What kind of bet?"
"Loser…" he gave it thought and grinned, "…kisses the winner!"
"What?!"
"Take it or leave it, unless… you don't think you're up to it…"
"I am so! Name your challenge and I'll show you!"
He looked around and spotted a playground and on that playground were young colts in a board park skateboarding. Smiling, he turned back to her. "Whoever has the coolest moves on a board wins."
She saw the park and gave off a cool expression towards him, saying, "No problem." She went ahead, making sure he wouldn't see the evil grin on her face, I am so going to wipe the floor with him…