"B... Button?" murmured Sweetie Belle, looking at him with a worried expression.
The colt didn't answer.
His gaze wasn't leaving the ground and his hooves were firmly gripping the blocky soil as if he was about to fall.
The sun was illuminating the spot where GameSpark had been mere moments ago.
Sweetie Belle's expression became worried and a hint of despair hit it.
"Please... Say something" she pathetically whimpered. "Anything..."
It couldn't be like this! They were both so happy before! Just an hour ago they were smiling! Why did it all have to crumble...?
Button's gaze slowly lifted to the spot where GameSpark had disappeared and looked away, avoiding Sweetie's pleading eyes.
Anger and sadness were drawn all over his face.
"He's right. We're already dead."
Then his hooves turned the other way and he walked away, as if every muscle in his body was hurting.
"Button..." But Sweetie's shout died in her throat as sorrow overcame her. "Please Button... Come back!" she croaked.
But his little brown figure didn't turn around, disappearing like smoke above the burning fire that had left them broken.
Sweetie Belle watched him disappear in the giant forest before her legs snapped and she fell to the floor, crying and burying her face in her hooves.
Button... Button this isn't the moment! Please come back. Please!
Eyes down, shaky hooves, and depressed face.
That was what Button looked like.
He could only imagine what he'd see if he had a mirror. Probably just a depressed colt slowly walking through the forest, looking like his little pathetic world had crumbled.
Because that was exactly what had happened.
He was the spitting image of depression itself.
He didn't care where he was going. As long as he was alone.
But his walk didn't last long before it hit him.
Everything he had done.
Everything he had tried to protect.
It was all for nothing.
The sad thing that was reality caught up with him and hit him harder than anything he had ever felt.
His legs gave way and he fell to the ground, feeling... broken.
Button buried his face in the ground and bashed it against it with all his strength, not caring if it hurt him. Because the pain felt good. In a way.
He only stopped when blood started to freely fall from his forehead, soaking the green grass in deep red blood.
"What... What am I doing...?"
A rustle in the leaves was heard and a little nose pocked out of the thick vegetation.
Button gave half a smile. "Chaser... You're probably wondering what I'm doing here huh?"
The dog approached him with caution, merely sniffing the blood on the ground before slowly making his way to the colt and lift up his head to show the foal his pleading and innocent eyes.
They made him think of Sweetie Belle's.
Button grabbed him and leaned against a tree, hugging him.
"I don't even know myself" he muttered. "Everything is so complicated! GameSpark was right... We are going to die! Even our families don't... They don't..." his voice died down to only a whisper. "They don't care. My mom... How could she forget about me?! To go as far a selling my computer... In only seven months... I'm gone. No pony will ever remember me. Even Sweetie Belle... I couldn't even save her. I'm a failure..."
Chaser gently buried his muzzle in Button's fur and licked it, making the colt feel more relaxed as he petted the dog's fluffy fur. A gust of wind rustled the leaves of the forest and made the flowers sway. A few petals from a red flower floated around him, the same deep red color he had grown so accustomed to in the past few days.
His dog's tail was gently moving around, showing his hapiness. He didn't care. As long as he was with his master, everything would be fine.
How much time they spent there, watching the brown leaves gently fall and admiring the last few rays of golden sun, he had no idea.
But the silence was getting annoying at the end, sickening even.
So Button headed back to the house, his loyal dog trotting next to him, tail wagging more eagerly now as his master's sadness drifted away.
Sweetie Belle was laying on her bed in a foetal position.
She had always wanted answers to her questions.
But she never thought it would be that bad.
Even Button, the proud, amazing and brave colt that had always protected her, was gone. The only foal that had ever cared, had disappeared.
Her bed was wet with tears and Helper was gently clucking next to her, sometimes picking at her mane.
"What am I going to do Helper?" she sobbed. "Rarity doesn't care about me! N... No pony does... And all this... this time when we've been h... hoping, praying for an exit, that horrible stallion was keeping it closed, making sure we would never get out..."
Helper clucked again and suddenly turned his head to the window.
Sweetie Belle didn't look.
She didn't want to see Button.
She just continued petting Helper's soft feathery head and snuggled deeper into her matress.
Sweetie heard hoofsteps across the whole room, right next to the bed she was laying on.
Hooves wrapped around her, making her jump.
Before she could even say a word, his voice came to her ears.
"I'm... sorry... I know it's hard on you. That you miss your friends, your family. We both do.
But I left you." His voice shook.
"You're... important to me. There isn't much hope left either... But I want to try. We both have to try. We have to stay together, making sure we survive until the end. Because no matter what Sweetie Belle, I'll be here with you. And I'll protect you."
His voice was like sweet honey dropping into her ears and his brown hooves were as soft as a feather, warming her up. Had his fur always been this warm?
Sweetie Belle could feel his nice breath against her cheeks, and it smelled like fresh apples.
Tears began to freely flow down her cheeks and her heart started to ache.
"I... I... I lo-" she began. But then she shuddered. "Thank you..."
The grip tightened and she closed her eyes, feeling his warmth flow into her body. Shivers ran through her head and all she wanted to do was stay like that, with Button, the one who cared. The one she loved.
"Please... Don't let go... Can we stay like this for a while?" she pleaded.
"Sure..."
The sun was setting outside and, as a few stars started to come out, they both smiled.