“Tell the Warlocks your cloak is frabjous.
They respect words they don't understand.”
—Frumious Cloak
S W E E T I E B E L L E
“Silver Spoon?!” exclaimed Rarity, her gigantic hat wiggling precariously on her head.
“Yeah,” I mumbled, leaning my head against the glass window of the cabin. “Right outside the bathroom.”
“So that was her that Diamond Tiara was arguing with outside the train station,” surmised Button.
“Yep. I dunno what happened between the two, but Silver Spoon’s on this train alone. A vacation, she said.”
“Did you find out why they were yelling at each other?”
“Not a clue. I wasn’t exactly hankering for conversation with Silver.”
“But you did converse, by the sound of it,” said Rarity.
Unfortunately, I did. And it had sent my mind on a rollercoaster.
If Silver Spoon’s words were true, then I had completely misjudged the dynamic between her and Diamond Tiara. Sure, I despised the filly purely by association, but most of my frustration hadn’t been directed at her. And, all things considered, Silver’s attitude towards me and the Crusaders had calmed substantially over the years.
However, her revelation just now essentially told me that it was her I should have been concerned with this entire time, that she was the one responsible for the lion’s share of my problems with the duo.
More importantly, it meant that I was dealing with a far more cunning filly than I could ever have imagined. It had never even crossed my mind that she was the more dangerous of the two. Which meant that, at any given time, she could be up to something and I might never know. Even now. She may have claimed that she was merely on vacation… but was she, really?
I shuddered as wisps of her suffocating presence lingered on my mind. But I decided not to mention that Silver Spoon pretty much lectured me into a corner. I didn’t want Rarity to worry.
“She didn’t hurt you at all, did she?” asked Rarity, apparently having noticed my discomfort anyways.
“Heh, nah. I was probably closer to hurting her than she was me,” I said with a morose chuckle. When Rarity’s expression strained, I quickly waved my hooves to placate her. “Not that I did! She didn’t seem keen on a fight, and neither was I.”
“Good.” Rarity visibly relaxed. “If that filly so much as touches a hair on your coat, so help me…”
“Still, it’s weird,” muttered Button under his breath.
“What is?” I asked him.
“Why is she going to Manehattan? Don’t you think it’s strange that she’s on the same train as us?”
“That’s what I asked her,” I explained. “She didn’t really go into it, only that she was on vacation.”
“Like you two are,” Rarity pointed out.
“Right,” I agreed. “But now we know she’s here, so if she was planning on pulling anything, she’s lost the element of surprise. And Diamond isn’t with her either—usually Silver doesn’t make any moves unless they’re with each other. Honestly, I’m inclined to believe she’s actually coming to Manehattan of her own whimsy, and it has nothing to do with us.”
Or so I thought.
“I’d be wary of her nonetheless,” said Rarity, apparently thinking the same thing. “Stars only know what that filly could be planning.”
“You talk about her like she’s some evil mustache-twirling comic book villain,” I said with a giggle.
“That… actually, that gives me an idea for Miss Prosperity,” said Button as he eased back into his seat.
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
He gave me a wide grin. “Add Silver and Diamond as raid bosses.”
Night had fallen by the time we had arrived in Central Station, and, thankfully, we did not run into Silver Spoon again. Upon reaching street-side, we found that a light rain had come and gone, blanketing every exposed surface of the city in moisture.
It was beautiful.
While Manehattan wasn’t my favorite city by any stretch of the imagination—that honor went to Canterlot City, with its majestic spires and ancient antiquity—I had walked its streets several times in the past, and it had always been a busy, chaotic affair. But the rainfall had driven most of its citizens inside, leaving the streets mostly bare, save for the scant few out for an evening stroll. It lent the city an air of romantic calm that I had never experienced before.
Gas lamps flickered with a merry glow, their light reflecting off the damp sidewalk. Somewhere, a band was performing a spirit-lifting jazz tune, infusing my gait with newfound energy. Ambrosial aromas wafted from several open-door storefronts, teasing my nose with promises of succulent suppers and baked goods of a variety beyond counting.
“Ooh, that smells positively divine,” cooed Rarity, her own muzzle turned skyward as she sought to capture another fleeting whiff of that savory odor.
“Yeah, when can we stop for dinner?” asked Button, always straight to the point.
“Fret not, Button, dear. I have a particular restaurant in mind that I believe you two would positively adore—”
Suddenly she stopped. I glanced back at her, noticing that her eyes were transfixed to a window display we had passed only moments before. I turned and peered inside along with her. Inside was a podium with several ponnequins perched upon it, all flaunting several dress designs—some rather ornate, others tastefully conservative.
“By the Sun and Stars… this is Surely Suede!” exclaimed Rarity in excitement. “Owned by the one-and-only Suri Polomare, one of Bridleway’s up-and-coming designers! I had heard tell of her premiering a retail location soon, but I hadn’t realized it was already open!”
“I’m gonna take a wild guess that you want to go inside,” I said teasingly.
“Do I!” she pranced in place, then turned to us with a pleading look. “Surely you two wouldn’t be opposed to a momentary diversion? I must peruse her wares!”
I glanced at Button, who gave a defeated sigh and a shrug.
“I don’t mind,” I said. “Just don’t call me Shirley—”
One excited squee was Rarity’s last exhalation before she bolted into the store.
“Maaare,” whined Button, “I hope she doesn’t spend too long in there, I’m hungry!”.
“Heh, well, knowing her, I doubt we’ll be out anytime soon. She just loves to cozy up with the designers.”
“Awwww…”
“Oh, quit your whining. C’mon, let’s go inside.”
“Fine…”
Inside, the store gave off a warm, welcoming feel—it was lit in soft yellow tones, its architecture defined by clean angles and sweeping curves. Several sparkling dresses rotating on self-powered stands were placed tastefully throughout, and Rarity was darting from one to the next, oohing and ahhing at each piece in turn.
“Ooh, the dress worn by Juniper Jolly at the Spring Sovereign Soiree! And the three-piece ensemble for the lead role of Hinny in the Hills!”
“You seem to know a lot about my pieces!” came a laid-back voice, and we all turned to face the pink-coated mare that had emerged from the back room. “It’s great to finally meet a pony that’s heard of me before!”
“How could I not have?!” said Rarity, rushing up to shake her hoof. “You’re only the fastest-rising designer in all of Bridleway!”
“Say, you look familiar too?” surmised the mare, scrutinizing Rarity closely. “Didn’t some of your pieces appear as a subhead in last year’s Fashion Week contest article?”
“Why yes, those were indeed mine!”
“I knew it! I absolutely adored the velvet accents on your ‘Spring has Sprung’ line…”
While the two mares gabbed away about everything and nothing, I wandered aimlessly along the stands. There was a lot of variety between the dresses, sometimes to extreme levels. A fair number were indescribably ornate, laden with gemstones and glittering fabrics that caught the light like disco balls. Others were soft and inoffensive, at most only daring for a few ribbons and frills.
Oddly enough, I found Button staring up at one of the latter.
“Found something you like?” I asked him as I approached.
“It’s pretty,” he droned, apparently captivated. I looked at the dress in question—it was a loose-fitting affair, a white one-piece dress with a wavy flounced skirt and pink petticoat. There were only a few extra frills and accessories—pink ribbons here and there, a pair of faux gossamer wings, a single golden star brooch hanging from a lacy choker—but its modesty lent itself well to the overall design.
‘Floaty’ was one of the few words I could use to describe it.
“Heh.” I turned to Button. “I’d say it suits you pretty well.”
He shot me a look, his face flush with red. “H-hey, that’s not funny! It’s not like I want it for myself.”
“Why not? I think you’d look good in it!”
“I think it’d look way better on you than me!” he snapped back.
H-huh?! Me? In that dress?! “No way! You’re full of it!”
“I agree with your friend,” came a soft voice from behind. A petite mare with a light tan coat approached us, her glittering eyes transfixed onto me. “The flowing waves accent your curls well, and its colors are a perfect complement to your coat.”
“Er…” I blinked once at the newcomer. “Pardon, you are…?”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said demurely, moving a few strands of her short cyan mane out of her eyes. “My name is Coco Pommel. I’m Suri’s assistant, and the designer of that dress.”
“I really like it, Miss Coco!” said Button with a gleaming grin. “It’s really pretty!”
“I have to say, I do too,” I agreed, causing a delicate smile to form on the mare’s lips. “I mean, I don’t know much about fashion, but this one is definitely a lot less gaudy than the other ones in the shop.”
“I like to think it helps balance out the other ensembles,” she explained, stepping up to the podium and adjusting one of the frills with a gentle caress. “I mean, it’s fine if a pony wants to inspire awe with a spectacular dress. But I didn’t want this one to overwhelm the natural beauty of the pony wearing it. So I felt that I had to approach its design with a softer, more delicate touch—”
“—called for a softer, more delicate touch,” a bright voice pervaded our conversation, causing Miss Coco to wince. We turned to see Rarity and Miss Suri approaching, engaged in conversation. “And that’s why I wanted to design one that didn’t overwhelm a pony’s natural beauty!”
“Why, isn’t this the dress that took this year’s Fashion Week by storm?” asked Rarity as she laid eyes on the dress.
“Yes, yes it is! The flagship ensemble from the ‘Starlet Sonata’ line! I had to pare back a bit too—a lot of designers these days are going full-gaudy, but my conservative approach saved the day!”
“Yes indeed, it’s very tasteful in its restraint!” Rarity agreed.
Well, that certainly sounded familiar. Ignoring my deja-vu, I glanced at Miss Coco, who thus far had made no attempt to refute Miss Suri’s claim—her eyes were downcast, locked to the floor, and she remained dead silent.
This poor mare…
“Sweetie Belle, Button!” Rarity piped up as she spotted us on her approach. “Were you two looking at this one as well?”
“We were,” I said with a nod.
“Hey, waitaminute,” said Button with a confused glance towards Miss Suri. “You said you designed this?”
“That I did!”
I noticed Miss Coco’s eyes widen with panic, and she shot a look at Button, who by now was already primed with his reply.
“Miss Coco said—”
I immediately rushed forward, plugging Button’s mouth up with a hoof. Rarity and Miss Suri raised an eyebrow, and I just returned it with a sheepish grin.
“Why, whatever is the matter, Sweetie Belle?”
“Nothing!” I yelped, my voice squeaking a few octaves out of range. “Button was just, uhh… well, he was just gonna say something kinda embarrassing and stupid like he usually does!”
“Hey!”
“But he mentioned my assistant by name,” pointed out Miss Suri, rounding on the mare in question. “What, exactly, did ‘Miss Coco’ say?”
“Umm…!” whimpered Miss Coco, giving me a worried glance.
What?! What was I supposed to do?! C’mon, think…!
“She agreed with Button!” I blurted. “Umm, when he said, um… whenhesaidthedresswouldlookgoodonme.”
All three of the mares stared at me, and I made an extra effort to look just a tad bit embarrassed to help really pull off the lie-that-actually-wasn’t-a-lie-at-all, hey, way to go!
“Is that so,” said Miss Suri with a thoughtful hum, turning to her assistant again with a narrowed gaze.
“Mhm,” mumbled Miss Coco with a relieved nod. “I felt like the loose flowing waves would be a perfect accompaniment to the curly styling of her—”
“Thank you, assistant,” snapped Miss Suri, cutting her off. “Your opinion has been noted.”
Miss Coco shrunk. “O-of course, Suri.”
Yeouch. I wondered if Miss Suri knew how obvious it was that she mistreated her assistant.
“Er, beg pardon,” Rarity interjected, stepping forward. “But I find her assessment to be most astute, and I’m deathly curious to see if it holds any water. You wouldn’t happen to have a dress like this in Sweetie Belle’s size on hoof, would you?”
“Hmm, good question.” Miss Suri tapped a hoof to her chin, then began trotting to the back. “Coco, give me a hoof, mkay?”
“O-okay.”
The two mares trotted towards the back, and as they ducked out of sight, Button immediately made to follow them.
“Button? Where are you—”
“Shh!” He held up a hoof, then motioned me to follow. I glanced back at Rarity, who was busy examining the dress up close, then silently followed Button as he made his way to the back room doorway, from which emanated the timid voice of Miss Coco.
“...would have to stay up all night to retrofit a dress to a filly’s proportions—”
“Then do it!” growled Miss Suri’s voice. “I don’t pay you to argue with me, I pay you to get things done, mkay?! Do you realize how important this client is? How do you even think she got into the Fashion Week article with such trashy designs? Obviously because she’s an Element Bearer, mkay?!”
“Of course, Miss Suri, but tomorrow I had plans with my sister—”
“Oh, this moment will make my career! The daughter of an Element Bearer, wearing one of my designs!”
“I understand, Miss Suri—”
“Oh, you and I happened to fall upon the best of luck, Coco! Soon, I’ll be on top of the world, and you’ll be right there with me!”
“Yes, Miss Suri…”
“Now, here’s the plan: you take the filly’s measurements, and I’ll talk to the mare to see how many bits we can extort out of somepony as rich as she totally has to be—though honestly, the exposure could do wonders on its own…”
Button tugged at my leg, motioning for me to go. We stepped away from the doorway and quickly started to make our way back to the dress display.
“What a two-bit creep,” muttered Button. “Lying her way to the top. I hate ponies like that.”
“Yeah…”
Rarity turned to us as we approached, her eyes narrowed. “Well? What did you overhear?”
Uh? How did she—
“Are you rich, Miss Rarity?” Button asked quickly, glancing over his shoulder.
She blinked in surprise. “Er, well… I’m not poor…”
“Miss Suri thinks you’re rich, and that you’ll pay a lot for the dress.”
“Which she’d be forcing her assistant to stay up all night to fit for me,” I added.
Rarity stared off into the distance for a moment, but eventually sighed. “Very well. Thank you for the warning.”
“You’re not planning on buying the dress, are you?” I asked her. “I don’t need a dress, and a mare like that doesn’t deserve your money.”
“Well, despite my station’s… relative antiquity, I do have some sway as the Bearer of Generosity,” Rarity said with a wink as the two mares approached. “We shall see.”
“Miss Rarity!” exclaimed Miss Suri, approaching the mare quickly. “Turns out, we do have a size that we could have fitted for your daughter, though as we’re about to close, it would likely take us until morning…”
“If you would please come this way,” said Miss Coco, gesturing in the direction of the fitting rooms. I glanced at Button, who gave me a curt nod, then fell into step behind the mare as she trotted back to one of the rear fitting rooms.
When we were safely out of earshot and behind several curtains, she promptly began taking some of my measurements.
“Sorry about that,” she said as she lifted one of my forelegs. “And thank you for the save.”
“You can’t possibly be okay with any of this,” I said flatly.
She froze, then gave me a disarming smile. “Sorry? With what?”
“With the way that witch treats you.”
Miss Coco flinched. “She’s not a witch, she’s just… a little harsh.”
“Shutting you down when you try to talk? Keeping you up all night so you can make dresses for her? Stealing your designs and using them to win contests—”
“Please,” she interrupted me, her face becoming stern. “Enough.”
I immediately fell silent, and the mare continued taking my measurements.
“There are a lot of things I don’t like about this job… or about my boss. But she pays well, and she’s a lot better at marketing my designs than I am. I wouldn’t be anywhere if it weren’t for her. It isn’t perfect… but it’s better than nothing.”
“But can’t you do anything about it? There has to be something.”
“If only the world were so kind,” she said with a sad smile. “You’re young, Miss…”
“Sweetie Belle.”
“Miss Belle. And there’s a lot in this world to look forward to. But… there are some things you can’t change, I guess. And some ponies too. You’re going to meet ponies like that someday, and the only thing you can do is deal with them for as long as they’re there.”
Images of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon flashed across my mind.
“Yeah…”
“All set,” Miss Coco said, putting the tape measure down. “I should get started if I want this done by tomorrow morning.”
“But we haven’t even agreed to buy it yet.”
“I doubt Miss Suri will let you leave the shop without it, even if it means giving it away for free,” assured Miss Coco, though she looked less than elated by the prospect. “Worry not. It’s enough to know that a sweet little filly like you will be wearing one of my designs. Now go on back to your mother.”
“Sister,” I corrected.
“Er. Right. Sister.” Her cheeks tinted rose. “My apologies.”
“It’s fine. See you tomorrow, then?”
“Tomorrow it is.”
I turned towards the exit, but stopped and looked back. Miss Coco was writing some things down on a notepad—I could almost see the bags beginning to form under her eyes.
Without a second thought, I walked back up to her and threw my arms around her neck—she froze in place, almost dropping her notepad.
“Thank you, Miss Coco,” I said quietly. “And good luck.”
Before she could utter a word in response, I let go and promptly trotted out of the fitting room.
We finally entered the lobby to our hotel—a lovingly-decorated affair, complete with center chandelier and posh seating every which way—and I gave a sigh of relief. Supposedly, our hotel had only been a few minutes’ trot from Miss Suri’s shop, but our stroll had felt more like a few hours, thanks to Rarity’s non-stop chattering about her interactions with Suri.
Heh. Maybe Rarity was a Hex Goblin, and she was actually chanting some kind of time-dilation incantation or something.
“…and it turns out, Suri even has several connections with the Board of Directors for Cirque du Pone!” finished Rarity with an excited squee. “Not only that, but they’ll be having dinner tonight downtown, and she gracefully extended an invite my way to join them!”
“Small world,” I said, only half-listening because holy fuzzballs was I sick of hearing about that stupid mare.
“Oh posh,” she replied as she signaled a bellhop, who promptly rolled over a luggage cart. “It doesn’t surprise me at all that she would have connections with my potential employers, considering her renown within the Bridleway community. She’s done a multitude of ensembles for the same troupe in the past.”
“Yeah, except I wonder how much of it she really did herself,” grumbled Button, offloading his bags onto the cart. “She seems to like taking all the credit for her assistant’s designs,”
“And who knows if Miss Coco was even the first?” I added.
“Very true,” Rarity agreed as she promptly dumped all her luggage on the bellboy. Ouch. “The mere notion that she would take advantage of her apprentice in such a manner is just… ooh, it infuriates me to my core! And I’m so very glad that you two were enterprising enough to ascertain the truth of it all. After what we’ve discovered tonight, we shan’t be consorting with her ilk for longer than necessary.”
“Why do we have to with her in the first place? She’s a scumbag.”
“Yes, well…” Rarity gave a long sigh. “Associating with Suri will benefit me for the time being. I’ll accept her invitation, head to tonight’s dinner, and meet with Cirque du Pone myself. Then tomorrow, we’ll pick up the dress, and after all is said and done, we can wash our hooves of the crooked mare.”
“Hey, waitaminute!” Button said suddenly. “Dinner? So you’re not taking us to get food?” asked Button.
“Nice to know where your priorities lie,” I said with a grin.
“Pro tip, Sweetie Belle: we can’t live without food,” he said, sticking a tongue out at me.
“Yes, I realize that, and I’m ever so sorry,” Rarity said apologetically, “but I very much wish to take this opportunity and connect with my potential employers early. I’ll give you a little extra for room service, is that fair?”
“Works for me,” I said with a shrug.
“Yay, food!” exclaimed Button.
“Splendid! Glad we worked that out.” Rarity unzipped one of the bags atop the bellboy and floated out a multitude of items, including a scarf and beret that she promptly donned, and a small collection of coins, some of which went to the poor bellhop. The rest floated straight over to us, along with a small piece of paper. “Anyways, I best get going, otherwise I’ll be late! Here’s the check-in confirmation and enough bits to cover for dinner.”
“Thanks, sis,” I said, accepting the things with my own magic. “Good luck with the troupe, and see you later tonight!”
“You two as well!”
She turned towards the entrance, then froze for a moment, before suddenly whirling on Button with a narrowed glare.
“And you best not be trying any funny business while I’m gone, young man.”
“H-huh?!” he uttered, flinching at the mare’s imperious gaze. “Wait, what do you—”
“R-Rarity!” I shoved her towards the door as I felt my face burn up. “Shut up and get going already!”
“Toodles!” She darted out the front door.
“Finally.”
I turned to Button, who was still frozen stock-still, staring with an expression of abject terror at the spot that Rarity had occupied only moments before.
“Ugh, c’mon, let’s get going,” I grunted, grabbing his hoof and dragging him off to the check-out counter.
“I think your sister wants to kill me…” he muttered, drunkenly stumbling along.
Lights.
Our room was one of the highest in the hotel, and for the last half hour or so, I had curled up on the edge of the bed nearest the window, picking at our left-over room service and staring out at the city before me.
For miles and miles, there was nothing but lights. Lights from the gas lamps lining the streets below. Lights from carriages as they made their way to destinations unknown. Lights from apartments in distant skyscrapers, where families gathered to share a supper with their beloveds. Every single light was a pony, with their own laundry list of worries, problems, hopes, and dreams. Every single light was a story, enough to fill the Canterlot Archives a hundred times over.
And I wasn’t even seeing all of them. Far beyond the edges of the city, beyond the distant borders of Equestria, there were millions of other people, just like me, living and dying and loving.
Compared to all that… my own problems seemed so small and insignificant. I was just one filly, whose biggest worries were a couple of jerks at school and some half-baked excuse for a cutie mark.
I didn’t have it bad. I had friends who breathed life and color into my world. I had a sister who loved and cherished me.
Could my life be better, easier, a little more painless? Sure.
But right here? Right now?
Things were alright.
…
Well, as long as I didn’t have to randomly run into Silver Spoon again.
I stared off towards the lights again. Any of them could have been her. What did a filly like her do in her spare time? What was she up to right now?
Heh… probably kicking some poor bellhop around like an abandoned puppy.
I heard a door swing open behind me, followed by the soft pitter-patter of my friend’s hoofsteps as he emerged from the shower.
“Phew! I needed that,” came Button’s voice as he trotted up behind me. “Hope you don’t mind if I borrowed a bit of your shampoo, Sweetie. I forgot to bring my own, and the hotel’s is always crap.”
“Hey, no skin off my coat,” I said with a shrug. “As long as you don’t mind your mane smelling like fresh lilacs in summer.”
“Better than some unholy union of Tomahawk Body Spray and Summit Springs soda.”
I grinned. “Point taken.”
A silent pause.
“Something up?” he asked without warning.
“Hm?” I turned to him. His expression, barely lit by the lights outside the window, was one of curious concern.
“Usually you don’t stare out windows like that unless you’re being deep,” he said simply.
‘That’s what she said,’ echoed Scootaloo’s voice in my head, causing me to snort.
“W-what?!” he said, stepping back with a bewildered expression. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing! Nothing.” Chasing off my last few giggles, I waved a hoof, then patted the empty spot next to me. “Just thinking.”
“Yeah, I figured as much.” He crawled onto the bed and sat down beside me. “What abouts?”
“Everything,” I muttered. “And nothing.”
“…Uh, okay then.”
Another pause. He turned to stare out the window too.
“This about Silver Spoon?” he asked.
Well… actually, kinda, yeah. I would’ve been lying if I said she hadn’t come to mind just a few moments ago.
“I got the feeling you weren’t telling us the whole story about what happened on the train,” he ventured.
“No,” I admitted. “I wasn’t.”
“And you ran off kinda fast, too.”
“Button, I had to go to the bathroom.”
“Sure, but that doesn’t explain the angry wheezing.”
“…What?”
“You were panting like you had just run a mile, with this crazy look on your face that said ‘I want to kill something’.”
…
“Stars above, was I that obvious?”
“Kinda?” His face scrunched up, and he stared at the ceiling for a bit. “It was a little scary. Like, it wasn’t super bad, but it reminded me of that day in the schoolyard when you decked Diamond.”
He turned to me again, with an expression of genuine concern that was... supremely uncharacteristic of him.
“You know, Button, you’ve been pretty on-point today.”
“Huh?” His eyes crossed for a second. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I dunno. First this. Then the whole me being ‘deep’ or whatever. Then sneaking off to eavesdrop on Miss Suri…”
“Oh c’mon, it’s not like I’m crazy spacey or something!” he snapped with an indignant glare.
“I dunno,” I said with a giggle. “I’d say ‘spacey’ describes you pretty well.”
“What?! I— hey!” He growled, stomping a hoof. “A colt can have his moments, can’t he?!”
I giggled, but I knew he was right. He wasn’t stupid. Well… not always.
Shortly after we began playing Eternity together about a year ago, I had quickly come to realize that Button wasn't the total dope I took him to be in real life. He was great at analyzing and figuring things out, which did wonders to help us figure out a lot of the mysteries tucked into the corners of the game—finding ages-old weapons, discovering hidden enemy strongholds, unearthing the world’s long-forgotten histories that had been buried by the fall of the Golden Age.
And, after a while, I had realized that it wasn’t just in-game, either. He was just as resourceful, clever, and super-committed in real life. Even if he didn’t seem the type, I knew I could always count on him if I needed to vent about life stuff. I didn't know how he did it, but he always seemed really confident about everything he put his mind to. He never seemed to doubt himself, or hesitate.
Sure, he annoyed the crap out of me sometimes. But it was really nice to have him as a friend.
“Sorry, Button," I said with a smile. "I guess I’m still trying to get used to you going all ‘serious mode’ on me.”
“Well excuse me if I’m worried about you,” he grinned, sticking his tongue out at me. But his face became stern again. “And don’t change the subject. What happened on the train? Why did you look so mad?”
Guh. Did we really have to talk about this?
Well… okay. I guess Button, of all ponies, deserved to know. He was one of the Crusaders, after all.
“I dunno,” I muttered. “When I saw Silver Spoon at the security line, I just felt this… this fire inside of me. Like I wanted to break something. If Rarity hadn’t called out to me, I might have.”
“You saw her at the security line?”
“Yeah. She was the one Diamond was yelling at just before we got through the security checkpoint. And then, when we got on the train, I didn’t really need to go to the bathroom. I just needed to get away for a bit so I could calm down. Splash some water on my face, you know?”
“Yeah, I get that. But how did you run into Silver?”
“She was waiting in front of the door when I got out.”
“Waiting? For you?” His eyebrows creased in worry and anger.
“No, no!” I waved my hooves to placate him. “Not for me. She was just waiting for her turn to use the bathroom, that’s all. I don’t think she knew I was the one inside.”
Button’s head tilted in doubt. “Are you sure?”
…That was actually a pretty good question.
“I mean, she looked surprised when I opened the door,” I said, trying to remember. “But now that you mention it… no, I can’t say that I am sure. Especially not after what she told me.”
Button said nothing, waiting for me to continue.
So I did. I explained to him pretty much everything that Silver had mentioned—how she manipulated Diamond into unwittingly doing what she wanted, and then used her friend’s ego as a distraction to not get in trouble once shit hit the fan.
Button remained stone-faced throughout the explanation, not commenting even once, just staring off into space. And when I was finished, he was silent for a few moments, ruminating.
“Wow,” he eventually said. “That seems to fit perfectly.”
“Does it?”
“Well, yeah. Whenever Diamond gets in trouble, Silver always gets off scot-free. Didn’t you ever wonder why?"
“Honestly, no. I only realized it after she mentioned it. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.”
He shrugged. "I mean, she could be lying.”
"She could,” I replied, hesitant. “But what would she get out of lying to us?"
“What does she get out of telling us anything in the first place?”
That was true. If Silver Spoon wanted to keep herself on the down low and out of trouble… why did she tell me? Why did she disclose her level of involvement? No doubt she knew that revealing her true colors would make me all the more suspicious of her in the future.
“Maybe she wants to save face?" I ventured. "Maybe she really is whipped, but she doesn't want to embarrass herself in front of me, so she puts up this façade of being the super-secret mastermind or something.”
"That doesn't seem right. The way you explained it, she sounded super-duper confident and in control."
"Yeah. She really did. Like, evilly confident."
"’Evilly’ isn't a word, Sweetie Belle."
"What are you, a dictionary?"
"Only on Fridays and Mondays," he said with a grin. We both chuckled a bit, and then fell silent once more.
"Stars, I almost feel sorry for Diamond," I said quietly. "To be used like that by her best friend? I wonder if she has any idea."
"Well, if she does, Diamond seems to be perfectly okay with it. And they're both scumbags anyways, so if she gets hurt by it, no biggie."
"Hear hear," I agreed.
"Not like that poor Miss Coco..." he said glumly.
That… was weird. And kinda random. "Miss Coco?"
"Yeah. She comes up with all these pretty designs, then gets all the credit taken away from her by Miss Suri. It's kinda the same thing with Silver and Diamond, except Silver wants Diamond to take the credit."
Oh. That made sense. "I... wow. I didn't even realize the similarity there. Yeah, that deal really sucks no matter how you spin it."
Suddenly, Button gave me a deathly serious look. "If ponies ask, you're gonna tell them the truth, right?"
Huh? Where was this coming from, all of a sudden? "Ask what?"
"If anypony asks who made you that dress, you'll tell them Miss Coco did and not Miss Suri, right?"
Oh Stars. The look on his face was so honest, so stern, so genuine. He was really, really serious about this! It was kinda cute how much he cared, and I couldn’t help but giggle a bit.
"H-hey!" His face flushed with a tinge of red.
"Sorry, sorry!" I chuckled a little more, then regained control of myself. "Of course, Button. You know I would."
He smiled, then settled down on his side of the bed, staring out the window again. "Good. She deserves it for making such a pretty dress."
"Yeah, she does."
Which reminded me...
"Hey, Button?"
"Yeah?" He turned to me, eyebrow quirked.
"Back in the shop," I asked slowly, "were you serious when you said that dress would look good on me?"
Almost instantly, the color drained from his face, leaving just a rosy tint to his cheeks. "Ummm...!"
“What’s there to be embarrassed about?” I implored. “Just tell me straight up—"
"Yes I did I thought you'd look super pretty in it please don't take that the wrong way or anything I'm sorry I don't mean anything by it!" he yelped all at once, shielding his face with his arms.
"Huh?!" I moved towards him, giggling a bit. "Button, what are you—"
Wait.
Wait a minute.
Did he just...?
Oh... oh no. Please don't tell me...
It was only then that realized how very, very little space there was between us on the bed.
Apparently he noticed too, because all it took was a tiny peek from his eyes before he was suddenly flailing his arms and tumbling off of the bed.
“WuwhoAAHHHH—” Thump. "Owww!"
"Button?! Button, are you okay—?"
His hooves popped up and latched onto the edge of the bed, followed by the top of his head, which stopped short of revealing his muzzle.
"Yeah, I'm— I'm fine," he mumbled, his voice muffled.
“Button, c’mon, get up here,” I said, grabbing one of his hooves and tugging at it. He reluctantly climbed onto the bed.
“Sorry…” he muttered.
“Don’t be sorry,” I said with a strained chuckle. “Just… just be honest with me. What’s got you so worked up? Why are you so embarrassed?”
His face grew redder and redder. Finally, he took a deep breath and began to speak, not once meeting my eyes.
“Okay, look. I’ll tell you, but… but it’s really, really stupid. Please don’t laugh at me or anything, okay? I’m only saying it because it’s you, and because you asked, and because I really, really trust you, and we’ve been through a lot, and you’re one of my best friends ever, and—”
“Button, please!” I interrupted, feeling my face grow hot. “Get to the point!”
He took in another deep breath to steady himself. As he did so, I couldn’t help but wonder: was I ready for this? Did I really want to hear his answer?
…Well, yeah! Heck yeah, I did! I mean, of all ponies?! Him? Did he really?
I mean, okay, I guess it wasn’t that big of a stretch. We did spend a lot of time together, after all, and we shared a lot of the same interests. And he’d always been there for me, and supported me when I felt down, and defended me…
...oh no.
No, no no no no no.
What was going on?! I’ve never had feelings for him before! Was I seriously trying to justify it for myself? Could somepony like me fall in love this quickly? It had only been a few seconds since I had even considered it for the first time! This sort of thing usually took time, right? Right?!
Oh Stars, he was opening his mouth, he was about to say it, he really was!
I squeezed my eyes tight and braced myself for the bombshell that was surely about to strike.
“I… I like…”
He likes… he likes…!
“…I like girly things.”
…
What.
I stared at him.
“You… you like girly things,” I repeated, just to be sure I heard him right.
“…Y-yeah.”
…
“What.”
“H-huh?!” he stammered in bewilderment. “Whaddaya mean, ‘what’? I said what I said!”
“Yeah, but it’s just so…”
“So…?”
“So…”
Were there even words to describe what I was feeling? It was like all the butterflies in my stomach had shriveled up and spontaneously died, driven extinct by the extraterrestrial meteor that had been Button’s admission.
Actually, a meteor was being too generous. Global extinction events were at least climactic.
“I don’t get it,” I finally declared.
He narrowed his eyes. “What’s there not to get? I like girly stuff. Like, dresses and ribbons and bows and pink and—”
“No, no, I get that,” I deadpanned. “I mean, it’s still kinda shocking, but I get that.”
“Then what’s the problem? What don’t you get?”
“I dunno!” I said, exasperated at trying to explain myself. “I don’t get why, like… why you built that up so much! I thought you were gonna say something completely different!”
He raised an eyebrow. “Different in what way?”
“Umm…”
Yeah, uh, let’s not answer that.
“Like… bigger. Something that was a bigger deal.”
He blinked. “You mean… it’s not a big deal to you?”
“What, that you like girly stuff?” I almost laughed, but I held it in, not wanting to hurt my friend’s feelings. “I mean, it kinda came out of left field, but no, it’s not a big deal to me. I don’t think it’s a big deal to anyone, Button.”
He stared at me, blinking, as if he had no idea what to make of the creature before him.
Then his eyes fell, and he heaved a sigh.
“Were it so easy,” he finally said.
Waitaminute. Isn’t that a…? Ah, forget it, not important. “Button, what do you mean?”
He looked up again, this time with a deathly serious look on his face. “Sweetie, how long have we known each other?”
“What does that have to do with—”
“Just answer the question,” he interrupted.
Yikes. Well, uh, okay then.
I tried to think back to when I first met his family, which… felt like forever ago, but I guess that wasn’t really true.
“…Well, I left Fillydelphia to move in with my sister when I was ten. I remember meeting Apple Bloom and Scootaloo when I started going to school, but you didn’t transfer in until I was… eleven? Something like that?”
“Yeah. Just me and my mom. From Baltimare.”
Huh. I… didn’t actually know that. He hadn’t mentioned it when he moved here. Then again, he and I hadn’t really talked much at first, either.
“Why did your mom decide to move here?” I asked.
“A lot of reasons. She told me it was just because she wanted to live somewhere quieter. Less traffic, less craziness, stuff like that. I don’t think that was it, though.”
“Maybe some of it had to do with the gryphons?” I suggested.
“Maybe,” he said. “It was prolly a buncha things, really. But deep down… I knew I was the big reason why.”
“You?” I blinked. “What did you have to do with moving away from Baltimare? Was it something you did?”
He chuckled sadly. “More like something I didn’t do.”
What could possibly be so bad as to make his mom want to move out of Baltimare? Did he rob stores or deal drugs or something?
…How well did I really know my friend?
I suppose I was about to find out. Silently, I waited for him to continue, and I didn’t need to wait long for him to gather his courage.
“You already know my dad died when I was really little,” he began.
“Right,” I said, remembering the picture on the end table.
“And since I didn’t have any siblings, it was just me and mom for as long as I can remember.” He shuffled his legs a bit. “Since she was working all the time, I didn’t see her a lot. Most days I just played a lot of video games, stuff my dad used to own. Mom would buy me more too. Just to keep me busy while she wasn’t home.”
“You… didn’t have a nanny or anything?”
“Couldn’t afford it,” he shrugged.
“Wow. That’s completely different from my life. My parents always had each day planned out, down to the very second.”
“Yeah…”
“So your mom just let you do whatever?”
“Kinda? Not really. I wasn’t really allowed to go out, so I didn’t really make many friends growing up. I… heh, I was a pretty quiet kid.”
I smirked. “Obviously that didn’t last.”
He rolled his eyes, but continued. “Nah. Things changed when mom got a new job as a nanny for this other filly that was a little older than me. Since it was a house-call thing, mom would just take me along with her whenever she went to work.”
“So you weren’t alone all the time anymore?”
“Nope. I got to hang out with mom pretty much every day. And the girl she was taking care of, too.”
He had a little playmate growing up? That was cute. “What was her name?”
“Palette.”
“Did you get along with her?”
Button’s expression became… wistful? “Yeah, like you wouldn’t believe. She was sorta like an older sister to me. We’d play together all the time, she’d teach me all kinds of things, and she even introduced me to all her friends.”
“Aww, sounds like somepony was a lil’ filly-killer,” I giggled, nudging him in the shoulder.
He gave me a flat look. “No, Sweetie Belle. I was, like, six.”
“Sure, whatever, Romeo,” I teased. “So while you weren’t busy sweeping them off their feet, what were you doing?”
He seemed to ignore that comment. “Same things fillies always did together. You know… braided hair, played with dolls, made bead bracelets…”
I blinked. “Oh. So you pretty much grew up around fillies?”
“Yeah, basically.”
“And you picked up girly habits and interests and stuff?”
“Pretty much.”
Well. That made sense. Explained why he always got along so well with us, too. “I guess it’s no accident you joined the Crusaders, is it?”
“Huh? What do you—” His eyes crossed for a second. “Awwwww, crap.”
I giggled. Spacey as ever, Button.
“Hey, gimme a break,” he whined. “At least Apple Bloom and Scootaloo aren’t super girly like you.”
“Pfft! No excuses,” I sing-songed. “Still though. You get along better with fillies. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
“Yeah, keyword you,” he clarified.
“Someone didn’t?”
He sighed. “A lot of people didn’t. It was when I started going to school. Those girls didn’t go to the same one I did, so I didn’t have a lot of friends there.”
“But you still had them as friends, right?”
“For a little while. But then a few years in, Palette didn’t need a nanny anymore, so the job was over, and we… I guess we just started seeing each other less and less. They didn’t live very close, so I couldn’t just hang with them whenever I wanted.”
That sounded… awful. Having a huge group of friends that made you happy, only for them to disappear? “How did you handle it?”
“I… kinda went back to being super quiet after that,” he continued. “Mom got a new job somewhere else, and so I just went back to playing video games all the time. I… kinda wasn’t really happy with her for a while after that.”
“Why? It wasn’t her fault.”
“Sweetie Belle, I didn’t know any better back then. All I knew was that, well, one day I had friends, and the next I didn’t. And the only thing changed was my mom’s job. So I just… I blamed her for it. We started getting into fights. Stuff like that. And it was just… like that for a few years.”
“Years? Yeesh, was it that bad?”
“It wasn’t bad,” he asserted, “it just… wasn’t like it was before. I’d get mad at her for taking away my old friends, and she’d shoot back by telling me to make new ones at school.”
“Well, why didn’t you? Was it really hard to make friends at school or something?”
“I dunno. Things just weren’t the same. People avoided me. They thought I was weird. Thing is, growing up the way I did… I didn’t know that anything about me was weird. I thought the things I did with those girls was normal. And I had no idea how to act around other boys.”
“Your mom must have understood though, right?”
“Hah. No. She didn’t understand at all. The fights just got worse and worse, and eventually she was so fed up with me that she… she signed me up for the school’s hoofball league.”
My eyes widened. “You? On a hoofball team? How the heck did you manage that?”
“I don’t know how,” he answered, his tone becoming flatter as he spoke. “I think mom just fought really hard with the coach to give me a chance. So he did. And suddenly, there I was, surrounded by a bunch of guys, who were all, like, super-competitive and stuff. Laughing, making dirty jokes in the locker room… It was a totally different world. And I couldn’t play either. I sucked. I couldn’t run as fast, ram as hard, or anything.”
Uh-oh. “You told your mom, right?”
“She didn’t care,” Button replied, his voice growing thin. “Every time I told her how much I hated it, she just kept telling me to try harder, to ‘man up’ and deal with it.”
“Stars…” That was... I had no idea. Miss Milano never seemed like that before.
“And I really tried, too. Kept training to get to everyone else’s level. I’d ask them for help too. But none of them would. They just kept giving me shit, told me I was holding them back. The coach, too. He hated me. None of them wanted me there. But mom insisted. Always got into fights with the coach, just to keep me onboard. All of the other boys knew her, started calling her the ‘dragon mom’ because how often they’d hear her from the locker room.”
“There’s no way that could have lasted,” I said. “That had to fall apart eventually. Right?”
He didn’t respond.
“…Button?”
“She struck a deal with the coach,” he whispered, his voice dangerously hollow. “‘He’ll play the big game, and he’ll prove you wrong.’”
Oh no.
“The entire school showed up. They all saw the game. And they watched as I screwed up everything.”
Oh no.
His ears folded down in humiliation. “Every day became a living Hel after that. I was a laughingstock. The other colts wouldn’t stop bullying me. I quit the team, but it was too late. It spread to the rest of the school, to all of my classmates.” His body began to shudder. “They all teased me. Called me names. Called me a faggot, or gay, or a girl. Made fun of the things I liked, and the stuff I did, and the way I talked, and my clothes, and my hobbies. And they hit me… hurt me… hurt my… my…”
The next few words caught in his throat, and he let out a strangled choking noise. His eyes shot up to meet mine, and it was only when the moonlight cast a glow upon his contorted face that I saw his eyes glistening with tears.
Oh, no no no no no.
Without hesitation, I lurched forward, threw my forelegs around his neck, and embraced him in the tightest hug I possibly could, just as the dam broke and he began sobbing uncontrollably into my shoulder.
“Shhh… shhh.” I began running a comforting hoof down his back. “Button… I’m sorry, I had no idea…”
I felt so helpless, unable to say anything. Every phrase that came to mind felt so overused, so meaningless, mere platitudes.
There weren’t any words I could spare. All I could do was hold him.
Several long, terse moments passed as he sat there, crying, any further words long swept away by his tears as they soaked into my coat.
How could I have known he was hiding all of this? That this is what he had been dealing with before moving to Ponyville?
This… this was so different from the Button I knew. The Button I knew was loud. Confident. Stubborn. Reckless, even. But he seemed fearless. Like he just didn’t give a shit.
But the colt in my arms felt… fragile.
And so I held him tighter.
As the minutes passed, the hotel room began to grow a little chilly. So, never letting go, I slowly brought us down onto our sides on the bed, drawing the covers over us. Whether he objected or not, he didn’t make it known.
Eventually the sobs began to subside, but even then, neither of us spoke, or made any noise, aside from an errant sniffle here and there. I never loosened my grip, and he never made to move away.
But finally, after who knows how much time had passed as we sat there in silence, he spoke.
“I’m sorry, Sweetie,” he said, his voice rough and slightly muffled against my coat.
“Sorry for what?” I asked, keeping my voice low and even.
“I didn’t… didn’t mean to dump all of that on you at once. I’ve just… never told anypony about any of that before, besides my mom.”
“It’s fine,” I assured him. “So she finally understood?”
“…Yeah. Yeah, she understood. And that’s part of why we moved to Ponyville. To get away. Go somewhere quieter, smaller.”
“I’m glad she did.” I scooted back a little and gave him some room to wipe his face. “And I’m glad you could get that all off your chest.”
“Heh. Yeah.” He smiled up at me with bloodshot eyes, then grimaced. “Crap. And onto yours. Sorry for getting your coat dirty, Sweetie…”
“‘Pretty girls aren’t hurt by water,’” I joked, in hopes of lightening the mood.
“Yeah.” He darted his eyes away. “Wish I knew what that was like.”
I blinked. “Button…?”
“Sorry… never mind. There’s just some things I’m not really sure I’m ready to talk about yet.”
There was more? Stars… how much could this poor colt possibly have bottled up?
“You don’t have to,” I assured him. “You don’t need to tell me anything.”
“I know, but…” He locked eyes with me. “I trust you, Sweetie Belle. More than anypony else I know in the whole world. And I don’t like keeping things from you.”
“It’s fine,” I said, putting a comforting hoof on his shoulder. “I don’t expect anything from you. But you’ll always have my ear when you need it. Just take your time, and tell me when you feel right and ready.”
“Yeah.” He sniffed, then smiled. “Yeah, I will.”
I smiled back, then closed my eyes. Just to filter all the thoughts running in my mind for a moment.
“Sweetie Belle?”
“Mm?” I opened them again, and saw he was staring back at me.
“…Thanks.”
“For?”
“Nothing.” He flushed a little. “Just… thanks. For being such a good friend.”
Button…
I held my arms open again. He hesitated for a few moments… but eventually obliged, curling up against me. It took a bit of adjustment, but we finally settled into a comfortable position. It wasn’t much longer until he dozed off.
…Heh. Only a few minutes ago I was freaking out about maybe having a crush on him. Even the thought of so much as touching him probably would have made my coat hairs stand on end.
But as I held him, all I could feel was just this… overwhelming sense of warmth flooding my body. Knowing that I had a friend who trusted me, who I could always be there for, and who I could expect to always be there for me in return… it was enough to still my heart.
Did I have feelings for him? I didn’t know. But I knew that I loved him. As a brother, or as a friend, or as something more… I didn’t care, and it didn’t matter. I was just happy to have him in my life.
It was with that thought in my mind that I slowly… finally, drifted off to sleep.
… … …
… …
…
“…WHAT IN EQUESTRIA DO YOU TWO THINK YOU’RE DOING? GET OUT OF THAT BED THIS INSTANT!”
…Are you fucking serious right now, Rarity.