//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Final Boss: Sweetie Belle // by Blueninetails //------------------------------// The smell in the air around the familiar farm was quite irritating to Button Mash as the duo stepped onto the property. Well, it wasn't exactly completely unpleasant to him, just a bit off putting. As an earth pony himself, the smell of the soil and scents from the plants all around him brought up feelings of comfort, much like how the smell of blood is to a blood-thirsty, old, battle-worn orc, or the smell of a fresh shipment of new books are to the local librarian, Twilight Sparkle. It made sense of course, being an Earth Pony, he had a strong natural connection to the ground and plants; but, as a gamer, the night-time scents were almost foreign and strange to him. Of course, that was ignoring the smell of the perfume Sweetie Belle was wearing. He chose to ignore it for now as the two pressed on further onto the property, passing the Apple Family homestead, and approaching the family's primary barn. The light coming from the interior of the barn seemed to further prove that the barn was their destination for the evening. "The barn...? Seriously, we're gonna spend our date in a barn?" He thought to himself, then sighed, "Sheesh, I have no dating experience whatsoever, and even I know that's a no-go. Then again, Sweetie never did seem to have all the lights on up there." As soon as they arrived at their destination, Button was taken back by what he saw. The barn, while it still held the appearance of a barn's interior on the inside, it had been redecorated to have the appearance of a nice restaurant. The flooring of the barn had been cleaned up, a good portion of the hale bales inside had been rearranged to block the stalls and create some makeshift walls, farming equipment had been cleared out, some potted plants placed at key locations, and some Hearths Warming lights were hung at the tops of the makeshift walls to light up the barn just enough; but, it was the placement of an upside-down wooden tub, the same one the Apples used for bobbing for apples during major events, covered with a nice table cloth, and two chairs that caught his attention. The makeshift table, had been decorated nicely with a lantern and two vased roses, and was also placed in just the right way that some moonlight would be able to shine upon the setting. Sweet Celestia, it actually looked...romantic! The sound of a mare clearing her throat brought him back to reality. Looking he saw Applebloom had been standing next to the door, she was dressed in a very nice long-sleeve shirt, black vest, and a black bow tie, a familiar attire for Manehatten or Canterlot waiters, and also a...a mustache...? "A table fer two?" Applebloom asked with a polite smile on her face, and gestured with a hoof for them to take a seat. Sweetie nodded before proceeding toward the table, while Button Mash stared at Applebloom. Applebloom quickly noticed and shot him a confused, and somewhat bothered look, "What...?" "You have a mustache." She looked down at her nose, at the bushy, red hair between the tip of her muzzle and her upper lip, "So...?" she asked back, brushing off the statement. "Why do you have a mustache...?" he asked in a surprised tone. "Cause ah'm the waiter of this here building, and fancy waiters have a mustache." "But you're a mare, you're not suppose to have a mustache! In fact it looks weird. Almost as if you're were a filly playing with Nightmare Night costumes." Applebloom scoffed at the statement, "Yer the one ta talk, why ya wearin' that there pin? I was able ta see ya before ya even stepped on ta the property cause that pin was glowin' brighter than well-lit lantern. That don't seem very mature ta me at t'all." Button Mash glared at her, but didn't say anything other than a groan before going further into the barn and taking a seat. As soon as he plopped his butt down onto the seat, Applebloom took her leave, and was quickly replaced by Scootaloo. The young pegasus mare was pretty much dressed in the same fashion as Applebloom, and was also donning a mustache on her upper lip, though the facial hair was obviously differently colored, and was styled differently from Applebloom's. She was also wearing her saddlebag for some odd reason. Button Mash jaw dropped in disbelief before promptly face-desking onto the table. Scootaloo smirked at the action, "Yeah, I know. You're totally jealous of my awesome 'stache." she stated before flaring her wings and striking a proud pose. "Jealous...? Jealous of what?" Button asked in a dull tone as raised his head back up to look at Scootaloo. What could he be possibly be jealous of from an obnoxiously loud and annoying pegasus mare with bushy facial hair. "Jealous because you know you'll never get one as cool as this one." Button slammed his head against the table, again. Seriously, what was it about being a mare having a mustache being a little more than just weird did those two not understand? Seriously, they are almost as annoying as Sweetie Belle. Still though, he did have to admit, part of his frustration did stem from the fact Scootaloo was pretty much right. He had wished he could grow a nice mustache that he could style up to match one of his favorite game characters, but alas, it seems fate had other plans for him. No pony in his entire family has facial hair of any kind: his father, his grandfathers, his uncles, even his older cousins. Sweetie lightly giggled in response, seemingly finding some amusement in his actions. Button Mash looked up at Sweetie Belle upon hearing her giggling, shooting a venomous glare at her. "These are what the chef's offering tonight." Scootaloo stated as she used a wing to pull out two sheets of paper and placed them on the table, "Would you two like a drink? The house is offering a special reserve cider tonight. Would you like that?" "Mm-hm." Sweetie replied as she nodded "Cider...? Um, sure, I guess I could go for some cider." Button replied. A little cider never hurt, but where did they get some? Cider season isn't for another 5 months. Scootaloo gave a nod before turning and loudly shouting, "Hey, Applebloom, we need two glasses of cider over here." "Ya don't need ta shout!" They heard her reply before coming in carrying a tray with two mugs and a bottle of apple cider. Applebloom placed the tray on the table and placed a mug in front of her two 'customers', before working to remove the cork off the bottle. In the meantime, Scootaloo told them, "I'll be back out here in a little bit to take your orders." then took her leave. "I thought cider season wasn't for another 5 months." Button stated "It...it is." Applebloom replied, as she struggled to get the cork out, before finally succeeding. "Then where'd the bottle of cider come from?" "The family keeps 2 or 3 barrels aside for the family. Everypony else is welcome ta do the same if they ask come cider season." "Of course...." Button rolled his eyes. Of course they would keep some on the side, they did make the stuff afterall. Besides, it's not like he doesn't do similar anyway. In games Button would always keep the better stuff if given the chance to do so. Applebloom quickly poured the two their drinks before taking her leave once again. It didn't seem she had gone any further than she did last time as Sweetie Belle and Button Mash could clearly hear Applebloom outside, on the far end of the barn, talking to Scootaloo about not yelling out the orders. Now left alone in the barn, the two silently sat there, occasionally taking sips of their drink as they observed their surroundings and occasionally looking at one another, though it did appear that Button was taking glances at Sweetie Belle more than she was of him. Button was actually trying to carefully plan out how to counter any of Sweetie's advances, this may be a date, but that didn't necessarily mean he had give in to whatever this temptress had in mind. Still though, he had to admit, he does commend her efforts, though it's all in vain as far as he was concerned. Everything so far was fairly well planned out, from the feel of the 'restaurant's' atmosphere to the food being offered. Honestly, the menu actually surprised Button Mash, not only was it written with the fanciest of writing he had ever seen, but all the food listed sounded genuinely delicious: spinach alfrado pasta, daisy and cucumber pizza with feta cheese, grilled zucchini rolls, and ricotta stuffed eggplant rolls were among the few items that caught his interest. Sweetie on the otherhoof was absolutely ecstatic! Not only had Button Mash agreed to go on the date with her, a matter she doubted would actually happen from the start, but so far it was going without a hitch. To also top it off, it did appear he was interested in her, with all that glancing at her he was doing. Why else would he be doing it, at least that's what Sweetie figured. After being left alone in the barn for about ten minutes, Scootaloo returned to take their orders. Both ponies quickly gave her their orders, Button ordering a spaghetti with creamy feta-sauce with a side of garlic bread, and Sweetie asking for almost the same thing, except it being marinara sauce instead. As the two waited for their meals, both sat it silence, with only the sounds of the natural night environment, and occasionally some chit-chat from Scootaloo and Applebloom who were just outside the barn to interrupt the tranquility. The two occasionally took a few tentative sips of their cider to help pass the time. A few minutes later, Applebloom did come back carrying a large plate of freshly-baked buttermilk biscuits -which Button was glad about, he was getting hungry- on her back and a new bottle of cider on her head to refill their glasses if they needed it. Neither Sweetie or Button needed their glasses filled though, but at Button's request, Applebloom did leave the bottle with them so they could just refill it themselves later. As they sat once again in silence, Button Mash listened intently to the noises around them, ever vigilant for anything Sweetie, or Applebloom and Scootaloo, may try to persuade him against his beliefs. One problem though, there wasn't anything to show they were going to try doing that, at all. "This is getting boring." Button stated silently to himself as he looked out toward the orchard, "If this is how dates are suppose to go, than I fail to see why going on them is such a big deal." Button shifted his attention towards Sweetie Belle, who was looking at him before proceeding to give a happy smile. "Sheesh. Why don't you say something already?" he mentally asked as he looked at her, not quite believing that he just thought that, "Come on, before I die of boredom over here." Much to his annoyance, Sweetie Belle remained silent as she continued smiling at him. He sighed before taking a mouthful of cider and turning his attention back towards the orchard. Well, at least the cider is pretty tasty, even if it did taste a little different from the usual....Not in a bad way, but there was a noticeable difference from the cider he's had over the last couple of years. The silence went on for nearly another half-an-hour, before Sweetie finally asked,"So, um...Button, that pin you have on right now...it's something from Minecraft, right?", trying to start a conversation. Finally she says something! "This thing...? Yeah, it is. I'm sure you probably don't care much though." "Actually, I kinda do. I play Minecraft a tiny bit when I'm not adventuring with Crusaders and-" "Wait, did you just say you play Minecraft...?" he interrupted as he raised a brow. "Uh, yeah..." she answered cautiously. He gave a short laugh, "You...? You play Minecraft...? You gotta be trying to pull my tail." "I'm not joking! I really do play Minecraft." Sweetie remarked before blushing and puffing her cheeks out. "Come on, everypony knows that no filly, or mare, would ever play video games." he remarked, how stupid did she think he was. "Well, I do, and I very much like it." she rebutted, "Though..., I haven't gotten very far..." "Okay, if you really do play, I wanna see you prove it." "Fine." The two then heard someone clear their throat. Looking up, they both saw Spike standing there wearing a chef's hat, coat, and -again- a mustache. Button Mash briefly groaned before a questioning look formed on his face at the sight. Was Spike working with them in all this?! "I apologize for the interruption, but I unfortunately bring bad news. It appears we had an accident in the kitchen." "No one's hurt, right?" Sweetie Belle asked almost immediately after hearing that. "No, no, it's nothing like that. It's just...your meals were accidentally dropped onto the floor." "What?! What happened?" Button Mash asked. "I'm not gonna say, but I do hope somepony now understands why you don't run in the kitchen." he paused for a moment to scratch the back of his head, "I do understand you two have been waiting for some time now, and I do apologize for the long wait, but if you'd like, a new batch can be prepared in a few minutes for you two. If not, I do understand." "What do you think, Button? Think we should wait a little longer?" Sweetie asked. "Why push this decision on me?!" he mentally thought to himself as he groaned in annoyance, then gave a pause in thought before saying, "Sure, I suppose we wait a little longer." "Again, sorry about the wait." then turned to leave. "Spike, wait a moment, mind if I have a word with you?" Button asked, then looked at Sweetie Belle as he got up, "In private...?" Sweetie didn't seem to mind as she looked at Spike, who raised a curious brow, "Uh..., sure, I guess." Button Mash led Spike out towards the orchard, far enough that he knew the others wouldn't hear them, but close enough that they could be seen. "Okay, what in Equestria are you doing here, Spike?" he asked "What do you mean what am I doing here? I'm helping the Crusaders out to make this a good date." "I can see that, but why...? Why are you helping Sweetie Belle out?" he asked, "Don't tell me that this is you getting even with me for accidentally insulting Twilight in front of you." "Okay, two things, one: I already forgave you for that -seriously, it wasn't even that big of an insult; and, secondly: what are you talking about? The Crusaders are my friends too, why wouldn't I give them a helping hoof? And, why did you specifically mention Sweetie Belle?" "Its because...because..." he paused then snorted, "It's because I really don't want to be anywhere near Sweetie Belle, I hate her, and here I am on a date with that stupid mare." "Wait, what?!" "I could be doing so much more important things than wasting my time here. If only she hadn't asked me out in front of the others in class." Button added as he silently growled under his breath. "Wait, back up for a moment, you don't like Sweetie Belle?" "Of course I don't. How could you not know that?" "Uh, how about the fact your muzzle is usually in your Joyboy." Spike replied as he rolled his eyes, "And, if you don't like her, then why did you agree to go on a date with her?" "I told you, she asked me in front of the others in class, I had to agree otherwise I'd look like a jerk." "So let me see if I'm getting you correctly, you only agreed to this date because you didn't want to look like a jerk in front of your class...?" Spike asked with incredulous look on his face. "Yeah." Spike didn't say anything for a moment to let the information process in his brain, then shouted, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Button jumped at that. Spike looked towards the others, since he knew that shout could've been easily heard. He gestured at them not to worry before turning his attention back towards Button. "Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds?!" Spike asked, his voice back down to a volume that only he and Button would hear, as he put a hand over his eyes, "It's so stupid, that if I looked up what 'stupid' meant in a book, your picture and that idea would be there as an example." "Hey, it's not stupid!" "Oh, it is stupid. In fact I've never heard such an ill-thought out plan in my life. How does, 'I only agreed to go on a date with her because I didn't want to hurt her feelings and look like a jerk' not sound bad to you?" "I get that already! My mom told me the same thing." "Then why did you go through with it?" "Because it was already too late. It was five past seven when she told me, I was suppose to pick up Sweetie at seven." Spike sighed and rubbed the side of his head, "Alright, fine, I get it. Still though, what made you think accepting the offer was a good idea when you don't even like her? If it had been me, I would've been truthful and said I wasn't interested, because I wouldn't give her false hope, and I wouldn't be hurting her feelings later." "I'm your friend. I'm a closer friend to you than the girls," Spike continued, "which is why I was surprised to hear that you actually agreed to go on this date; but, I can't support you on such a ridiculous idea, especially since I know how much work those three put into making this date perfect." "So they did plan this whole thing out." Button remarked with just the slightest hint of disgust in his voice. Spike glared at him before saying, "They've been planning this whole thing since last week. They even paid me to help them make everything look fancy, but I'm acting as the chef of my own choice. They did all this work, convincing Rainbow Dash to work overtime to keep the sky clear tonight, getting the Apple Family's okay to use the barn and the kitchen as a make-shift restaurant all without a single bit in payment, getting Rarity to make her sister a nice dress for the occasion, and you're telling me it was all for nothing." "Well..., they should've known how much I hate her." "How...? By interpreting somehow when you're beating up that virtual orc..., when you're fighting zombie ponies and enderponies, or when you're setting that new high score at the arcade, that you don't like her?" "..." "Look, I have to get back to the kitchen, otherwise it'll take even longer to get your dinners done; but, let me give you this advice, Button, for now swallow your pride and make sure Sweetie Belle has a fun date tonight." "What?!" "By agreeing, you already put her hopes up that there's a chance you two can be together. So forget that you only agreed to go out with her just to save face, because as far as I'm concerned you already messed that up because this plan easily makes you an even bigger jerk. I'm telling you now, as your friend, since your classmates saw you agree to this, there's a good chance I won't be the only one who knows you hurt her feelings come Monday." "How am I suppose to do that?" he asked as they started on the way back, "I don't even know how to date a pony I actually like, how do I do it with a mare I don't?" "Eh, I'm sure you'll figure out something. You may be an idiot for even considering this ridiculous plan, but I know you're not the dullest blade in the armory." With that, Button went back to the table as Spike rushed back to the kitchen. Sweetie Belle shot him a worried glance as he returned, quite possibly from hearing Spike's shout earlier. Button merely made a gesture with a hoof as if to say it's nothing to worry about, before grabbing his cup and drinking the rest of his drink in one big mouthful. Button Mash was frustrated. No, he was beyond frustrated. First he's dragged into this date, then finds out one of his closest friends is working against him, and now finding out he's been worsening his fate since he left school?! How could everything possibly, seemingly, be against him? Just how...? He's been a good young stallion, hasn't he? He's a good student, he brushes his teeth twice a day, listens to his parents, never really was rude or mean to anypony, and has never actively grieved or trolled anyone while he plays. It seems his frustration was made evident this time around, as he noticed Sweetie's demeanor has changed from earlier. Instead of the happy young mare he was seated across from earlier, which honestly was making him sick to his stomach, she was now looking straight at her mug in front of her, her smile was gone, her shoulders were slouched, and her ears were flat against her head. "You're not enjoying this date are you...?" Sweetie asked in a sad tone. Of course he wasn't. While seeing Sweetie being no longer annoyingly happy did alleviate some of his irritation, part of him did feel somewhat concerned over the sadness in her tone. After waiting for Button to reply, getting only silence, Sweetie took it as a confirmation as she sunk her muzzle a little lower towards the table, "I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean it to be...I mean-" "It's fine Sweetie Belle." He interrupted her, then sighed, thinking about what Spike said to him, "I'm sure you and the others really did try to make this a good evening." She merely nodded. "Don't worry about it, this was your first date ever, right?" she nodded again, "Well..., there you go. No one ever gets stuff right the first time, and I bet there wasn't some tutorial somewhere about stuff like this." "What...?" "Look, lets just forget about that, okay?" He then reached over to the bottle of cider and refreshed both his and Sweetie's cups up, "Let's just enjoy good cider until our food's ready. That sound good to you?" Sweetie smiled and nodded her head, "Yeah, okay." Both fell it another silence as they waited for their food once again. Both mostly drinking their cider to ward off their hunger; but, after another ten minutes of waiting, Button Mash was getting rather impatient and it was clear to him that the cider wasn't making a good replacement for actual food. Despite that though, he was getting use to his surroundings now, and his annoyance was significantly less compared to earlier, even with Sweetie back to her happy self. "I wonder if this is what my character feels like when I don't let him eat for several days." Button thought to himself as he looked up at the moon, "Hm, maybe...I mean 2 gold for a yummy roll isn't that big of a deal anyway." He then turned his attention Sweetie Belle, who was playing with a bit of her mane that fell over the front of her face with her magic before shooting a cute smile when he looked at her. He groaned under his breath, partially because of Sweetie Belle, but mostly due to the fact the word 'cute' crossed his mind, again. "There goes that thought again!" He thought to himself, "She's not cute! She's my nemesis, I DO NOT like her. She's just an annoying, dimwitted mare, who knows how to get on my nerves." His stomach gave a loud grumbling sound, sounding much like the growling of a manticore rather than his own body. At this point, they had eaten all the biscuits and the two had already emptied two one-liter bottles of cider, and were already working on a third. The third bottle was really the second one refilled by Button when Sweetie decided to divulge where the cider barrel they were using was located. This was especially true since their two waitresses, Scootaloo and Applebloom, seemed to have disappeared somewhere, not even a holler from Sweetie Belle was getting either one to appear. "Hey, Sweetie, you getting really hungry over there?" Button asked as he rested, deciding to rest his chin on the table. "Mm-hm..." she replied with a nod, and as if to accentuate her reply, her stomach growled. "Did you have any thing else planned after this?" Sweetie hesitated, eventually replying with, "A-A stroll...around the orchard...?" She gave a nervous grin. "Really...? A stroll around the orchard?" "I thought it would be fun..." "I guess..." he replied as he looked at his cup, "You're not worried about that dress?" "Huh?" "Your dress...You're not, I dunno, worried about it getting dirty?" "Oh, um..." Button rolled his eyes at her reply, though he did smirk at the slight lapse in Sweetie's thinking, finding it slightly more amusing than it probably should. She really didn't have all the lights on up there. His stomach growled again, reminding him just how hungry he was, as he watched Sweetie's facial expressions, trying to read what she was thinking. He ended up staring at her for a good half-minute before turning his attention back towards the night. "You know what, Sweetie Belle, I think that's a good idea right now." He remarked after giving it some thought. "Huh...? What is?" "A stroll, I don't think it's too bad of an idea to do right now." It would certainly be a nice change from sitting around hungry, waiting for their meals, "Plus, it's getting kinda late anyway." he added as he started digging through his saddlebag. Sweetie smiled at first, glad in Button's agreement, but then it was replaced by a confused one as what his words registered in her mind, "Wait, 'right now'?" Button didn't reply but instead pulled out his bit bag before placing ten bits onto the table. "But, we didn't even get to eat yet." Sweetie complained, half-sounding that she was panicking. "They're taking too long, and it's getting kinda late, we could just find something else to eat." he explained before remembering they were on a farm, "You think Applebloom would mind if we grab a few apples?" "I-I guess, I mean..., I dunno. Maybe...?" "Eh, I'm sure she won't mind. I left some money anyway." he stated as he looked around the barn, soon finding a basket full of apples and started grabbing a few and placing it in his bag. Before the Sweetie could say another word, Button had already packed about 8 apples into his saddlebag and was already leaving the barn. Though hesitant, Sweetie quickly followed behind, but not before leaving a couple extra bits she actually had on her, and took a full bottle of apple cider with her. Cider season wasn't gonna happen for another couple of months, and it was good cider afterall. As they left, they were spotted by Scootaloo, who was coming back from the Apple Homestead and asked where they were going. Button merely gave a short reply about how it was taking too long, and while it was a cool idea, the execution needed some work, and pressed on. Sweetie gave a nervous look and mouthed 'sorry' before continuing to follow her date off the property, leaving a stunned Scootaloo behind them. The duo quietly trotted back into town, Princess Luna's moon being the only source of light aside from the occasional street-lantern, the only sound being their own hooves clopping against path. As buildings and houses started be around them again, the duo continued to walk in silence as they inadvertently started walking side-by-side with one another. Button did look over in Sweetie Belle's direction, cautious to see if she had another thing planned for the evening, but seeing a somewhat neutral expression on her face, or at least that's what he thinks is Sweetie's expression, he concluded that was a 'no'. Sweetie was actually rather confused, when Button agreed to a walk she assumed he meant around the orchard of Sweet Apple Acres, not out back into town. Still though, they were going at a rather leisurely pace now, and it was still a nice night out. She let a gentle smile appear on her face as she closed the gap between them enough to feel the warmth emanating from him, but not close enough to actually having physical contact with one another. Button quickly noticed the temperature difference between, and looked to see Sweetie had moved closer to him and was now invading his personal space. He was about move away, but quickly remembered what Spike told him, before merely growling under his breath and accepted the closeness. Besides, at least she wasn't physically touching him, and...the fact a strand of Sweetie's mane was falling over her face was rather amusing to him anyway, in a good way. The pair eventually arrived at Carousel Boutique, earning a surprised look from Sweetie Belle, and a relieved one from Button Mash. "Carousel Boutique...?" she asked "Yeah, I figured it was getting late anyway, so..." "Can't you at least come in for a moment? I know the night hasn't been great, but I want to stay together a little longer." Button audibly groaned, very much hopeful that they could just call it a night, go home, and end this torturous date. "Please. At least let me show you I wasn't lying, that I do play games a little bit." she pleaded as her ears laid flat on her head. Button looked at her with tired eyes, noticing her posture and how her eyes seemed to be begging him. The light of Luna's moon shining off her eyes not helping one bit, of which caused an almost unnoticeable warmth to go to his cheeks. After a moment of contemplation, Button growled under his breath and shook his head before saying, "Alright, Sweetie, prove it that you do." Sweetie smiled widely at the response before totting into the boutique and waited for Button to come in before closing the door. By this time, Rarity had already fallen asleep in her workshop area, apparently having been busy with another order before succumbing to her need to rest. Button and Sweetie quietly went up to her room, though Sweetie did take a quick moment to grab a couple of things from the kitchen first, specifically some snack-type foods and some drinks that were in similar bottles to the ones Sweetie brought with her from Sweet Apple Acres. The rest of the night went somewhat in a blur for Button as the duo played Minecraft, though it was mostly Button watching Sweetie play, and lots of eye rolling and groans from him at how little Sweetie actually knew about the game. Other than the taste of apples in his mouth, the very last thing Button would remember that night was the smell of Sweetie's perfume.