//------------------------------// // Deception // Story: Strangers // by Rainboom H Harmonia //------------------------------// “Actually, Sweetie Belle, can we talk about this later? I have a few errands to run.” said Rarity “Fine, but you better answer all of my questions when you get back” Sweetie Belle replied, sounding a bit frustrated. “ I’ll wait for you here, and practice my singing” “Okay, goodbye Sweetie, I’ll be back in a few hours” said Rarity. She got off of the sofa, and walked towards the door. “Goodbye” Sweetie Belle called, and watched her sister walk out the door. Sweetie Belle sat upside down on the sofa, staring at the door thinking. She knew Rarity was lying about not knowing who Button Mash was, but she couldn’t figure out why she would hide something like this from her. It’s not like something bad happened, right? <~~♪~~> Rarity trotted quickly through the streets of Canterlot, slightly panicking after being questioned by her sister. She saw the hotel up ahead, and walked through the doors onto the soft red carpet of the lobby. Rarity smiled at the receptionist as she walked into the elevator. She pressed a number on the panel, closing the doors after a few seconds. Rarity watched as the floors went up and the elevator came to a stop on the 5th floor and the doors opened. Rarity stepped out of the elevator and turned left. She looks at the numbers along the wall and stopped in front of door 56. Rarity knocked 3 times and heard a muffled voice that said come in. She opened the door and saw Twilight, Spike, and Button’s Mom sitting at a table. “Sorry, I’m late” said Rarity “Sweetie Belle was asking me about Button Mash” “What did you say?” asked Twilight “I told her I didn’t know who she was talking about, and she started pulling some video games and a picture of her and Button Mash out of her saddlebags. She said that she felt like he was extremely familiar and that she talked to him before. She said that he also showed up at her concert the other day and ran away when she was walking towards him.” Button’s mother sighed, “It’s my fault that he was there, I was the one who bought the tickets to her concert and asked him to come with me, I’m sorry.” She put her head between her hooves on the table. Twilight patted her on the shoulder, “That’s alright, but I would like you to keep Sweetie Belle away from Button for awhile in case Button does remember.” “Oh, I hate doing that to them but it’s the only way to get rid of the heartbreak ” said Button’s Mom “I hate doing it to them also, but the heartbreak was really bad, and I hated seeing them suffer like that” said Rarity “There’s nothing else we could have done, was there?” <~~♪~~> Sweetie Belle trotted through the cold, and hard cobblestone streets of Canterlot, and looked for somepony who knew anything about her and Button Mash. As she passed a cake shop, she noticed a pink pony with blue eyes and a dark pink curly mane that bobbed up and down through the front window. ‘Pinkie Pie?’ Sweetie Belle thought As she walked through the front door, the bell rang, alerting the pink pony that a customer had come in. “Just a minute!” she called, and finished frosting a three-tiered cake. Sweetie Belle walked up to the front counter and looked at all of the cakes and cupcakes on display. “Sorry about that, now what can I get for you today miss?” Pinkie Pie gasped “Sweetie Belle?” “Hi Pinkie Pie” Sweetie Belle smiled “What are you doing in Canterlot?” “I’m here for a party, and I’m just helping make the cakes and cupcakes!” she replied cheerily “Anyways, would you like to order something?” said Pinkie Pie “Uh, sure. Can I get a vanilla milkshake please?” said Sweetie Belle “Sure, I’ll be back in a jiffy” Pinkie Pie zoomed into the back room and came out a few minutes later with a vanilla milkshake. “Here ya go” said Pinkie Pie “That’ll be 2 bits please” Sweetie Belle handed Pinkie Pie the 2 bits and took her milkshake “Thanks” said Sweetie Belle, and took a seat at one of the tables, and set her saddlebags down beside her. Pinkie Pie went back to working on the cake, icing red flowers on the side of the cake. Sweetie Belle took a sip of her milkshake “Hey Pinkie Pie? Can I ask you a couple of questions?” Pinkie Pie looked up, “Sure! What is it?” Sweetie Belle took a photo out of her saddlebags, “Do you know this colt?” Pinkie walked over to the table to look at the picture more closely. “I sure do! It’s Button Mash” “And what do you know about him?” Sweetie questioned. “I know he likes chocolate milkshakes, video games, and that he rarely comes out of his house for anything other than his work. I remember one time he had a milkshake race with-” Pinkie stopped speaking abruptly, and realized that she shouldn’t continue speaking. “Yes with whom?” Sweetie Belle pressed. “You know what I don’t remember” Pinkie darted her eyes, looking around the shop, “Sorry to cut our conversation short, but I have to, uh, make a bunch of cupcakes for, uh, a cute-ceanera. Gottagobye!” Pinkie Pie zoomed into the back room before Sweetie Belle could say anything. “Uh, goodbye?” said Sweetie Belle. She knew Pinkie knew something more about Button Mash, just like Rarity, and wondered just how big this cover-up was. Sweetie Belle suddenly stood up, tired of the fact nopony giving her the answers she deserved to know. She put her saddlebags on her back, and walked behind the counter and into the back room where Pinkie Pie was busily frosting cupcakes. Sweetie Belle cleared her throat, and Pinkie Pie looked up, with a bit of frosting on her face. “Do you know what happened between me and Button Mash?” said Sweetie Belle “I-I have no idea what you’re talking about.” said Pinkie Pie nervously “Then why are you stuttering?” said Sweetie Belle “Uh…” “That’s what I thought” said Sweetie Belle “Now, do you know what happened between me and Button Mash?” “I can’t to tell you Sweetie Belle, you or Button Mash. I really really really want to tell you, but I Pinkie Promised to someone, and nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise.” Sweetie Belle sighed, “I know Pinkie Pie, I know.” She turned away and dejectedly started walking out of the back room. “Sorry Sweetie Belle” said Pinkie Pie Sweetie Belle kept walking towards the front door, her head held low in sorrow. Pinkie Pie, who hated seeing her friends sad, rushes towards the front door to stop Sweetie Belle. “Will a cupcake make you feel better? Cupcakes always make me feel better when I’m sad.” said Pinkie Pie “You get sad? But you’re Pinkie Pie” said Sweetie Belle “Everypony gets sad sometimes Sweetie” said Pinkie Pie, as she handed Sweetie Belle the cupcake. “It’s on the house” said Pinkie Pie Sweetie Belle smiled a little bit, “Thanks Pinkie Pie” She gave Pinkie a quick hug and left the cake shop. As she continued walking on the cobblestone street, she took a bite out of her cupcake. ‘Wow, this is a really good cupcake’ Sweetie Belle thought, and took another bite out of her cupcake and smiles. ‘Rarity was right, sometimes a filly just needs something sweet.’ Sweetie Belle thought. Sweetie Belle stopped and gasped ‘Rarity! She’s going to be at the boutique soon! I better get back there before she does!. She trotted in the direction of the boutique but stopped. ‘No’ Sweetie Belle thought, ‘Rarity can wait, if she and Pinkie won’t tell me what happened between Button Mash and I, I’ll just have to find out what happened between me and Button Mash, then I’ll go and ask somepony who will give me the answers I’m looking for, hopefully,’ Sweetie Belle then changes direction and heads towards the hospital. <~~♪~~> Button Mash opened his eyes and looked groggily into the light of the hospital. As his vision focused, he turned his head and looked off to the side and saw a few get well soon balloons and cards, and flowers on the end table. He turned his head to the other side and noticed his mother’s sleeping form on one of the chairs lined up along the wall. Button smiled slightly; his mother was always worried about him and was looking out for him. Suddenly, Buttons mother opened her eyes and looked up at Button. “Button!” she got off the chair, and rushed to the side of the hospital bed, “You’re awake!” She gave him a hug. Button Mash returned the hug, “How long have I been out?” “3 days” she replied, “Do you know where you are and why you’re here? You hit your head pretty hard.” She gently touched his head. “Ouch” “Sorry sweetie, so do you know?” she asked again “Um, I’m in a hospital and I’m here because I got hit in the head hard?” replied Button “Yes, that’s right” “Umm, Mom? Do you know when I’m allowed to leave here? I want to go home” Button asked, and touched his head with a hoof and winced. “I don’t know honey, I can ask the doctor when he comes to check on you though” said Button’s mom Just then, a pegasus stallion who had a dark blue coat and a light blue mane and tail, walked into the room. “Ah, Button Mash, you’re awake, that’s good, that’s good!” said the stallion, “Let me introduce myself, I’m your doctor, Steady Heartbeat, but you can just call me doctor, or Steady, or Heartbeat, or Steady Heartbeat.” Steady Heartbeat laughed. Button Mash smiled a little and gave a weak laugh. “Glad to you see you still appreciate humor, Button Mash unlike some others.” Steady said as he threw a sidelong glance at the only other pony in the room. “You try laughing when your son is gravely wounded!” Button’s Mom angrily retorted. Steady cleared his throat, “Anyways” He looked down at Button Mash’s chart, and looked at the monitors hooked up to Button Mash, and read the vitals on the screen. “Your vitals seem fine, but I would like to keep you here for a few more days, to monitor your concussion, just to be safe. “You hit your head really hard” said Steady “That’s fine, thank you Doctor” said Button’s Mom “Ma’am, just call me Steady” “Alright Steady.” Button’s Mom said and he nodded at her, and left the room. “At least he knows his stuff” said Button’s Mom once the doctor was out of earshot. “Yeah, and he’s funny too” said Button, who earned a glare from his mother. Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door, and a nurse walked into the room. She turned to Button and his Mom and said. “Excuse me, sir? There’s a Mare here to see you, she said her name was Sweetie Belle.