Button Mash: High School Life

by rock4u7

Season 3 Part 2: Din's Fire

Author's Note:

Merry Xmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/life day everybody. As to be festive this chapter takes place in the snow (kinda).

It's also something that we all knew was going to come to a boil.

*Click Click Click*

Button furiously spammed his left mouse button, the tiny little character on the screen jerkinly bouncing around pelting other players with his boomerang.

“Haha eat frosty shit Teemo!” barked Button Mash as he killed the player and dived into a bush, reaching across his desk and sucking on the blue frozen fanta slurpy.

He looked back to the monitor and jumped in surprise, almost chocking on his icey drink.

“what how did they take the inhibitors down so fast....err fucking Yasuo!” He cried out again destroying his mouse with a barrage of *click click*.

Button glued his eyes to the game as he was assaulted with waves of buffed enemy minions, trying to cut them down as he was being targeted by the Yasuo and Warwick.

“Run run run you jumpy little orange fuckness” pelted the brown colt as he ran for his life.

*Brrrrrrring Brrrrring*

Button cellphone began to ring in his over on his bed, His attention now being shifted as he needed to make a choice.

“C'mon not now please not now” he pleaded, jerking his head back and forth as the phones went on to its last few rings.

“Err fuck it!” bursted out the colt as he swung back on his swivel chair and pick up the phone on his bed, looking at the caller..... Sweetie Belle
“Oh shit” he thought to himself quickly answering the phone and hoping she was still there.

“Uh hey Sweets, sorry only just managed to find this damn phone of mine” he lied, hoping back onto the computer and putting the phone between his shoulder and cheek, he was too late, 47 second cool down till his character could re spawn.

But it was too late, straight to voice mall went an audio message from Sweetie.

"Hey Button, listen Im going ice-skating down to the mall at 6 today and I was wondering if you wanted to come, not as a date or anything but….yeah you get what I mean, If you wanna come ice-skating that’s cool (get it, ice….cool, never mind) I'll see you there if not that’s fine I was asking is all".

Button examined the text and glanced his head towards the clock, 5:15 Pm, Thinking he though to himself if he should go or not, over the past few weeks Button had tried to stay close friends with Sweetie without bringing back up certain topics and feelings that he'd currently preferred not to talk about, Button knew she understood and he himself knew that he had to dismiss any heavy emotional feels he had for her….though sometimes late alone at night he couldn’t help but think about that night they had together, it felt similar to what he felt with Scarlet but it was also very different, When Button though about Scarlet he could feel a warm smile inside him, a feeling of emotional satisfaction...but when he thought about Sweetie his heart kind of flitted, a hollow wispy feeling in is chest like cold wind on wet grass... Button couldn't explain if it was good or bad but it was an alien feeling that he often dwelt on, what was it's meaning and why did he only feel it when he thought of Sweetie belle, if ever he knew the answer he surely would not admit it to himself.

"Defeated!" spat out the computer, Button so lost in his anst that he had paid no attention to the match, the chat bar a flood of hateful and desperate messages directed at his character, usually ending with an adjective followed with an explicit curse word.

Button hovered his mouse over find new game and wondered if he should click it, again he gave a glance to the clock and read the time, 5:18 Pm. He gave a gaze out his bedroom windows towards the florescent light posts and lit homes of Ponyville, the Public bus which he was now very familiar with would leave his stop at 6:30 on the dot, 'I have ten minutes" he thought to himself, Slowing grinding and biting his lower lip with his teeth.

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*Knock*, *Knock*.

Karen opened the door to the small Mare standing at the welcome mat, a black and red scarf wrapped around her neck almost covering her mouth.

"Good evening Scarlet, I take it you’re here for Button".

"Yessem Mrs Mash, Is he hear".

"Scarlet You know my name is Karen, your not five years old" chuckled the old mare, "Sorry Hunny But He kind of left in a rush about an hour ago, said he was going to his friend's InkSpot's house to play a raid with him.

"Oh ok, s that weird?".

"I'd say, He could easily just teamspeak or Skype him and play online, not sure why he needs to rush over assuming Inkspot even has a spare PC for Wow, plus Button plays a level eighty female night elf hunter, I'd think he wouldn't be so eager to start a new class on someone else's computer".

"That's odly detailed of you, do you think he's up to something".

The brown manned mare ushered the girl closer, quitting her voice.

"Remember when you told about Button's little high moment first time you two met, well after that he had a heavy incident with a large amount of Zebra narcotics, the doctor at the police station said he'd ingested a lethal amount so for a few days after that I kept a close eye on him, I thought he'd given up the stuff But I seriously think he may be sneaking of to .you know...partake".

"So you think's he's gone of to go get high with his friends?" asked Scarlet, her tone confused with a tinge of frustration.

"Honestly I can't say, It's hard to tell when Button's telling the truth or not, lately he's gotten good and acting or pretending or just not being real with me, it gets a bit infuriating sometimes, either way come in dear, I'll make you a drink, you are old enough to drink right?".

"Well yes bu." before she could finish Karen pulled her right inside and sat her by the cough as she went to the kitchen and took out to wine glasses with a bottle of rum.

"would you like some cola mixed in hun".

"uh yes please" the maroon headed mare scanned her head around the room, the home was tidy and adorned with family portraits and musical memorabilia. Scarlet's eyes soon snapped on a stand over next to the wall with a large collection of records, a black record player encased with stickers above.

"Are you Into Music Mrs Ma... I mean Karen?".

"Hell yes dear, I do considered myself quite the rocker at least in my younger days, I started that collection around twenty-eight years back, Every now and again I would pick up a new one for the collection, gosh I must have close to two hundred records now.

"Do you mind if I take a look".

"Not at all dear, put something on if you like".

With that the young mare stood up and trotted over the collection, scanning each band name with admiration, reading the song lists on the back of more familiar albums.

Karen emerged from the kitchen with two glasses of rum'n'coke, placing Scarlet's on the table as she elegantly sipped on her own.
"DO you know all these bands".

"Every band every song, Some from years way before my time, I keep the newer stuff in the CD rack under the stand.

Scarlet out of impulse bend down and looked through the CD collection, bands she was now definitely familiar with. With a burst of squee she picked out a black covered CD with a single blue flower printed on the Cover.

"Can I play this, Im a huge fan of PoisenJoke?".

"Hah sure hun, I guess I must be a big fan too".

"Sorry Im fan-girling abit here" The younger mare stated, taking out the CD and putting it in the player, listening as the guitar began to play.
"Who's your favourite member" Karen Mash asked, taking a sip of her drink".

"It's a given But I really Like Pitt, He has really nice vocals".

A small smirk creped on the old mare's face. "What do you know about him".

"Pitt Ashley, well he's twenty-six and he's from Fillydephia…. Wait Pitt Mash...are you saying your related to him?" she asked, her voice growing more inebriant and cheerful.

With a smooth move of her arm she took a photo of the wall and handed it to the teenager.

The picture was of a very young Button standing next to a darker coated teenage colt with a orange and black streak mane. Scarlet quickly drew a comparison.

"He's Button's older brother".

Scarlet could not contain the shear amount of See inside of her.

"O My gosh oh my gosh, I'm dating the brother of the lead singer of PoisenJoke. Karen is there anyway you can get me to meet him?".

"Sure" she said, moving over and ringing a number on the phone, to fast for Scarlet to even reply as hesitation exploded from here mouth.

"Wait no Im not ready please!".

*BRING BRING*

"Hi Honey it's Mum, look I've got Button's girlfriend here and she's a huge can, is it alright if she can say I few words?".

Scarlet stood dead cold, her smile now unfathomable fear.

"Really great, I'll put here on now".

"Howdy, I take it you mus be Little Button's new squeeze?" Pitt asked.

"Uh…" her voice was stuttery and chirped.

"H.HI" she croaked out.

"And Hello to you too, what's the matter, frog in your throat" The colt playfully said, all too familiar with star-struck fans.

"… Uh hi…." She shook her head and took a deep breathe.

"Mr Pitt I'm a really big fan of your music, uh what is um….uh…".

"Little Miss please give me any question you have, don’t worry I wont bite...much" he toyed around again.

"well, in your song 'Dark side of Luna' the music video showed you did a short segment using 3D cgi instead of the typical 2D animated parts you usually have in your videos, was this a stylistic thing or something else...or whatever you know".

"well our drummer Boomer at the time was dating the lead animator, a few days before they had broken up and when the studio sent in the file for the segment his ex has overlaid a video of Boomer crying drunk in the shower vomiting all over himself, our producer was appalled and he quietly contacted a 3D Yak animation house to do the segment".

"Then why in 'Buffalo soldier' did you again have 2D animated parts?".

"... They got back together" Pitt plainly replied, Scarlet giving a chuckled in response.

Scarlet then continued to Barrage him with more questions as Karen waited patiently, swirling her rum around in the glass, feeling a warm buzz began, Once Scarlet gave herself a moment to breathe Pitt changed the subject more to her and soon they were talking about more jovial and mundane things like most folks would, by then Karen was sitting out on the front steps on a plastic lawn chair, gazing at the stars with a cool glass in hoof, listening to the muffled voices from Scarlet and Pitt. Karen began quietly humming to herself as she could hear the far off sounds of the odd coach driving by. Sinking deeper into inebriation she turned her curiosity to the house above her, the tall wooden structure so stoic and warming, a place to call home ever since she and Kickin bought in years before kids. Karen could still picture that moment. Arriving here for the first time, pulling into the driveway at 6am in the morning after a long trip from Fillydephia. Stepping out, stretching and opening the door to the vast empty place she would call home.

"So…. Here we are" Karen announced, dropping down and flopping onto her back in the middle of the hallway, putting her arms under her head.

"Seven years of work, Seven years of saving every last bit...and here it is, the fruits of our labour" Kickin replied, taking of his olive windbreaker jacket and slumping next to his wife on the floor, popping out a cigarette and putting it to the side of his mouth.

"Well.it really would have been more like five years if you hadn't had gotten into that motorcycle accident" Karen joked around, taking a silver zippo lighter out of his side pocket and lighting the smoke.

" Hah yeah, a young Stallion's got to learn a few lessons in life".

"Like the difference between accelerate and brake".

"Aye".

"And the difference between a ramp and a park bench".

"ew.don't be remindin' me, I almost lost me eye".

"You almost lost your head".

They both giggled a bit and shared the last draws of the cigarette.

"So you want to start unloading the van, get at least a bed or couch in maybe".

"Soon babe soon, until then….lets get to know the place before we start throwing stuff in".

Cocking an eyebrow Kickin leaned over Karen till there eye to eye.

"Maybe we should grab some blankets, a pillow and test drive the floorboards, see if they squeak?".

"Arnt you just a hopeless romantic" Karen seductively replied lowering her eyelids and parting the hair from Kickin's mane.

"But" she slowly continued "You'll have to catch me first...BOOP" the mare stated abruptly as she booped him on the nose and quickly got up and charged up the stairs, Kickin scrambling to his feet as he chased after her, running up and down the empty house laughing and giggling all the way.

"Karen... Karen".

Karen Mash slowly opened her eyes and looked up seeing Scarlet above her, beyond that the blue night sky.

"Oh.wha... Sorry dear, I must have dosed off a bit" the old mare said in a daze, scratching her head. "what time is it?".

"Not that late, you went outside I think maybe an hour ago" Scarlet replied, helping Karen onto four legs.

"You've been talking to Pitt for an hour?, what about?".

"Just stuff like music, video games and tv shows...other stuff just random and stupid is all, He's a cool guy, very down to earth for a celebrity".

"He was always a good natured boy, very soft though, sensitive and all that".

"I think I can guess the type, anyway Karen, I think I'd better get back home?".

"Oh do you want me to give you a lift".

"hah I don't think your in any condition to drive, Ill just call Lemonlime and see if he can pick me up?".

"Lemonlime...is he your father?".

"Well no...eh kinda, he's my mother's husband, my real dad died when I was eight" Scarlet said as a cool wind blew at her legs, causing her to tighten the black and red scarf around her neck.

"Im sorry dear".

"No need to be, he was a drunk...well...uh.a different kind of drunk, not like you, he was a stupid drunk, he died the way he lived...trying to jump a gorge with a shopping trolley strapped with fire extinguishers".

"That hilarious….Im sorry" Karen replied with a doughy face.

"I know...we still have the footage, it went viral...sad….but hilarious" Scarlet plainly stated.

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Button nervously looked around as he made his way towards the food court, trying to eye out which of these technicoloured pony folk was Sweetie belle, Button didn't feel right lying to his mother like he did, if he had just told her he was going to the mall with Sweetie she would have obviously known it was platonic, this is what friends do Button thought, they go out and do things. Button also knew that things were different know, it wasnt the two of them avoiding each other like it used to be, these last few weeks had made them closer with one and other, a deep respect and kindness between them now.

A shiver went up Button's spine as he cozied up in his blue hoody. He was scanning each row of ponies looking for the one he knew.

"Hay Button over here" called out a mare sitting over to the far right of the food court, waving him over as she sipped on her tropical mango and cinnamon fruit smoothy. It was definitely Sweetie, those emerald eyes have always been a dead give away. She got up gave Button a hug then sat back down, Button pulling up a chair in front of her, there position one way facing all the various little food stalls and restaurants while the other was a large glass window view of the Canterlot Shopping Centre Ice skating Rink.

"So how'd you enjoy the beach, you and Rumble seemed to be Broking it up most of the time" Sweetie belle asked, her arm resting on the white stone table, propping up her head as she rested her cheek on it.

"Besides him pushing me off the rocky cliff-face I can't honestly say that this trip was one of the funnest experiences of my life, you, me, AB, Tiara, Scoot and Rumble....we all just gelled ya know, so yeah...twas fun" Button replied, eyeing down Sweetie gorgeous beverage, the fruity pungent aroma making button thirsty and hungry at the same time.

Sweetie immediately spotted him out and slide it over to him, Button giving a little oriental bow as he sucked a quarter of the drink dry.
"Any way" asked Button, slurping his food/drink "how'd did your piano piece go with Mrs Treb, did she like it".

"huh...what do you think" the mare joked "when you play like I do people fall at your hooves".

"such is the life of a musician eh".

"It's a living" quipped the mare.

They both chuckled slightly, Button leaning back and slinging his arms behind his head, sweetie belle blowing Bubbles in her drink.

"So you still playing Guitar?" Sweetie asked with a plastic sort of muffle, trying to speak through her straw.

"Every other day" The colt Replied "I can't read the bloody symbols but I can remember the chords".

"Oh come on reading music isn't that hard....have you tried tab?".

"I just learn to use tutorial videos online, it's alot easier than trying to decrypt some ancient foreign language like you music plebs do"
"You wouldn't know an octave from a crotchet would you" Joked Sweetie belle.

"Now but I would hang myself from the bar line if I could".

"your hopeless".

"I play the strings and it makes the noise good sound thingy happen.dur" Button told her, making a dumb expression with his face.

"Anything new in your musical repertoire hmm" Sweetie asked, rolling the cylindrical drink side to side in her hooves.

"Well since last we played I've learnt Wonder-wall and fear of the dark".

"Maybe there's hope for you yet my young padawan".

"A Musical Jedi Soon I will become".

Sweetie jerkily nodded his head towards the glass window.

"So you want to go skating or just banter onwards?".

"Well to me there nothing better than a game of wits".

"More like a couple of nitwits eh"

"Hah, yeah ok come on lets go try this out....shouldn't be hard" Proclaimed the brown colt, hitching up his hoody.

"Wait you've never....oh...oh this'll be fucking hilarious" Sweetie popped her drink in the bin and they both took the elevator down to the Ice rink, as they metallic silver doors opened a wave of frosty air bit at there faces like icey frost wraiths.

"Burrr" Shivered Sweetie, sinking her face down into the collar of her Ruby red Parker jacket, Button doing the same with his hoody.

They approached the perky-looking young unicorn at the counter, her eyes enlarged by a thick pair of glasses and face half eaten by a rainbow woollen beanie.

"Hello how may I *achew* help you today" she asked.

"Two adults for the ice rink please, 117, 121 mm small for me and hmm....127, 133 medium for him thank you".

"Uh four in small and four in medium...got it" the cashier replied somewhat confused, turning around and searching the shelves for skates.

"How do you know my shoe size?" Button whispered.

"At the beach when we were doing shoulder wars, your hoof was slightly bigger then mine" Sweetie replied, taking out a small purse from her jacket.

"oh".

"Ok there we are, that'll be $16 each please" the young mare at the counter told them, Button taking out his wallet as Sweetie pushed it back down into his pocket.

"Please I invited you here, I've got this dont worry" with that sweetie handed over $32 bits and they both clipped on their skates, Button almost stumbling over as he tried to balance himself.

"You really haven't done this before have you?" Sweetie asked, putting his arm over her shoulder and leading him onto the ice.

"First time for everything right" jittered Button as he latched onto the side rails, tripping and scudding as Sweetie glided across with ease.
"Have you ever used roller-skates?" The lavender-haired mare asked.

"Yeah".

"well its kinda the same, just try to propel yourself-*SMACK*

Button hit the ice before she could even finish her sentence, she lifted him back up and again he fell flat on his face.

"Hah, ok, here take my hoof, I'll guide you along.just please stop ruining that mug of yours gods know its been through a beating" joked Sweetie extending out her arm as Button scurried up and latched onto her shoulder.

"Don't let go ok!" pleaded Button Mash, his face filled with fear as he scuffed, scuddled and slipped back and forth on the icey ground.

“Come on Dingus, I'll show you how it's done” She said with a sweet and humorous tone, pulling Button's over her shoulder and holding him by the waist with her other arm.

“Just focus on staying completely rigid and I'll guide you along the ice OK”.

“OK” Button replied, giving a gulp of fright.

Sweetie Belle slowly glided herself and the Colt across the rink, avoiding the few skaters that aimlessly skidded across here and there.
“Ok... Ok I think I'm getting the hang of this” Button told Sweetie with a jittery tone. The mare slowly began to let go of his waist as he slowly skated forward in one stiff unmoving motion.

“Hah Im doing it...Im doing it!” called out Button Mash, letting out a burst of excitement.

“Watch out for the...*Whack*.... Guard rail” Sweetie belle told him to little to late, skating over and scooping him up.

“Maybe You're not quite ready to go solo, here just hold onto me and I'll keep you up” The mare told him, Button slightly Blushing as he put his arm around her side, he could feel her warm body radiating through from the red jacket.

“There we are, nice and slow” guided the girl, Button almost tripping over five times before gradually getting the hang of it.

Soon there came a distorted female voice over the loudspeaker that almost startled both Button and Sweetie of there skates.

“We here at the Canterlot Ice Rink would like to wish Harley and Petunia Pride a happy two year anniversary, this little number is for you two love-birds. Soon the lights dimmed down as a different colourful light spilled out from wall-mounted strobes, a slow romantic tune beginning to play from the loudspeaker that was much clearer than the disembodied voice.

Simultaneously Both Button Mash and Sweetie Belle felt an awkward mood set in as the room was clearly full of other 'couples' slowly twirling around together like NPC's.

Button looked to her.

“So...uh, you uh.want to.... Dance” He asked in a stumble of mumble.

“Well, um sure i'f ...you know ...you want to” Sweetie replied, bumbling her words.

“Like I don't mind if you don't it's just with every pony else and”.

“No, I understand, uh sure just...like it's just dancing right?” Sweetie again replied, trying to hide her enthusiasm.

“Yeah right, just two pals spinning around, nothing more to it” Told Button, more to himself than anyone else.

With that both the Ponies locked hooves and began slowly twirling around to the music.

Button began to stumble once again and almost fell to the ground before Sweetie grabbed him round the waist and he 'pulling toward' instinctively did the same, both there gazes occasionally locking eye contact before they would pull away and repeat the process all over again.

The tune was a soft piano ballad with a mare's voice so sweet it melted right into the instrument, fusing together to mesmerise the skaters and forcing them to release heavy doses of dopamine by the truckload.

Button and Sweetie soon were pressed up together in a hug, Still slowly spinning around together. Sweetie eventually laid her face softly into Button's chest, his heart racing so fast and pumping so hard that he could tell Sweetie was being barraged by the intense thumps. Both the two didn't say anything, they wouldn't even know what to say in a moment like that, words seemed unnecessary when your body handled everything for you, all you had to do was close your eyes and listen to the Sweet dulcet tone of the piano.

Eventually the song began to fade away and the lights lit back up to there usual fluorescent white and When Button Finally opened his eyes he found his muzzle buried deep in Sweeties mane, the aroma of lavender filling his nose. “Gods What am I doing!” they both thought to themselves, still cradling each other in an unending spin, each one two afraid to stop or let go.

Once again the speakers were flooded with the feminine voice of the cashier worker.

“Sorry folks, Well be cutting it early tonight, The royal guards ordered a nine o'clock curfew for everyone in the entire Canterlot region, sorry for the inconvenience please exit the rink within the next five to seven minutes, thank you”.

Sweetie belle lifted her head of Button's chest and slowly pulled herself away, Button doing the same as they stood stiff and robotic, looking away from each other in a elongated silence.

“Well lets get going” Button finally said, rubbing his shoulder.

“Y-yeah lets um do that” Sweetie replied, the two skating to the gate, (Button more jerkily sliding).

They both hobbled over to black leather seats and began awkwardly removing their skates, Button still feeling that his cheeks were fiery red.

Sweetie plodded herself against the wall and began to untie her laces, un-ziping her ruby red jacket halfway as she literally felt 'hot under the collar'. Button watched her try to take of the white bladed shoes, her face slowly beginning to lose focus and drift of somewhere else.

As she removed her second skate she let slip from her lips 'Is this really how it's going to be', her voice meaning to be inward but out of accident or error she verbalised them almost silently, Button immediately knew what she meant, her eyes told him more than her words could, she had that melancholy look about her, a small almost non-existent smile and eyelids half lowered. Her eyes stuck in a doorway between the here and now and the running film of old memories, she didn't even seem to notice that Button was staring right at her.
The colt imagined sitting down next to her and giving her an answer to what she was asking, he visualised they would both chuckle in sadness and look out on the frosty ice-rink, there feelings the same with no fear and talking about what they didn’t want to.

Button wanted to so much...but he said nothing and left her dreaming, one and a half skates off.

“Guys Sorry to bother you two but I'm really Gunna need you out of here now so I can lock up and go home, It's not that Im trying to be bitchy or anything but I really don't wan't to walk home late with all those shootings and gang fights going on, sorry” said the Beanie-adorned Mare from the counter, a green backpack at her side. Sweetie gave a confused 'huh' as she was pulled back into the vice of reality. "oh uh yeah sure, Let me just uh get these things off".

"your good, take your time, sir uh could you also remove your skates”

Button hadn't even realized. Sitting down he popped them all off, Both ponies finally leaving the rink better or worse than when they went in, to Button it felt Just like at the party, to Sweetie it felt just like when she woke up after the party.

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“Move kid!” spat out a heavy-set pegasus with a thick moustache, pushing past Button with two large plastic bags of groceries, the two teenagers caught in the rip of the large exiting crowd, pushing, rushing, groining and farting as they squeezed out the front entrance of the mall.

“How rude” Sweetie told Button, keeping close as they compressed into a solid brick of ponies funnelling out the door.

“Cholesterol will get him before I do” quipped Button, Sweetie Belle scoffing as they evacuated into the parking lot.

Eventually the two found themselves sitting at a small enclosed bus bay beyond the large glowing Letters of the Canterlot mall.

In the distant they could hear sirens and the the hot orange glow of a house fire.

“So....all in all how would you rate this little get together?” Sweetie asked, putting her hands between her lap and flicking back her mane.

“Apart from the ten minutes of ice skating and obese mall shoppers.... I'd rate it around seven out of ten”.

“Dude that's a little high don't you think?”.

“Well I wasnt the one paying for it, well besides the bus fare here and back. Im guessing this wasn't to fun for your wallet though”.

“eh money's just money, I enjoyed myself though, your a pretty quick learner”.

“four left hooves ain't no good for skating or dancing”.

They both smiled and looked at the city.

“The city looks like it's dying doesn't it?” Button said, breathing hot air against his cold hooves.

“All the fires and shootings and robberies and murders... I tell ya shit's insane out there”

“Aye, all because of one pony”, (me) Button thought to himself.

“You know I've been reading up on this whole Powerstruggle with all these gangs, apparently it's because after that Zebra mob boss died there was no one to take his place....no successor for the crime family, now every thug and there granma is trying to force there way into the position...It's insane isn't it?” Sweetie Belle asked, Button's face growing distant.

*Crack* *Crack* *CRACK!*

“Yeah...insane” he reverberated.

“Are you ok Button?” the white mare asked, putting the end of her hoof on his shoulder, causing him to snap back into reality like the cashier did with Sweetie belle.

“Yeah, just...you know....going through some things right now” he told her with a low whispery tone, feeling the cold air stinging his legs.

Sweetie ran her eyes up him, He had lost a lot of weight since the beginning of the year as well his eyes were alot darker and more sunken, Button looked older despite it being only two months.

“I worry about you Button” she told him with the same wispy tone, “You look so different”.

The colt couldn't really understand what she was implying.

“Is it the face, it's gotta be the face, all those beatings will do that to a mug like this” Somewhat joked Button, this time not getting a chuckle out of the mare as it was clear she was being serious about him.

“Look... I know I've been acting weird for a while now, it just.... I'm in abit of a dark place right now” Button told her quickly following up with “But Im getting better, now that things are settling down I can come back from it, I... I really want things to be different now, I want to spend more time with you....and Rumble and uh Scarlet and every pony, things are finally stabilised after the whole Backslash thing...oh, oh no I'm sorry, I didn't mean to”.

“It's ok, I think I've gotten past it now...well not really but...kinda” Sweetie gave a long exhale as she got up and sat right next to Button, “Button can I be honest with you?” She asked, her voice getting very Vulnerable and jittery as it was clear the cold air was getting to her too.

Button gave a small nod.

“The first few days after the fight at the park I felt....horrible.... Like some little broken toy, I know he didn't actually 'Physically' do...it, But just knowing that Backslash, Someone I had called one of my closest friends for so long could just pin me down and try to” Her tone voice was beginning to crack.

“well, I had to do a lot of thinking after that night...a lot of thinking....about everything, sometimes I would just whimper in my bed for hours not even really knowing why like some sad puppy, Erm. Button... for gods sake I haven't touched myself ever since then, everytime I just feel....dirty, like my vagina is some piece of meat for people to try and claim for themselves” Sweetie hadn't opened her self up in this way to Button before, It was clear she trusted Button enough to talk with him about it.

“Anyway” She let out a smaller more throaty exhale “School thankfully didn't change....When I came back people were just really nice to me, at first I hated it because I knew that they all knew and were just pitying me but.now things are just normal again and I think life'll be a lot better from now on”.

“You've always been the type to carry on through the worse of things” Button told her, trying to comfort her.

“Thankfully I've got you and everyone to keep me up.....heck your a tough son of a bitch too, you seemed to always be filled with determination”

Button hide his face and gave a humorous scoff.

“Hah, You've always been the stronger one between us" Button replied.

She gave her own scoff immediately as she ran her hoof through her hair and held her head between both her arms, elbows on thighs.

"that night at the garden….you fought off three monsters to save me, That's seems pretty strong to me".

Button blushed.

"I mean...you know what I mean...mentally and all that shit".

"Well...maybe I am a little bit more plugged in than you, but you that night showed your real colours, you and rumble threw yourselves against brick walls to protect me, Im sure being kind, sweet and brave can cancel out ...whatever's screwed up in there" she told him, pointing towards his head.

"I sure hope so... I reall" Sweetie belle cut him off as he went again into the dredges of pity. "Why do you always act so mysterious, can you even mention what it is that made you so….dreary, talk about why your in such a dark place?”.

Sweetie belle had hit a tick in Button's nerve that caused him to change his tone.

"Sweetie... In life there's stuff we want to talk about but we know we can't, I can't tell you or Scarlet or rumble or my mother or anyone what it is... I want to forget it or bury it deep down where even I wont be able to remember...please just know it was fucked up and I didn’t want to do it when it happened.

Sweetie looked at him puzzled, a million heartbreaking, horrible and horrendous scenarios playing out in her head.

"... Did it happen to you or did you do it to someone else or".

"SWEETIE PLEASE" he barked, this time cutting her off, she jolted back somewhat, like touching a faulty fuse.

Sweetie belle looked at Button's face, eyes deep and teary, whatever it was she could tell he must have regretted it.

"I'm sorry" Sweetie told him, putting her arms back in her lap and staring back at the black of night.

"I know…. I just don't like how there are these things… things we're not allowed to talk about" he replied, sinking his chin into his palm now, zipping up his hoody as the night winds started to dig into his fur.

"Like when we had sex" plainly stated Sweetie turning to Button with a sombre expression on her face.

Sweetie looked at button, her face looking as if she didn’t seem to care but beyond that a very real fear of what Button's reply would be.

Button didn’t feel like barking at her this time….he just wanted to talk about it, to him as much as it hurt he knew it wasn’t as bad as the 'big' secret.

"Yeah…" he replied wiping his nose with his sleeve. "Like when we….had sex".

"can we actually talk about it, no breakdowns no tears, no lies or bullshit" Sweetie asked, The hummed chorus of people funnelling out of the mall.

Button gave an exhale, "sure, let's talk about it...why not".

"Don't do that Button, I don’t want it to seem like Im just piling this crap on you and your there sucking it up and throwing it away, I know we already seemed to settle it back before the shit hit the fan but, I still feel like there's 'something' left, you told me you...loved me but you lie so often.... I can't tell any more"

Button was beginning to feel agitated, he soon let out an outburst in Sweetie's face.

"What do you want me to do!...what do you want me to say...treat it like it was some mystical holy experience, we fucked, we banged, we drunkenly screwed on a dingy couch at some random house party, gods Sweetie it's pretty simple... I put my penis inside your vagina is there any more to it than that, it's not like it was the first time we screwed ...” Sweetie's face looked hurt by his words but she still kept quiet while button kept barking at her. “The only issue is that we fucked while I was going out with someone else...that's it isn't it, that's the issue, is that what you want to hear because there it is, that’s how I feel about it!" Button vented, each word like small knives digging themselves into Sweetie's chest, She took each hit, she knew she had to if she wanted to get the answer she was looking for, but even still, it killed her every blow.

"So that's it then, thank you button know I know how you feel" She replied, shrinking down into her ruby jacket, her eyes trailing towards the ground as subtle tears formed around her eyes, she forced herself not to cry Button face was red and flustered as it's clear that what he said hit him just as bad, his stomach twisting in knots and eyes blistering in pain.

A silence started that made seconds feel like decades.

Button felt his brain screaming at him to say sorry or actually tell her how he felt...but he couldn't, he couldn't fight himself, he couldn't let his feelings be real by acknowledging them.

...

..

.

Suddenly Button threw himself upwards and propelled his fist at the bus-stop steal beam.

*DING!* Button hit the metal column beside him as hard as he could, clutching at his hoof in pain and biting down on his bottom lip.
Sweetie belle jumped up in surprise.

"ERRRR.fucking hell...you...know how I really feel... I just can't…let myself say it...ERRR" Button told her in a searing grunt. Literally beating the truth out of himself.

"Button, no more personas, no more masks, lies or bravado, just tell me how you felt that night , that's all I want...please I need to know" Sweetie Belle plainly said, holding his hoof in her own and looking him in the eye, trying to cut through Button's layers to find him.

"... That night ERRR!... I felt that I.... Fucking Celestia Sweetie I felt I had found you again, we were kids, it was like nostalgia, sitting laughing joking like the old days, you were my best friend in that house that night and it was the greatest the warmest feeling I could think of" Button's cheeks when red as it was physically hurting him to talk so openly and deeply to her as she was mere inches away from his face, she never turned away though, she held his hoof in both her own and listened to him, each word sounding pure and real.

"... Sweetie, what I feel for you... I've never felt for anything else, It's so strange and scary...that night I had you there as a person I could really feel things for...and when….'It' began, I felt myself explode with something raw and alien, I don't believe in stupid dumb shit things like love and passion and all that but….it was something I hadn't felt for anyone before or after, not Scarlet, not anyone, just you... And what pisses me off is I can't even explain 'what' it makes me feel, sick, sad and angry I guess.

Button took one final heavy exhale as the pain began to fade, he closed his eyes and spoke, his gut feeling like it was about to vomit on the hard cement ground.

“I... I love you, I know I shouldn't... I know it's wrong and nothing good will come out of it but... I love you, And the more time we spend together the harder it is to tell myself I dont love you”.

Button finished his cheeks stinging as he realised that hot stinging tears had been running down his face, unaware he was even crying.

Sweetie even after he finished speaking remained still and calm, taking deep breathes, still holding his stinging hoof in her arms, with a slow movement she released his hoof and leaned back giving a heavy exhale as she straitened her posture.

She began to speak, and button felt so weak being in this beautiful woman's presence.

"...hmm...You know I find it kinda funny, a few weeks ago I 'was' you, back at the end of lunch before all that stuff with backslash happened, I felt I needed to tell you how much I loved you so that in someway the universe would stop spinning and maybe we would slowly come closer.... I got my wish I guess, but not in the way I thought....or maybe exactly how I thought it would, huh... I tell you 'I love you' you tell me 'you love me' and it all just seems to be blank words that we say, I guess life has a funny way of spinning events in circles, what do they say again, history is doomed to repeat itself. Her toned was proper but heartfelt, she was the definition of composure, her eyes staring far outward into the city streets, into the vast blackness beyond.

"Button, I don't want to breakdown in tears here at a bus stop around some dingy mall, I want to approach this as objectively as possible, lock down my feelings for just a moment so I can say what It is I want to say....and here it is... I'm thinking and the same statement keeps buzzing around, You me and Scarlet... were in a triangle, but I don’t really think there's a clean line that links it all. Whatever 'this' is, will boil and blow out at some point, I think we can both see it coming, When I broke down In front of you I still felt that what I felt was one sided and that even though I was telling you my feelings you weren't really understanding them and that you were telling me the same but only to please me or I guess make me stop bothering you.It took for me to see you break your facade for me to understand what exactly our situation was, A gods damn triangle".

Button's was in awe hearing this, her demeaner so calm her voice so clean and eyes unflinching, He didn’t really know what to feel, this wasn’t the two of them again spewing out sweet pointless words at each other but more her making an observation on all of it, Button felt somewhat hurt that she was condensing his feelings into something so …. Rounded.

She slowly raised up both her arms and placed them on each side of Button's neck, looking at his ragged face with eyes so deep and emerald that button could see the soul of her being. The night air was so cold and her touch so warm it was almost painful to feel.

She began to speak, Button feeling terrified and afraid of what she would say.

"Button Ashley Mash, I love you….what I feel for you... now that we've been through all this shit feels really real, Those days and nights spent home from school I had to think about what was going on with me and what to make of you...and truth is... your kind, brave, compassionate and sweet, you can be extremely smart when you try and you have a inner drive so powerful I don’t think you know about it yet...but it's all there in that fragile broken and beaten head of yours, you have greatness and goodness in you I see it...please please remember that when things get pretty low. Next time you call me I want a definite answer... I know it sounds like the hardest thing in the world but please for the both of us next time you ring my number give me your answer on if you actually want to make whatever this is work. I will not be a point in this triangle, I refuse to. If you want to be with Scarlet than please call me and tell me you want to be with her, She's talented, smart and beautiful, she's got a genuine kindness that makes here unique and truly gorgeous... Stay with her if that's your choice, no doubt a girl like that can make you happy, But for the sake of Me and her you need to come to a decision. In the best world I'd hope you talk to her about it first and tell her everything...everything that she needs to know, I will not do it for you. I love you Button Ashley Mash but I truly need to know Wether or not you love me the same way, until then... B-Button Please don’t talk to me... I don’t think I could bear it, not until you've made up your mind".

With that Sweetie belle moved forward and locked her lips with Button's, the sweetness of her lips so soft and warm that button felt his body go numb, the world stopped again as the two tasted the mango smoothy on each others lips that seemed so sweet, Button almost quivered as she slowly pulled away her single kiss and nothing more, a small strand of saliva between there mouths that glistened in the florescent light behind them.

With a short shrill stutter of her breath she moved back into her seat and wiped her mouth, once more she left her eyes to stare into the far yonder. Button ran both his hoofs through his fringe and mane as he felt the weight of it all sink in.

Button and Sweetie waited for the Bus back to Ponyville, neither speaking as they stepped aboard and rode back home, both keeping to their word, both bleeding in pain on the inside.

Button bit down hard on his lip, He knew he needed to end this...it was killing him inside, but Gods know he didn't have a clear answer in his head, this wasn't about who he liked more but how he liked them both in different ways, Scarlet made him feel happy and loved while Sweetie made him feel europic and passionate. Both Mares meant something really special to him...But, he knew that this couldn't go on for any longer, Button Mash would have to make a choice.

Comments

[D-JDOC]

Well, I found this looking for SweetieMash..... and looks like I'll wait a bit longer to see if I get SweetieMash from this..... great story that I'll continue reading either way

[The 5th crusader]

im so happy right now button you need to dump scarlet and make this a sweetiemash right now
ive been hoping this would become a sweetiemash since chapter 1

good job keep up the good work

btw my reaction at the ending of this was yyeeeeeeeeeesssss yeeeees yeaaa yeahaha woooohooo

[-Nova-]

Still can't believe how long I've been reading this series - even without an account! :P 19 chapters in 2-3 years is pretty insane, at least for me.