> Buttons society > by Furious Thestral > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Video games or robots > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "BUTTON MASH!" yelled Love Tap directly to the top floor calling for her foal. After a minute of no response she exhaled loudly and made her march straight to the little colt room, just to find him playing with his game console with the sounds setting at high, as usual. "Come on. Come and get me... That's right you can't beat me," said Button at the game console, while he was moving frenetic the control, "take that and that. You too over there, take this" continued Button smiling and laughing over his continued victories, until suddenly the TV turned off immediately. "Bwah-WHAT!?" shouted Button as he suddenly looked at the TV off, searching around to look where the problem was. "MOOOM! I was winning!" Button cried, as he notice that his mother had unplugged the console. "I don't care button, this addiction to games has gotten too far," his mother was angry, packing up the X-sphere and the controllers without stopping to look the worried glances that her son gave, "and it's time to put a stop to it" she added, Placing the game in the highest part of the wardrobe. "Bu-but mom!" pleaded Button as he tried to stop her from taking his game. "No but's, Button," she replied as she locked the wardrobe with a key, "I always leave you play your games for far to long and I believe It's time for you to take a rest from them." she walked towards the door, not daring to look back. Button ran towards his mother and hugged her left rear hoof, "Please, I'll do anything but don't make me leave the games, please!" Button begged, holding to dear life for his games as he clutched harder on his mother’s leg. "I am sorry Button, it's for your own good. A week without video games should be enough for you" she said as she pry herself from the grip his son gave. "But what am I going to do in a week without video games?" Button, frantically, as he was beginning to cry. Love Tap huffed in annoyance and glared at her son, "well, you could always go and have some fun in the park, for starters, or go with one of your friends and play some more healthy games" she suggested. "But none of them have video games," Button wailed desperately, standing up from the floor, hesitating if he should hug his mother one more time. "That's the idea, mister" was the only answer that came from the elder mare as she leaves the room, closing the door behind her, leaving the little colt alone. Button wiped his tears and took a deep breath to calm himself, thinking in a way to get his way with the cruel punishment until the idea came to him quickly. "Wait, I know! the arcades from the market district," shouted Button to himself, galloping as fast as he can directly to the front door, passing next to his mom. "Bye mom, I'm going to the park". "be careful dear, and be here before lunch!" she replied, smiling when he leaved, knowing well that he might enjoying the day with his friends or wail in despair. Button ran as fast as he could towards the arcade, passing by some ponies on the way, not stopping until he reached the market district while he began to slow down and began to trot, calming his rushing expression of excitement, until he finally he arrived to the arcade he began to smile as he walked towards the owner. "Um, excuse me Mr. Joy can you change me these bits for tokens?" asked Buttons to the owner, not wasting any second as he showed five bits from his hoof to the older stallion. "I'm sorry kid, but your mother told me just yesterday not to offer you any service for an entire week" said Mr. Joy shaking his head sadly. "Seriously!?" Button was surprised, he never knew that her mother had planned this countermeasure in his punishment in advance and felt the cold feeling dwelling inside him. "Yeah kid, she really said that, sorry, but I can't help without evoking her anger on me," replied Mr. Joy as he returned back to work, leaving Button alone. Button felt as if he just lost the only place of solace and decided to walk now through the park he began to think in his next move. "Okay Button, it's not like the end of the world, so keep your cool and go on with this" he said to himself trying not to fall in despair. "Well? who could have a video game that can we borrow from?" he asked to himself, walking around the fountain thinking in the possible friends that would share him a good game. "Well Sweetie Belle would borrow me her pony Station 5, but she is spending the next five days with her sister and she would never let us play in her house, bummer," he said to himself as he began to walk to the statue that was in the other side of the park, "wait, how about I ask to Snails? nah, that won’t work because i don't know him that much" he continued on, shaking the thought away, as he reached the statue at the center of the park he then sat next to the it, still thinking in a way to have what he need, "I know, maybe Apple Bloom will sure let me play with her neightendo!," he shouted with hope in his eyes. "Now that I remember! she won't borrow me her games, not since I accidentally deleted all her memory progress of her console" he continued to say for himself, once again depressed. "Diamond Tiara perhaps? I know that her father buy her all neat stuff and possible games that are brand new... but I think that she would humiliate me to no end before she could even allow me a game to borrow. If she borrows me one, to begin with" he said again to himself as his desperation began to grow. "Oh, I wish I could buy a game *sob*, but all *sob* of them are being *sob* sold in Manehattan and I can't *sob* go that far" he began to cry, as he walked to the part of the park that not many ponies would frequently go. Button seemed all depressed, for all his options going down one by one, as he sat down by a tree, observing all the ponies walking from side to side enjoying one beautiful and bright day in Ponyville, where the birds chirped delightfully, probably a song that they learned from Fluttershy, and all the other foals were playing with around in different activities, "Maybe Mom was right, I might go and enjoy the day with all the ponies and even go and play with Rumble and the gang. Yeah I should do that" Button mumbled to himself as he then stand up from his place, with certain determination, and headed towards the other foals were. As he began to trot. A speck of light was caught in the corner of his eyes that came in through the bushes, "what is that?" he asked to himself, approaching near to the strange object he made space into the bushes, he managed to see what it was, It was a box in color of metallic black with neon blue lines. Button observed the box, that was made in steel but it wasn't very heavy, strangely he notice a button in it "hmm, what does this button do?" as soon as he presses it the box exhaled some gas and opened from the top. "No way!" shouted Button in surprise once he saw what was inside the container. He then pressed the button again and the box closed. Running at full speed towards his house passing by the door running towards his room. "Button, sweetie, are you here?" asked his mother from the kitchen. "Yeah mom, I'm here, I was in the park and played with some friends" Button replied as he began to walk the stairs one by one. "Well that is nice sweetie. See? It's more fun to play with friends outside rather than being here alone?" Love Tap said with her sweet tone while focusing on her cooking. "Yeah mom, I'll be in my room drawing or something" Button didn’t paid much attention to her mother, as he ended up in the second floor to rush straight forward to his room and closed the door. He's excitement was overflowing as he, once again pressed the button of the box, opening it. Revealing that inside the box was a robot. Button wondered whether if it was a simple toy or a real one as he examined it closer to see an type of characteristics in it. The robot seemed to have the form of an egg with colors of metallic crimson with emerald lights in the four sides. When he was about to tap it, the robot quickly began to float from the ground to reach the height of the foal, “activating all systems” a female mechanical voice was heard from the machine. The voice made Button step back, scared, having no idea of what to do in this situation while looking for the door and possibly anything that he can defend himself with. the robot then raised an antenna from its top as a green light illuminated through the entire room, before focusing only on Button, “owner detected, commencing introduction. Greetings I am Hyperbolic Neutralizer Oscillator number 05, better known as HYPNO-5, at your service” the machine stated, hovering around. Button was surprised as he torn a smile, in his face as the only word could describe this situation was the most fitting for it. "Cool!" > The Robot and I > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Please introduce your name" stated Hypno, hovering in front of the little colt, who was shaking in excitement from the recent discovery he just made, thinking of how cool it was to possess a robot. Button snapped from his excitement and lightly coughed to calm himself a little, "Uhm, my name is Button Mash" he said a bit nervous at the flying machine. "Name registered. Button Mash is the owner of HYPNO-05," stated the robot, hovering around the little colt, analyzing his body. "height and weight registered. face registered. voice registered" continued the machine, stopping its movements, in front of Button. "So... what are you exactly?" asked Button, trying to figure out how was such a machine been made. "I am an operative machine designated to subconsciously infiltrate and alter the neurological system of any sentient being" stated HYPNO. "What?" Button was seemingly confused by the words the robot had dictated. "Accessing the use of simple words," the robot said, a humming voice came from within the machine and suddenly a beeping sound resonated. "I am a hypnotizing machine" HYPNO corrected itself. "Oooh," Button now understand what it meant, as his smile grew wider. "So you can make everypony obey you?". "Correction, my purpose is only to submit the objective, my owner, designated as Button Mash, is the one who inputs the suggestion." Button remained silent taking in all of what the robot just said, he posses a machine that can cause total submission and obedience to everypony he so desires to. He had the power to make anypony do whatever he wanted to and also cause mischief and some pranks! "So how do you work?" Button was curios on he could make ponies submissive to his own will but he would prefer to know in which way he can be able to do it. "I posses a grand arsenal of hypnotic method of induction and all of them are in Beta test." Button didn't knew about the machine he found but he had a good idea what a Beta test meant, and he should be cautious about it. "Do you have a hypnotizing ray?" Curios of what kind of induced mesmerizing type the machine possessed, Button asked curiously, expecting that the it would be better that it wielded such thing. "Affirmative, I do have one" the machine opened a small compartment from the left side of and appear an antenna disc from within the device, glowing a purple glow from the tip of the antenna. "Please choose the objective of your desire to use it upon" the robot requested, hovering around the room to find any objective. Button began to think in many possible ponies that lived inside the town with the idea of who to choose to struck them with the device in the sake of payback. "Follow me" Button Mash said, as he began to leave his room, HYPNO followed him from near behind, going down the stairs and directly to the living room. Buttons mother was in the living room reading her novel, when she noticed the presence of her son, "hey there Button, the dinner will be ready soon so you still have time for a bath" Love Tap said, not leaving her eyes from the book. Button seemed to find the perfect opportunity to use Hypno's powers since her mother haven't noticed the flying robot nearby, "use the hypno ray on her," whispered Button trying to avoid his mother to hear. "Target designated" said HYPNO without lowering her volume and hoovered towards the unsuspecting mare, who now noticed the machine due to the sound of the robot made. Button flinched as well as he watched how his mother noticed HYPNO that was in front of her. "What is this thing?" Love Tap asked, reaching her hoof to try and poke it. Before it reached any further, HYPNO activated the ray gun sending violet rings at the face of Buttons mother. Love Tap began to feel the drowsiness invade her body and her eyes were devoid of any emotion and her head was hanging low. "Target subdued," dictated the robot as it returned to be next to Button. The little colt slowly trotted to be next to his mother, reaching a hoof to her fore-hoof to poke she didn't respond. "Mom, can you hear me?" Button asked to the mesmerized mare, she did not made any response of the question of her son. Button was worried, thinking that HYPNO made something wrong. Button was beginning to panic but he thought that instead of questioning he should order her. "Mom, if you hear me, please respond," he ordered, expecting that she could answer her command. "I hear you, son" replied the mare with a monotone voice. Button let out a relieved breath noticing that his mother could respond properly, she was only acting upon the commands and nothing more. From this Button changed his expression into pure excitement, knowing that he could made her mother to do anything he ordered her and there would be no objections to it, but first things first. "Mom, I need you to return all my games" with a big smile he watched the mare rising up from the couch. "I hear you, son" said the mare as she trotted to the room where all his confiscated games had been held. Button followed her from behind, watching how she gathered all the games and consoles he owned being set on the floor for the little colt to look at. All of them were placed in front of him, making a big pile that was big enough to reach his chest. When she was finished stacking them she remained motionless with her empty expression awaiting new orders. "Ugh, HYPNO?" asked Button a bit nervous, now that realization came to him, he had a blank mind mother in front of him. "Something that you require, owner?" Asked the machine, placing herself in between the both ponies. "How much will my mom act like this?" Button seemed worried, remembering what the robot told him of the field test, his mother might not be able to act upon herself anymore. HYPNO positioned itself to be in front of Love Tap and made a retinal scan to the mare, "my estimation is that she will be in this state for the next hour and 35 minutes with 17 seconds" stated HYPNO. "So will she be open to suggestions and commands?" Button grinned at the opportunity of having his mother at his will. <> HYPNO hoovered to Buttons right side, affirming his question. Button took a few towards the mare and lifted as much as he could to be at her right ear, he whispered, "mom, from now on you will... " ___________________________________________ Elsewhere. In a dark room where the only light was a lamp illuminating a desk. Three ponies seemed to have a conversation, but a good term of the word would be scolding. "You lost it!?" the shout of a stallion could be heard all around the room, making two ponies flinched, afraid of the reaction the stallion had. "We are- I mean, I am sorry for losing it, master, but I can search for it and take it back" the mare said lowering her head in shame and wishing she wouldn't get severely punished for her incompetence. The stallion remained silent, seething in anger, but before he could give his answer an alarm activated from his work desk. "Mark five has been activated" announced a female monotone voice, a small sphere robot. it was with a metallic black color with yellow neon lights. "where is it located?" asked the stallion to the small robot. "marking location" replied the machine, pointing in an specific spot in the map of Ponyville. "It's not far from here, master give me time and I will retrieve HYPNO-05" without response, the mare, then turned to make a fast run. "That won't be necessary, Mercury," said the stallion making the other mare to stop her tracks. "This could be perhaps an excellent opportunity to see how a... common pony, handles such technology and for what purposes he could be able to use it" he added, his anger soon subdued as he smiled with mild excitment. The two mares looked each other and nodded their agreement to the stallion. "Sentinel, I need you to gather the information of the one who found HYPNO-05" ordered looking at the other mare in the room. "As you wish, master" bowed Sentinel as she take her leave, along with Mercury. "Oracle, send a message to the grigory 03, 05 and 06, I want a total vigilance on that pony and everything he does with my machine" he then ordered to the small robot he possessed. "Sending message to designated agents" replied the machine, making an antenna appear from it's top. "This will be fun to see" smiling the stallion continued his work with another machine while waiting for his orders to be completed, wondering what would happened due to this unprecedented change of events. > So little progress > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Button and Love Tap began their day with a breakfast, the one thing that did enjoy Button was the what contained in his plate in this fine hour. "You won't leave the table until you eat all your cupcakes, dear" Button's mother reminded him, making sure his little colt eat all of his food for his new day. "No mom, I won't forget" replied the little one as he tried to contain his laughter of his mothers words, enjoying how she was now behaving. three days have passed since he found HYPNO-05 and from all that time he had been using it to alter the perception of common sense of his mother in many ways that even made her believe that the consumption of sweets would help his growth and that playing video games will help him in his concentration and reflexes. "Now then Button better brush your teeth and to also get ready to for school today" said his mother with a smile as she picked up the plates from the table and to the sink, in order to wash them. "Okay mom" replied the little colt as he rushed upstairs to brush his teeth and prepare himself for school, after all he still needed to take be present during school days. Carrying his saddlebags filled with his pencils, notepads, books and his little video game, Button Mash returned downstairs at the living room. "Bye mom, I'll see you after school!" the little colt trotted to the door and rushed towards the school. "Good bye sweetie, see you later!" Love Tap waved goodbye to her son, watching her little colt rush to school before she returned back to clean the house. Button was so happy but the more he walked away from his home more annoyed he became that he wouldn't be playing with his games nor with his mother's mind. But thankfully the weekend was close and two days of rest will be of pure fun and games for the colt and his companion robot. Once close to the school Button noticed the bell rang and the other foals were soon rushing inside to take place in their seats, the colt soon rushed, not wanting to be the last one inside and take his place in the same spot in the furthest corner, behind Ruffle Truffle and next to Rumble and tried to focus on today's lesson. Until he zoned out rather quickly and began to drift away in his thoughts and games and his most recent, and favorite, topic HYPNO-05 the mind controlling machine. I was truly something he has been wondering to know where did it came from and why it was abandoned in the park but every time he asked these questions to the robot the machine was unable to answer properly or was didn't know either. The brown colt was mildly concerned with the possibility of one day a stallion walking directly to the door and reclaiming HYPNO back and the inevitable event of returning it back and his fun would be soon over. "Button? Button Mash, are you paying attention?" The question made the colt snap out of his thoughts and soon noticed that Cherilee and his other classmates were observing him. "You better be writing this down on your notebooks for it will be in the test for next week." the statement was received by a chorus of groans by the other students as they returned to look at the front of the room to resume their lesson. Button simply nodded and pulled out his pencil and began to write down what his teacher dictated but it was once again short lived as everything around him became white noise once more and he was back on the idea of possibly confronting the owner of the machine, which could be beneficial for him if he manages to use the mind controlling powers to subdue the unknown pony and let him enjoy his fun more permanently. "Button Mash!" Cheerilee shouted, causing Button to snap awake, once again, from his thoughts and noticed an angry looking teacher, giving him a tern look at him. "It's the second time I call you out, do you want to be seated in the front line like last time?" She warned walking closer to him. The few snickers that Button heard from the other foals around him could tell how embarrassed he felt by the threat her teacher gave him and that he much likely wanted to avoid said humiliation, "no, Miss Cheerilee." He groaned, keeping his eyes on his desk. The teacher gave a firm nod and returned back to her desk, leaving the other students back to their studies. Al except for Button Mash who was currently grinding his teeth, not liking the fact that his teacher had just scolded him not only once but twice in the same day. He would love to have Miss Cheerilee on the floor and kiss his hooves while saying how sorry she was for telling him what to do but he soon decided against it, not liking the idea of him being some sort of overlord that would just abuse his powers to himself and becoming the target of others that might oppose him in any way. But soon enough the bell of the school rang waking Button from his daydreaming and noticed that the little foals began to rush out of the school carrying their saddles to go back home. He also rushed to collect his belongings and rushed out to the door, ignoring the farewells that Cheerilee gave to him and the other foals that had already left. Button rushed as quickly as he could just to be back to his home where he could just wade out the stress of school and enjoy the time playing videogames and havng his mother serve him more pastries to eat. "Isn't he in such a hurry..." Rumble watched Button leave, the sarcasm was clear in her voice while Skeedaddle and Featherweight joined the grey pegasus. "Never seen him running that fast," Featherweight added, watching what little she could notice from Button's trail. "Must be of a new game he bought?" Rumble was slightly annoyed that Button has been avoiding them often and never told them for what reason behind his lack of presence, "It's been what, three days since he rushed to his home directly from school?" He grumbled while kicking a pebble out of his way. "He doesn't even spare a glance at us anymore." The three walk together down the streets of the town and decided to ignore their brown friend for the moment, though it wasn't too long that they talked back about Button, "You think he's planning something for Sweetie Belle? Button I mean." Skeedalddle asked, knowing how much Button had been eyeing the white filly for so long. Rumble scoffed at his suggestion as he went from a simple walk to a trot. "Oh puh-lease! That boy would never do something for Sweetie Belle, much less talk to her even if they are locked in the same room." Rumble complained, giving a roll of his eyes. "he just goes all dreamy and goes all deep sighing." The grey pegasus was fumbling in complaints as he marched a bit faster. "Wow, you sure have a grudge against him, do you?" Pipsqueak wondered, surprised by how much Rumble had complained about, and offered his hoof on Rumble's back. "Why don't we take it easy on Button and go for some ice cream, my treat." He invited happily. The grey pegasus took a deep breath and eased his frustrations and finally smiled, "yeah, that sounds like a good idea," he agreed as the group of colts soon walked to the other part of the street. ~~~***~~~ The Doctor was busy reading today's report and his frown grey in irritation, "This is useless!" He shouted throwing away the papers and slamming his hooves on the desk of his office. "Three days. Three days and this the report of his doing with my machine!?" He shouted while scratching his mane in frustration. From the other side of the desk were Mercury and Sentinel watched in mid concern of the anger of their boss, cautiously taking step forward with a report in their hooves. "Doctor, please allow us to retrieve the unit and let us finish with this joke." Mercury offered, walking closer to the desk, looking expectantly to her boss to wait for his approval. The stallion was focused on the other papers on his desk and fumbled them apart to search for anything that could be of use for him, "there should be something I can use to convince this foal to exploit the machine properly," he mumbled lifting each and one of the papers to inspect them closer. "Colts these days have no ambition nor desire of their own nowadays and they just seem to be focused on goofing around." He continued on until he read the contents of a paper and his frown soon morphed into a smile as he lay down the file and crossed his hooves in thought. Sentinel and Mercury walked closer to inspect the file for themselves and watched in confusion, "who is she?" Asked Sentinel waching the photo of a white filly, Mercury joining on her side to watch the photo along. "She will be the piece to make our test subject to exploits the uses of the power he carries with him," the Doctor said, leaning closer to his two accolades. "Investigate her get me some information I can use to obtain her as a perfect pawn." He ordered to the two mares as he watched them leave quickly. "Things will now get interesting..." He mumbled, standing up from his seat and walking out of his office to be ready to make his move.