> YouTuber: Button Mash
>  by TheAnimerican
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Hello Everypony! This is Button Mash!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to wizards and alchemists, they helped the entertainment industry grow. In all of Equestria, there was not one home that did not have some sort of home entertainment. However, the most popular thing at that point in time was YouTube. 

YouTube started off as a free video sharing website. It eventually grew into something far bigger where users had the opportunity to become an internet celebrity. These internet celebrities were called YouTubers. YouTubers created videos and shared their work with everypony. In time, some YouTubers gain fame and become financially successful. It is sad to say that there are others who were not so lucky. This story, however,  is about one stallion who was one of the lucky few to make it.


***


Button Mash never did worry about his future. He knew that everypony had a special talent and that he would be no exception. When he posted his first video on his YouTube gaming channel, that was the same day he earned his cutie mark. The cutie mark was a directional pad, like the ones found on a video game controller. He knew right then and there what he was meant to do.

At first, nopony thought he could make a career from playing video games. However, he proved them wrong when he made his first ten thousand subscribers in a few short months. That number would then climb higher and higher until he reached over two million subscribers. With his popularity, he received gifts from fans, gaming companies, and even invited to conventions as an honorable guest. In his colt years, he did not make many friends. Nowadays, he had many friends and more love than he could ever ask. Despite all of this, he still felt like something was missing in his life.

Button Mash moved out of his family's house, but still made Ponyville his home. There he played his video games without interruption. 

"Okay everypony, that is all the time I have for today. Thank you all so much for watching and leave a like if you enjoyed. Oh and don't forget to log in this Friday for our monthly charity livestream. This time, the donation we make will be given to the Equestrian Red Cross. Until next time, Button Mash out!"

Another end of recording of a video for his fans to enjoy. After he finished recording, he edited the video and uploaded it to YouTube. It usually takes a while to upload the video, depending on the quality and the length of time of the video. There was still some daylight left, so he decided to head into town to pick up groceries. He grabbed his saddle bag and stepped out the door.

On his way into town, he noticed that buildings were covered in posters. Upon closer inspection, he recognized the mare on the cover to be Sweetie Belle, though she is now better known by her stage name, Bella.

"Hmm...Bella performing in Ponyville this coming Friday night. It is good to see that you made it Sweetie Belle," Button Mash said softly with a smile.

When he finally made it to town, he went from vendor to vendor buying groceries.

"Umm...excuse me sir."

Button heard a small voice from behind him. He turned around to see a little filly and colt. They stared at him with a smile.

"Are you Button Mash!?!" The colt asked with excitement. 

"Yeah. How's it going?"

"Oh sweet Celestia! My brother and I love watching your channel. You are so funny. We want to start our own YouTube channel one day. It won't be a gaming channel, but we want it to be great like yours."

Button chuckled at the little filly's ramble. "Wow. I am very flattered and am happy you like my videos. As for your channel, I am sure it would be great. Be sure to let me know and we can probably do a video one day."

"Really!?!"

"Of course. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"Oh! He pinkie promised!" the filly shouted with glee. Pinkie promises became a trend in the later years. Although it died down, most ponies of Button's generation still used it.

"Thank you Button Mash! I can't wait to tell our parents about this!" the little colt shouted. Both he and his sister left Button to rejoin their parents. The parents smiled as their children were telling them about Button. The parents looked up at Button and gave a nod as a "Thank you." Button returned the nod and continued with his grocery shopping.

When he went grocery shopping, he always stocked on fruit more than vegetables. His favorite fruit was apples; specifically from Sweet Apple Acres.

After he was done, he began to walk back home. Along the way, he spotted Sugarcube Corner. Although he tried to better his diet, he always found it difficult to walk pass his favorite place for a chocolate shake.

"Eh, one shake won't kill me."

Changing direction, he headed straight for the sweet bakery. Once he entered, he saw that the place was more crowded than usual. Even for a Friday night it was quite busy. 

Mrs. Cake took notice of Button, "Oh hello Dearie. I'm sorry, but we are out of tables. If you don't mind waiting, a table should be cleared in about 10 to 15 minutes."

"Oh Mrs. Cake, I don't mind sharing a table!" a mare shouted from a nearby table. Her face was hard to see, as she wore large sunglasses and had a scarf wrapped around her head. 

"Oh. Well, as long as he doesn't mind. Are you okay with that sir?" Mrs. Cake asked.

"Uh no. I don't mind at all. Thank you Mrs. Cake,"	Button said with a smile. He showed himself to the table near the window, and sat himself across from the mare who offered the seat.

"Thank you so much for letting me sit at this table with you."

"Not a problem. It is nice to have some company with me actually," she replied.

Button couldn't help but notice that she was drinking a vanilla milkshake. He gave a chuckle.

"You find something amusing?"

"Sorry, it's not that funny."

"No what is it?"

"Well, I came in here wanting to get a chocolate shake. I thought it was kind of funny that you have a vanilla milkshake."

Although Button was embarrassed to say it, he was relieved to hear the mystery mare give a small giggle.

"That is kind of funny. Yeah, I used to come here all the time when I was little. I would come here with a friend of mine and we ordered milkshakes together. There was this one time he challenged me to a milkshake race. I never agreed, but he started the race anyway and had a serious brain freeze."

Button and the mare was laughing so hard at the story. He had a hard time breathing and grew tears from all the laughter. When his laughter began to slow down, he realized something. The story that the mare told was very similar to a day he spent with...Sweetie Belle.

"Judging from the look on your face, it looks like you finally figured it out." The mare slid her sunglasses down and exposed her green eyes to Button.

Button released a large gasp, "SWEETIE BE-!" Button's muzzle was immediately silenced by a magical aura. Sweetie Belle gave a shush.

"Swe-It has been a while. How are you?" Button Mash asked in a loud whisper.

"Hehe. I am fine. It is good to see you. You look well."

"Yeah, but look at you. You look great. Not to mention you are one of Equestria's greatest pop stars."

Sweetie Belle blushed in embarrassment, "Thanks Button. It was a long and hard road, but now I have so much fun. Well, aside from all the paparazzi." Her expression turned sour. "They can be so annoying and write anything for publicity."

"Oh I know exactly what you mean. Not to your extent, but there was this one time I went to convention and this one blogger kept harassing me. He asked me so many questions and kind of tweaked the truth."

"That's right! You are a famous YouTuber now! How is that going for you?"

"It is going great. I love playing video games for a living. I try to do comedy sketches and vlogs whenever I get the chance. It can get a little tiring just posting gameplays all the time."

Mr. Cake shows up at their table, "Thank you two for waiting. So what can I get for you sir?"

"I will take the chocolate shake."

"One chocolate shake coming up." Mr. Cake quickly dashes off to the kitchen.

"Why is it so busy in here?"

"Ugh, most of these ponies are paparazzi. Somepony tipped them off that I would be here at Sugarcube Corner."

"Wow. They are really on your flank aren't they?"

"Yeah..." Sweetie Belle gave an annoyed look and took a sip of her vanilla shake.

Mr. Cake returned with a chocolate shake, "Here is your chocolate shake." As quickly as he came, he left immediately to take care of the next customer.

Button took a glimpse at Sweetie and saw that she looked bummed out. There was one thing that he knew he could do to cheer her up.

Button whispered, "Hey Sweetie."

"Hmm?"

"Milkshake race! One, two, three, go!" Button grabbed his milkshake and started chugging it down. Immediately, the cold beverage filled his belly. Slowly, the cold crept up his spine to the head. Button took hold of his head and collapsed on the side of the table. He screamed in pain from the brain freeze.

As he screamed, he was able to hear many ponies laughing at him. Including the pony that he targeted. Sweetie Belle tried to hold back, but she failed miserably. She laughed so hard that she was forced to removed her glasses to wipe her tears. However, while she removed her glasses, she did not realize that the scarf she wore got caught. The scarf was untied and it exposed her mane to the bakery. Immediately, the laughter stopped.

A pony from the crowd shouted, "It's Bella! She's here in Ponyville!"

"Uh oh," said Sweetie.

A crowd suddenly formed around the table. Paparazzi formed around Bella and began to take her pictures. The crowd ignored Button that still laid on the floor in pain. Button tried to crawl to Sweetie, but was blocked off by multiple legs. As he continued to remain on the floor, he was at risk of getting trampled. 

As he laid there, he suddenly felt somepony take hold of his hoof. He then felt a jolt of energy rush through his body. The scenery quickly changed from multiple forelegs to a clear evening sky. In a daze, he slowly got on his hooves.

"Good. The freeze finally wore off."

"Sweetie, what just happened?"

"I learned a few tricks from Twilight before I left Ponyville. I teleported us outta there, but I rather not hang out here for long. I was only able to teleport us a few buildings away. I'm afraid they might find us soon."

Button contemplated where they should go, but there was only one place he could think of.
> Special House Guest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Button Mash and Sweetie Belle carefully crept through the streets of Ponyville. To quicken the pace, Button guided Sweetie through alleyways that he considered shortcuts. For Button, it was like playing one of his stealth video games; trying to avoid detection by enemy computers. For Sweetie Belle, however, she considered it as a weekly task to avoid the media. 

Slowly, the sun was lowered and the moon was raised. Minutes went by and the paparazzi became more aggressive in their search for the pop singer. 

"Button," Sweetie Belle whispered, "you don't have to do this for me. There is no reason for you to get involved."

"Don't worry about it Sweetie," Button replied, "I am more than happy to help a friend get away from the media for a little while. Besides, we are almost there. You can stay over for the night too if you want."

"Thanks. I might have to take you up on that offer." Sweetie Belle gave a soft giggle, "You know what? This reminds me of that time we played Minecraft together. You kept warning me to not mine at night, but I didn't listen. I really wanted to try and find some diamonds."

For Sweetie Belle it was fun, but for Button Mash it was a very stressful game. The brave colt always protected her as best he could from the monsters in the game. Repeatedly he died in the game for her and lost much of his hard earned equipment. Sweetie Belle noticed the death notifications that kept coming up, but he never told her the reason for all those deaths. He just wanted her to have fun and enjoy the game.

While he reminisced that night, Button felt a tug on his tail.

"Huh? What?" Button questioned in confusion.

Sweetie used her magic to hold him back, "I heard voices from around the corner. You almost walked out of the alley so I assumed you didn't notice."

With a clearer mind, Button listened and heard chatter from the end of the alley. He motioned for Sweetie Belle to follow behind him, but to stay quiet. When they reached the end of the alley, Button poked his head out to check the surroundings. To his left side, it was a clear street and his house was in view. To his right, there was a group of ponies chattering. The group consisted of five ponies. He noticed two of them were unicorns and held cameras. The ponies were so close that he dared not risk Sweetie exposing herself.

He turned around and focused on Sweetie Belle, "Okay, so my house is just over there, but there is a group of paparazzi that would surely see us."

Button then reached into his saddle bag with his muzzle. Out of the bag, he had a key in his mouth. He motioned for Sweetie Belle to take it. When Sweetie levitated the key away from his mouth, he explained his plan, "I will draw them away while you make a run for my house. My house is a two story building with a YouTube logo on the top floor window. Just run straight there and I will catch up."

Before Sweetie Belle could confirm that she understood the plan, Button already walked out of the alley. Trying not to get attention just yet, he casually walked by the crowd of ponies. As he walked passed them, one of the ponies called out, "Hey wait a minute."

Button froze in place, "Umm...yes?"

"Don't I know you?" A male pegasus asked.

Button turned around to give the pegasus his full attention. "Uh, I am sorry, but I don't recognize you. I probably have one of those muzzles."

"No no I definitely have seen you before," the pegasus separated from the group. He moved closer to Button Mash and closely inspected his face.

Immediately, a thought popped in Button's mind, "Oh no, he must have been at Sugarcube Corner and saw me with Sweetie Belle. He and his buddies are going to interrogate me for information!"

"I thought I recognized you," the pegasus' eyes narrowed even more. "You're Button Mash! I watch your videos all the time!" The pegasus shouted with his eyes wide open.

Relief came to Button at the sudden outburst, but his worries came back after that pegasus gained the attention of his party.

"Wait, who?" A female unicorn questioned.

The pegasus darted towards her, "This is Button Mash! I watch his channel on YouTube all the time. He does 'Let's Plays' and does a lot of charity live streams."

"I don't watch too much YouTube. Besides, we need to focus on looking for Bella."

"Hey! This stallion is just as good as that pop star. He has over two million subscribers on his channel. We could ask him for an interview and make just as good an article!"

"Are you kidding? You cannot compare him with Bella. She is the biggest pop star of this decade. He is just a internet gaming geek who does nothing but lock himself in his room all day."

As true as that comment might have been, it still hurt Button Mash. Despite his success and fame, there are still many out there that would consider him a loser. 

"You take that back! This pony collected a lot of money for charity! Whenever I have a bad day, I can always watch his videos for a smile!"

Button Mash certainly got their attention, but not the way he intended. The ponies separated into two groups. One supporting the pegasus and one supporting the female unicorn. Each side had their own opinions and their own counterarguments. This was something that Button always wanted to try and avoid. Everypony had their own opinions, but it always caused conflict.

From the corner of his eye, he was able to see a figure in the doorway of his house. He spotted Sweetie Belle, motioning him to get inside. Slowly, Button stepped away from the crowd of ponies. As he walked away, he grew relieved as the voices grew smaller and smaller. He tried not to look back at the clashing ponies as he quickened his pace.

When he finally made it to his door, to Button it was like it was a gateway to paradise. He felt safe in his house; away from conflicts, disagreements, and away from feeling hurt. Suddenly, he felt somepony take hold of him and pulled him into the house.

"What is wrong with you?" Sweetie Belle questioned. "Waited any longer and they would have seen you."

Button snapped out of it and regained his composure, "Sorry."

"Button? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, those ponies just made me nervous. Let me get the lights." Button flipped on the closest switch to him. Lights were turned on and it brightened his living room. Button's room was rather plain; it consisted of a sofa, some furniture, a television, in a white painted room.

"It's um...nice," Sweeite Belle stated.

"Hehe, you don't have to sugarcoat it Sweetie. I don't care too much on luxury or anything. I save most of my bits on new equipment."

"Ah I see."

"Well I don't want to be a rude host. Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"Well, I'm actually a little of both. Do you have any fruit?"

"Funny you should ask that." Still wearing his saddle bag, he reached inside and pulled out an apple.

"Is that by chance from Sweet Apple Acres?" Sweetie Belle asked with a smile.

"I wouldn't buy any other apple. I'm sure they are just as succulent as you remember them to be." Button said as he handed the apple to Sweetie Belle. When Sweetie Belle took the apple, she didn't eat it right away. Instead, she stared into her own reflection on the apple's outer layer.

"I really miss Apple Bloom and Scootaloo," she said, "I can't wait to see them; they said they will be cheering for me at the concert next week."

They walked to the kitchen table and took their seats.

"That's right. I saw those posters all over Ponyville. Is this to promote a new album coming out?" Button asked.

Before Sweetie Belle could reply, she took a bite out of her apple. She savored the taste of the sweet apple juice. "Sorry, it has been a while and I forgot what these apples tasted like. To answer your question, yes. My agent tried to convince not to come to Ponyville, but I stood my ground."

"Why wouldn't your agent want you to come to Ponyville?"

"She sees Ponyville as a old country town and believes that performing here would do little to promote me. She immediately changed her mind though when I told her that this is my hometown."

Button and Sweetie laughed in unison.

Out of the corner of Sweetie Belle's eye, she noticed a room down the hall. On the wall, there was a sign labeled Workroom.

"Button, what room is that down the hall?" Sweetie Belle pointed out.

Button looked to where she was pointing, "That is where the magic happens. Hahaha. I create all my videos in there," he said.

"You made your own workroom? I thought you would just play in your bedroom or something."

"I used to, but my neighbors would complain that I made too much noise. The foam panels looked weird and I didn't want to cover my entire room with it. So I made the former guest bedroom my workroom."

"Can you give me a tour?"

"Oh. Uh...sure. Come on."

Sweetie Belle finished her apple and threw it in the nearest trash bin. Button escorted Sweetie to his workroom.

"Prepare to be amazed," Button said jokingly as he opened the door.

Inside, the room's walls were covered in soundproof foam. The room consisted of a desk, a desktop computer, and three separate computer monitors. The room was lit by a lamp placed in a corner of the room. 

"Why do you have three monitors?"

"When I edit, it is easier for me to have multiple computer screens. It helps me with multitasking and I am able to edit my videos more quickly."

Sweetie Belle is fascinated by the computer set up. She can see that Button invested a lot of time and money into his work.

She then noticed his wallpapers on the computer monitors. The wallpapers had the image of a pegasus stallion playing video games. The stallion was wearing a black shirt with the letter "C" pixelated in red.

"Button, who is this on your monitor?"

"Hmm? Oh, that's Coltiplier. He is my favorite YouTuber. I always loved his comments on video games that he played. He even played horror games that I was too afraid to play myself. It was always funny to watch him get scared. Whenever I watched his videos, it always put a smile on my face. Even when I was having a bad day. In a way, he inspired me not to give up on a life of video games. I probably wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for him. I wanted to follow his example and collect donations for charity."

"He sounds amazing. Have you met him?"

"No, but I have always wanted to. When I do, I will thank him properly for how my life turned out. That is one of my main goals in life."

"It is amazing how one pony could make such a huge difference. I am really happy for you Button."

"Yeah...thanks..." Although Button knew he should have felt happy, his mind returned to the crowd of ponies he met outside. He began to hurt again from the thoughts.

Sweetie Belle noticed this and placed her hoof on his foreleg. She tried to provide comforting words, "Outside, I heard what that one mare said about you. It does hurt to hear somepony not approve of who you are or what you do. But you can't let that bother you either. I am sure that even Coltiplier has his share of haters. But you two have helped so many out there with what you are doing. She might not have thought you were anything special, but there was also a group of ponies out there that did. In the end, that is all that really matters. The ponies that appreciate what you do for this community."

"Thanks Sweetie Belle. You always did know what to say."

Button looked to Sweetie and was caught off guard by her smile. He immediately blushed and looked away; hoping that she didn't notice his reaction.

Sweetie noticed something on Button's desk, "Hey, wait a minute. Isn't that your old propeller hat?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah. I couldn't part with it. So I kept it on my desk with me."

"That's kind of cute that you kept it." Sweetie Belle levitated the hat and placed in on her head, "Well? How do I look?"

"Like a little filly. Hahaha." Suddenly, Button had an idea that he believed would be fun for both him and Sweetie Belle.

"Hey Sweetie, if you are not tired, I have an idea of what we could do before we go to bed."

Sweetie looked at Button with a curious look, "What is it?"
> Let's Play! Ft. Bella
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Hello everypony! This is Button Mash and we have a very special guest with us!" Button shouted with excitement.

"Hello everypony! This is Bella!" Sweetie Belle mimicked Button to the webcam.

"So Bella is actually visiting Ponyville; preparing for her upcoming concert. She was nice enough to come by and participate in a 'Let's Play' video. Unfortunately, I only have one computer. So I will be coaching Bella as she plays 'Celestia.exe,'" said Button.

As a joke, Button Mash decided to have Sweetie Belle play a horror game for the recording. Just as he thought, Sweetie had no knowledge of this game. Once he finished setting up the game, the game menu popped up with the basic options. It seemed cheerful as it showed a pixelated Princess Celestia trotting on a flat green surface. 

"Yeah. Since I have such an awesome coach, I bet it won't take me long to beat this game," Sweetie said with confidence.

"Oh I'm sure you will do just fine. Okay, now let's get started!" Button exclaimed. 

"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle cheered. She tried to be enthusiastic for the video, but some viewers might be able to tell that it was forced. She then clicked the "Start Game" option. 

The game presented Princess Celestia all the way to the left side of the screen; standing on pixelated gray surface. The game's background showed multiple buildings that resembled structures seen in Canterlot.

Sweetie Belle was already not amused with the game. "Wow, I thought video games had more advanced graphics than this. I mean, Minecraft had much better graphics than this. Plus, this game doesn't have any music," stated Sweetie.

"It's because this is an independent game. It's actually okay for being made by one pony."

"Oh I see. Okay. So how do I play?"

"You use the arrow keys on the keyboard. The UP arrow makes you jump, the DOWN arrow makes you duck, and the LEFT and RIGHT arrows make you go side to side." Button instructed her.

Sweetie Belle looked around Button's keyboard until she located the keys. They were not hard to miss since the arrow keys were rather large. Once located, she had Celestia move to the right until the character stopped automatically. A text then appeared in a bubble, "Where is everypony? This is most unusual." After the text was finished, Sweetie moved Celestia till she went off screen and it faded black. 

Another scene faded in, Celestia reappeared to the left side of the screen with the same building background as before. However, there was a guard pony in a ducking position to the right side of the screen. Celestia was moved to the guard, which caused her to interact with him. A text appeared from the guard, "Your highness...it was awful. It seems your sister has once again become...Nightmare Moon." A Celestia text bubble then appeared, "What? That can't be...Luna...why?" After the text disappeared, a soft tune began to play. Since Sweetie was unaware this was a horror game, she did not find the music to be disturbing. In fact, she found it comforting that the game finally played some sort of background music.

"Okay okay," Button Mash interrupted, "now your objective is to fight Nightmare Moon."

"What? Wait, I don't even know how to fight in this game."	

"Don't worry, the game will explain when you find her. Just keep walking to the right until you locate her."

As instructed, Sweetie Belle moved Celestia to the right until Nightmare Moon was located. However, as she played the game, she noticed that the environment began to change. The buildings began to show signs of deterioration and the music became out of tune. The mixture of sounds brought discomfort to Sweetie.

"Umm...Button, is the game broken?"

"It is an independent game. There might be some glitches that the creator has to work out. Don't worry, you are almost there."

Just as Button said, after moving off screen a couple more times, Nightmare Moon was seen at the right side of the computer screen. A text conversation appeared between the two characters, "Ah, my dear sister," said Nightmare Moon, "here we are again. However, I will be the one to send you to the moon."

"Sister, you must stop this! The Elements of Harmony will stop you!" Celestia exclaimed.

"Hahaha! The Elements? I have already taken care of your faithful student and her friends."

"Wh-What did you do Luna?"

"Hehe. The both of you will know in time..."

"Wait, the both of us?"

"You...and the player..."

The last text slightly disturbed Sweetie Belle. Button noticed that her eyes widened and was sure that it sent shivers up her spine. She reread the text a few more times to be sure she read it correctly. After clicking again to end the text, Nightmare Moon flew straight toward Celestia. The screen then went black and a clear scream of a mare came from the speakers. It caused Sweetie Belle to jump from the scare. 
After a brief moment of silence, a voice was heard in a scream, "You're mine!" Am image of Nightmare Moon popped on the screen. The art was done to make it seem like Nightmare Moon was coming straight towards her. It caused Sweetie to scream in terror at the oncoming villain.

Button Mash was no longer able to hold in his laughter. Meanwhile, Sweetie tried to keep her breathing under control. Her eyes narrowed to the laughing pony.

"Wait, you knew about this!?!" Sweetie Belle questioned.

"Hahaha! I'm sorry Sweetie, I saw an opportunity and just had to take it!" Button said as he continued laughing.

"That's not funny!" Sweetie Belle cried, "I have never been so scared! I hate you!" She then turned her chair to face Button and lightly pounded him with hooves. As he tried to defend himself, his chair slowly leaned back. However, it leaned too far; causing both ponies to fall out of their chairs.

"Oww," groaned Sweetie Belle.

"Aww my head. You okay Sweetie?"

"Yeah. Sorry, I-" Sweetie Belle stopped herself as she noticed the position she was in. Button Mash laid on his back, while she laid on top of him. Both ponies stared at one another with blushed faces. Then slowly, Sweetie Belle began to move closer to Button. Both ponies' hearts were beating as the gap between them was closing.

Sweetie Belle stopped as she was startled by music coming from behind her. Both ponies forgotten that they were doing a recording. Although there was music playing, there was awkward silence for the two ponies. Sweetie Belle was the first to get up and Button Mash followed. They both got back in their proper chairs and tried their best to regain their composure. 

Button looked to the webcam, "Uh, sorry guys there was technical difficulties. So we will have to end the gameplay here." Button tried to present his usual smile to the camera, but he knew that he was failing miserably.

"Umm...well Sw-Um Bella, thank you for joining us today!"

Sweetie Belle didn't reply, as she was in her own little world.

"Umm...Bella?"

"Huh? Oh uh...no problem." Sweetie said with a smile, but was less enthusiastic than she was at the start of the recording.

"We hope you could join us again soon. Umm, leave a like if you enjoyed and hope to see you all this Friday for the live charity event to the Equestrian Red Cross. Until next time, Button Mash out!" He then ended the recording and saved the file to his computer. Both he and Sweetie Belle sat there in awkward silence.

"Umm," Sweetie broke the silence, "I think we should go to bed."

"Uh yeah sure. I will...I will edit this tomorrow. Come on, I will show you to your room."


***


Both ponies entered the room, "This is my room," Button noted, "but you can sleep in here for tonight. I will put on clean bed sheets for you. Just give me a minute." Button walked to the closet to retrieve the bed sheets. As he did this, Sweetie Belle observed the room.

She was surprised to see how clean Button's room was, although it did seem to have a distinct odor. When they were younger, his room would have a couple of empty bags of snacks lying around. Also, there would be a pile of laundry in a corner of the room. He was very lucky to have a mother to have taken such good care of him at the time. Luckily, those good habits rubbed off on Button. 

On one side of the room, there were two shelves. One shelf stocked his collection of games. On the other, it had different items and framed artwork of him. She came to the conclusion that that shelf stocked the many gifts from all his fans. Although Sweetie herself received gifts as well, she could not treasure them like Button did. Most of her gifts were flowers and unfortunately they did not last very long.

On the other side, she sees Button's desk. There were a few books on how he can improve his editing skills. Also, there was a cylinder-shaped glass object on the corner of the desk. The object was more than a foot tall, a long tube on top, a bowl for the base with a smaller tube, colored in red and green. It was then she remembered the odor she first smelt when she entered the room. "Button, is that a-."

"The bed's ready," Button interrupted.

Sweetie Belle was sure what was on Button's desk, so she decided not to finish her question. "Uh...thanks Button. You didn't have to do that."

"It was no problem." Button gave a blush and a small smile. "Well, I will be downstairs sleeping on the couch if you need me." As Button was leaving, he felt a tug on his tail. He looked behind him to see Sweetie's horn emitting energy and a light green aura around his tail.

"Don't laugh at me Button... but that game really scared me. Could you...sleep in here with me..." Sweetie Belle asked with her head to the ground.

Button couldn't help but blush again. He always thought of Sweetie Belle being cute, but this was a lot for him to see. Suddenly, those dating sims and visual novels he had played in the past came to mind. "Uh...sure. I will just get a blanket and pillow." Button then left the room to get the items.

By the time he came back, Sweetie Belle was already under the covers. Button smiled and turned off the light. Although it was night, the moonlight illuminated the room enough for him to move around. He tossed the pillow on the floor and laid down to get comfortable. He fluffed his pillow and covered himself with his blanket.

"Button?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks again for looking out for me. If you hadn't showed up at Sugarcube Corner, I might have been tortured by cameras and running for my life."

"Nope, instead you got tortured by a webcam and a terrifying game." Button said jokingly.

"Shut up. I'm going to have nightmares because of that. You better hope Princess Luna protects me tonight."

"You just better hope it's Princess Luna."

"Shut up!" Both ponies laughed in unison.

"Goodnight Sweetie."

"Goodnight Button."
> Bella or YouTube
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Button Mash woke up from the sunlight coming through his window and into his eyes. Squinting and blinking, he got up and stretched out his muscles with a loud yawn. Quickly, he remembered his celebrity guest that slept over for the night. He shoved his hooves over his mouth, in hopes that he did not wake up Sweetie Belle. He looked to his bed to check on her, but found that she was missing and that the bed was made. His first thought was that she had already left. He wasn't surprised as he believed that this was how a celebrity would be, but he was also hurt that she didn't at least give him a goodbye.

Button made way downstairs, but his mind was distracted. He sniffed around the air and thought to himself, "Is something burning?" He opened the door and noticed there was light clouds of smoke. Now fully awake, he rushed down the steps to find the source of the smoke. He began to hear coughing as he drew closer to the kitchen. When he made it, he saw Sweetie Belle over his stove struggling with a pan. She used her magic to place it in the sink and turn the water on. The water splashed on the pan with a light sizzle. Button ran to the nearest windows to let out the burnt smell and smoke.

"Sweetie Belle! What's going on?" Button Mash asked as he coughed and gasped for air.

"I'm sorry," Sweetie Belle apologized between coughs, "I wanted to thank you by making you breakfast. But...I guess my cooking skills never got better."

As most of the smoke cleared away, Button saw Sweetie's mane to be a mess. Plus, her fur was covered in black patches. He walked over to the sink to see the damage.

"I really appreciate it Sweetie. Umm... this oatmeal doesn't look too bad." Button tried to cheer up Sweetie Belle with a smile.

"...Those are eggs..." Sweetie said in a depressed tone.

"Eggs!?!" Button thought loudly to himself. "Oh, umm... it looks delicious?"

"It's okay Button, I know I'm a bad cook."

"No no, you just need to umm... uh..." In Button's mind, this is why many mares and fillies think that all colts and stallions are idiots. As he tried to think of what to say, he offered a suggestion. "Hey Sweetie, why don't you get yourself cleaned up? The bathroom is upstairs next to the bedroom. There should be a clean towel on the rack. I uh... don't think I have any shampoo or body wash that you would use though."

Sweetie looked over herself, "A shower does sound like a good idea. I actually have travel size soap in my saddle bag. Thanks Button. Sorry about your kitchen."

"Don't worry about it. I will get things cleaned up here." Button gave her a smile as she left the kitchen. Button then turned his attention to his surroundings; he saw a pan in the sink, eggshells on the counter, and more food that Sweetie Belle planned to prepare. He thought to himself, "Okay... where to start..."


***


Sweetie Belle exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head. As she made her way to the kitchen, she was still able to smell the smoke of her burnt eggs in the air. Just thinking about it brought much embarrassment to her. However, she noticed that the smell was mixed with something else; the smell of something good. In the kitchen, she looked at Button Mash still setting up the kitchen table. To the kitchen counter near the stove, she spotted two plates with cooked scrambled eggs and crispy hay on the side. Next to the plates were small bowls with fruit. Although it was simple, it looked more appetizing than what she had created earlier.

"Oh hi Sweetie, I'm almost done setting up the-," before Button could finish, the plates and utensils levitated to the table. Button ducked from the flying plates of food and points of forks. Sweetie Belle chuckled at Button's jaw dropping reaction to the neatly prepared table. Although, it seemed overly done as the set up could be compared to something out of the book of "Etiquette." There were more forks and spoons needed for a small breakfast. Also, for each pony, there was one coffee mug and three glass cups placed to the right. 

"Umm...Sweetie Belle, I don't think we are going to need this many kitchen utensils for breakfast," Button objected.

Sweetie Belle blushed in embarrassment, "Hehe. Sorry. When you have a sister like Rarity, some things rubbed off on me."

"Well, in any case, breakfast is ready," Button said with a smile as he took his seat.

Sweetie Belle followed suit as she took her seat. For a short moment, she stared at her breakfast and took in the smell. Curious about Button's cooking skill, she decided to take the first bite of her hay. As she took the bite, she savored the buttery flavor with a slight hint of salt and pepper. "Wow Button," said Sweetie, "this is really good."

"I learned from the best cook I ever had."

"Who would that be?"

"My mom of course!" Button Mash exclaimed.

"A useful skill that I wish every mother had," Sweetie thought to herself. Although she loved her mother dearly, there was no denying that she was not the best cook in the world.


***


After they finished their breakfast, Sweetie Belle gathered her things and put on the same disguise from last night. Once finished, she met with Button Mash at the door. "Thanks for the help and hospitality Button."

"No problem Sweetie. It was nice to have some company. Are you sure you will be okay from here?" 

"Yeah. I didn't realize how close your house was to the inn my agent and I are staying at. I am sure she is worried about me and waiting for me to get back." They both smiled at one another, but the moment became awkward as they stood in the doorway silently.

"Well, I guess I will be going now."

"Um...yeah," Button said with a smile, but felt sad that she could not stay longer.

"Hopefully we can hang out again soon. Next time, I will put on a better disguise," she said jokingly.

The chuckle they both shared was short. Between them, there was only awkward silence. "Well...goodbye Button."

"Bye," Button said as he forced a smile.

Although Sweetie mentioned that her agent might be worried, she was in no rush to meet her. Button looked down and walked back inside. He looked around his home and listened to the silence. That moment, was the first time he ever truly felt how empty that house was. Not long after he closed the door behind him, he heard a knock at the door. He turned back to open the door. He was surprised to see that it was Sweetie Belle.

"Oh. Did you forge-." Before Button could finish, he felt something warm pressed against his cheek. It all happened so fast that his mind could not process what was going on. In time, he discovered the source of the warmth; Sweetie's lips on his cheek. Before he could say anything, Sweetie Belle already had ran off and disappeared from his sights. Even though she was gone, he could still feel the warmth that she left behind for him. 

To Button, he only stood at the door for a few seconds. To the ponies staring at him, he stood there for a few minutes. Realizing the attention he was getting, he quickly shut the door and contemplated what just happened. "Did...did she just...kiss me on the cheek? Why would she do that? Oh she was probably just thanking me. Then why did it feel so much more? No, I am thinking too much into it. But maybe she... no no no. She is a singing sensation and I am just a YouTuber. Yeah, that's all there is to it. Just friends and nothing more. I need to keep my mind distracted. I know, I will edit and post the video from last night." Not wanting to overthink things any further, he decided working was the best thing to do.

The video with him and Sweetie Belle was rather short and simple, so it did not take very long for him to edit it. Also, the plan to take his mind off of Sweetie was a complete failure. After he finished editing, he then started uploading to YouTube. Emotionally exhausted, he went to lie down on his bed as the video uploaded.

As he laid there, he noticed there was an unfamiliar scent. He turned on his belly and found that the scent was coming from the bed itself. It was then he realized that the scent was from Sweetie Belle's perfume. The scent could be compared to common lavender, but it came from a rare and special pony.

While he looked down on his bed sheets, he noticed something peeking out from under his pillow. He moved away the pillow to find a CD case. He picked up the case and observed it. The back and cover was blank white. When he opened the case, a folded note and a slip of paper fell out. The slip of paper was a ticket to Sweetie's concert tomorrow night. He opened the note and recognized Sweetie Belle's writing:

Dear Button,

While I was sleeping, I was wondering something. Do you ever think about the time when we were small? Before we even had our cutie marks? You and I were completely different ponies and yet we were able to do so much together. I had just as much fun with you as I did with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Last night proved that that bond never died; it didn't even weaken. I am glad to know that no matter how far we are, or no matter the time that passes by, we will always have that bond.

As you probably noticed, the ticket I left for you is for the concert I will be performing tomorrow night. After that, I am not sure whenever I will come back to Ponyville. I left behind a CD for you. On it, there is a song that I wrote and you were my inspiration for it. In case you can't make it, I want you to know that this song promises we will always be friends.

I hope I can see you again before I go.

Love,
Sweetie Belle 

Button's heart beat faster than it has ever beaten before. The heart raced faster than a jump scare from his horror games. His mind began to bounce full of questions and not sure what to make of the situation.

He then turned his attention back to the CD and the ticket. Button wanted to know what song was on the CD. However, he felt that by listening to it he decided he was not going to the concert. Of course he wanted to see Sweetie again before she left. If he was to hear that song, he wanted to hear it from her LIVE at the concert.

Then, a sudden realization came to mind. His mind began to pound as he remembered something very important to him. The night that Sweetie Belle performs, is the same night he had planned to do his charity live stream. As much as he wanted to see her, he knew he could not let down the Equestrian Red Cross.

It was possible for Button Mash to reschedule everything. However, Button was worried about how this would look on him. Would it make him look irresponsible? I mean, what could possibly be more important than doing a charity event for a non-profit organization? He didn't want to lie to his fans to make his situation easier. Also, other YouTubers planned to watch his live stream and provide generous donations as well. If he reschedules, some of those YouTubers might not be available to watch on the changed date.

He puzzled and puzzled at what he should do. He paced back and forth; thought carefully about what sort of outcomes each choice might bring. He did not want to upset anypony, but he felt that might be unavoidable. Choose his friend? Or his fans and reputation?

In the end, he thought of a solution that might guide or solve his problem. What is a child to do when he is not sure what to do? Maybe that child needs... a mother's guidance.
> Motherly Advice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Button trotted on to his foalhood home. Although he occasionally visited his family, he never went to them to ask for advice on his current dilemma. He repeated questions in his head; in hope that it didn't sound too embarrassing or stupid. "Okay okay... Umm... Hey Mom and Dad, I really like this filly and-. No that's no good... Hey big bro, any mare advice for your little bro? Oh who am I kidding? With the mares he had, his advices would guarantee never seeing Sweetie Belle again."

Button was so distracted, he failed to notice that he reached his destination.

"Ouch!"

And slammed right into the front door.

"Just a moment!" A familiar, motherly voice was heard from behind the door. Button quickly fixed his mane before the door was opened.

"Yes?" Button's mother opened the door with her polite smile. Her expression completely changed when she noticed who her guest was.

"Button?" she questioned, "Oh my goodness it is always nice to see my little foal!" the mother shouted and wrapped her forelegs around him. Although Button loves his mother dearly, he still gets embarrassed when she refers to him as her little foal.

"Mom, I'm a grown stallion now. Do you really need to call me that?"

"Oh I'm sorry sweetie, but you will always be my little foal," she said with a smile. "Come on in. I will fix up some tea. Or if you want, I think there is some apple cider as well."

"Uh no, tea sounds great." Button entered the house, following his mom inside. He closed the door behind him and looked around the room. Not much has changed since he moved out of the house. The furniture laid exactly where they were when he left. As for the television, the cabinets looked very empty without his game consoles taking up most of the space. "Where are dad and big bro?" he asked.

"Oh, they both are in Manehattan. After you moved, your brother was thinking about moving out there. So he and your father decided to try looking for a place over the weekend," she said from the kitchen as she prepared the tea.

Of course Button loved his entire family, he couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. He drove himself nuts with the many questions he had in mind for each of his family members. It put him at ease that there was only one pony now to ask. Also, he felt that his strongest connection was with his mother. Many ponies would consider him a mama's colt, but he didn't care. Whenever he needed his stuff, needed help or advice, majority of the time he went to his mother.

Button set down his saddle bag before he entered the kitchen. He saw that she was just about finished with the tea. She carried one plate that had a couple tea cups with her mouth. "I'll get the tea kettle mom," he said getting up to do so.

"Oh dank you shweetie," she said with her mouth full. Both ponies moved to the dining room and set down the plates. Button's mom set each cup, while Button proceeded with the pouring. Button's mom couldn't help but smile, "Oh I raised such a good colt," she cooed.

Button went back to the kitchen to place the kettle on the stove, "Hehe. Thanks mom," Button gave a small chuckle as he took a seat. They both sat next to each other at one corner of the table.

"I am so glad you came to visit. Although, I do wish you let me knew ahead of time. I could have cleaned up a bit before you came."

"Cleaned up?" Button questioned as he looked around the room. This confused him as the house always seemed to be clean. Even when he was little, he could never recall his mother ever taking any time off from cleaning. "Mom, the place is so clean you could make the Crystal Empire the Diamond Empire."

His mom giggled, "Oh that is sweet of you to say. I suppose you are right though. The house is less messy now that you are not around now." Button replied with a look that showed he was obviously not amused. "Oh I am just kidding sweetie. How are you though? How is that NewTube going?"

"YouTube," Button corrected, "It's great! I have so many fans and I love creating videos for them."

"That is wonderful! I am so proud of you Button! I have to admit, you had me worried when all you did was play games as a colt. Now you are doing what you love as a career. Oh how I wish I had that YouTube when I was growing up."

"Umm... which brings me to why I am here..."

"I knew it!" Button's mom's expression completely shifted to a look of concern. This completely caught Button off guard and made him almost jump out of his chair. "I knew something was wrong. Did your computer break? Are they not paying you? Did you play a game too scary for you?" She questioned for answers like an officer interrogating a criminal. 

"Mom mom relax I'm fine!" Button said as he tried to calm down the worried mare. He took a deep breath before continuing, "I was just wondering if you could give me some advice on this problem I have."

"Oh," she gave an embarrassed chuckle, "Of course sweetie. That's what mothers are for. What is it?"

"Well, first of all, do you remember Sweetie Belle?" Button asked his mom. The mother looked down at her tea for a moment, as she tried recalling the name and face. "Oh yes! I remember her. She is Rarity's little sister right? Oh you two always had so much fun playing games together. She was always so sweet and even offered to help around the house from time to time." She gave a sigh before she continued, "Oh I miss that little filly. Well, of course she is not a filly anymore. I heard that she is now a famous pop star."

"Yeah that's her. I ran into her at Sugarcube Corner. She will be performing here in Ponyville tomorrow night."

"Oh that's wonderful!"

"Yeah..." Button said with a lower tone of voice.

Button's mom noticed the look on his muzzle, "What's wrong sweetie? Aren't you happy for her?"

"Well of course I am mom. It's just that, she gave me a ticket to her concert. The night of her concert is the same time I decided to do one of my charity live streams. Ponies will gather online to watch me and donate money for the Equestrian Red Cross."

"Umm... live stream?"

"In other words, ponies will be watching me live and hopefully they will give generous donations."

The look on the mother's face, it was obvious to Button that she finally realized the position he was in. "Oh I see. But Button, can't you just reschedule your live stream so you can see Sweetie Belle?"

"It's not that simple. Cancelling a live stream is not something a YouTuber normally does. Plus, I don't want to let the Equestrian Red Cross down. Mom... what should I do?"

The mother gave a small, but comforting smile to Button. She took a sip of her tea and said, "Button, I feel like there is more to the story than you are telling me. Is there something between you and Sweetie Belle that I don't know about?" The mother gave him a teasing smirk.

One of the downsides about having a mother like Button's, is that they have a sixth sense when it comes to their children. Button thought back about the kiss from Sweetie Belle and began to blush. "Well... uh..."

"Button, I always knew you had a crush on Sweetie Belle," the mother stated bluntly.

The statement shocked Button, "What? It's not like-."

"Button, she was here with us more than any of your other friends. Perhaps at the time you didn't even realize it was a crush. You would always want to play with her or have her come over for supper. A big hint was when you let her borrow your JoyBoy. She is the only other pony you let borrow that thing."

This was very true as Button was protective about his games and consoles. He always feared that anypony would break them or lose them. Sweetie Belle, however, was an exception. Sweetie Belle always enjoyed the JoyBoy, but Rarity and her parents thought it would be a waste of bits. So Button let her borrow it from time to time and she was always sure to bring it back.

"Button, you know that I love you and will always be here to help you. However, I feel that I must be frank with you. I don't believe there is an issue here."

"Huh?" asked a confused Button.

"Don't you think you are overthinking things a little? Button, you are not leaving Equestria anytime soon. Plus, the Red Cross isn't going anywhere either. As for your live-... stream was it? If they are truly your fans, they would understand that this is something that you have to do. Granted, there are some that might overreact, but will this really be the end of Equestria? The end of your YouTube channel?"

Button thought to himself, "She makes it sound so simple, but she could be right. Am I just overthinking things? Why does it seem so hard?"

"Button, sweetie, this is just a thought, but are you by chance scared to go see Sweetie Belle?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, throughout your foalhood, she is the friend you had spent time with the most. Without a doubt, she is probably your best friend. Then one day, that friendship grew to be something even more precious to you. Although, you never really been in a relationship with a special somepony have you?"

"Well... no I haven't..." Button was somewhat embarrassed by this, but it was a fact. Button has never dated anypony or had any interest in it. True he had special feelings for Sweetie Belle, but never really knew about his true feelings until recently.

"Button, I know what it is like to be scared to confess your feelings. In fact, you remind me a bit of your father when he tried asking me out."

"Really?"

The mother giggled before continuing, "He was the cutest thing. In high school, we were part of a video game club. We would always talk about games and had fun playing together. As we spent time together, we found more and more things that we had in common. One day, he bought me a video game that I have always wanted. When I got home to play, there was a note inside the box. At first I thought it was the game manual, but then I noticed there was a heart shape drawing on the paper. It turned out to be a letter from your father... asking me to be his very special somepony."

"Wow mom. So that's when you accepted dad as your special somepony?"

"Well... no not at first. You see, just like you, he was my best friend at the time. I was scared of what might happened if we tried to be something more. Would it work out? If not, would we still be friends or will it be too awkward? I was confused and was actually mad at him for putting me in that position. For a couple of days, we didn't speak to each other."

Button was shocked by this as he recalled how his parents were always happy together. They rarely fought, but even then they were small trivial things. "So what did you do?"

"I kept thinking about both sides of the situation. Why I would date your father and why I wouldn't date him. And you know what? The reasons why I would date him far outweighed why I wouldn't. So even though I was scared, I bought him a game that he always wanted and wrote a note for him too. He was depressed at first because I ignored the letter, but after he received the note he was the happiest colt I had ever seen. Years later, I am happily married and have two wonderful colts. The point of my story is, yes, a relationship with your best friend might seem scary at first. However, it may lead to something wonderful."

Button looked down at his tea, thinking about what his mother told him. What he was told was a lot to take in, but he knew that she was right. He was scared of what might happen between them. However, Sweetie showed that she would like to have their friendship grow into something more. She made her move, now it was time for him to make his.

Button looked to his mother with a smile, "Thanks mom. You always know what to say."

She smiled at the compliment, "That is what I'm here for sweetie."

Button then took a sip from his tea, "Bleh!"

"What's wrong Button? You don't like it?"

"No, the tea got cold."
> A Little Reunion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	An outdoor stage is set in front of Town Hall in Ponyville. Although the curtains are closed and the stage is quiet, the gathering of Sweetie Belle's fans kept the environment lively.

Behind the curtains, the crew was busy getting everything in place. Sweetie Belle, in the meantime, was in her dressing room preparing for the show. Singing was her passion, her special talent and gift to Equestria. She always practiced the vocals that she felt needed to be tuned.

As she practiced, she heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?" asked Sweetie.

"Pony Express. We have a package for you miss," a deep female voice replied.

Sweetie Belle was used to receiving packages from fans or clients face to face, but she found it odd to be delivered by a package courier backstage.  She left her broadway lighted vanity and walked towards the door. When she opened it, she was certainly surprised to see what was on the other side. "APPLE BLOOM! SCOOTALOO!" Sweetie Belle embraced her best friends and fellow crusaders. The joy and warmth she felt was something she very much missed from her fillyhood. After letting go of the embrace, the mares gave a filly-like squeal of excitement.

"Oh Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo spoke, "it is so good to see you!"

"We missed ya so much!" Apple Bloom agreed, "the Cutie Mark Crusaders just haven't been the same without ya."

Sweetie Belle wiped her tears before speaking, "Oh girls, I missed you too!"

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS REUNION! YEAH!" The girls screamed in unison and laughed like the little fillies they used to be. After the laughter faded away, the group took deep breathes before continuing their conversation.

"So what does the great Bella have to entertain her fans tonight?" Scootaloo teased.

"Now now, you are my best friends and special guests, but you would have to watch the concert to listen to what I have in mind," Sweetie teased back. Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom gave a look of disappointment. Sweetie Belle couldn't help but laugh at their expressions.

"Oh! Sweetie Belle, we heard some rumors goin' around last night," Apple Bloom mentioned.

"Rumors?" Sweetie questioned.

"Yeah. Rumors were that you were spotted at Sugarcube Corner in disguise. Plus, you were spotted with our old classmate Button Mash. Is that true?"

"Woah! Is it Sweetie?" Scootaloo was eager to hear the truth. 

Despite the makeup that Sweetie was wearing, the red blush grew noticeable on her muzzle. She looked down at her front hooves and avoided eye contact with her friends.

"Sweet Celestia. Sweetie Belle, do you still have a crush on him?" Scootaloo questioned.

There was a long and awkward pause before she answered, "Y-... Yes..." After she replied, there was another moment of silence. It was probably the most quiet moment of her life.

Then suddenly, a loud and unexpected gasp, "That's so cute Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom teased and wrapped her foreleg around Sweetie.

"What? It's not weird?" Sweetie asked confused.

"Weird? Why would it be weird? Okay, sure we teased you about that when we were younger, but we were little fillies," said Scootaloo. "Look Sweetie, you are our best friend and there is nothing wrong with you liking somepony like Button."

"Yeah." Apple Bloom agreed, "We can kinda see why ya like him. You both liked playing video games, did projects together in class, got in trouble for not finishing them-" Apple Bloom was paused by a hoof in her mouth.

"Thank you girls," Sweetie Belle interrupted and took her hoof out of Apple Bloom's mouth. "Yes, I still like him."

Scootaloo gave a smirk, "We thought so." Then suddenly, her eyes shot wide open, "Wait a minute. If the rumors were true, are you and him dating now!?!"

Once again, Sweetie Belle's face grew bright red and the makeup did a poor job at hiding it, "No! No! We are not dating!"

Her friends completely ignored the objection by interrogating her for more information.

"What were you two doing together?"

"When did this start happening?"

"Does Rarity know?"

"Have you two kissed yet?"

That last question did it. Sweetie was overwhelmed and embarrassed by the questions. "Uh oh! Sorry girls it is almost time for me to go on! I have to finish changing!" Sweetie rushed them to leave the room.

"Hey wait a minute! We demand answers Ms. Bella!" Scootaloo yelled. However, the only answer she and Apple Bloom received was a door slamming in their face.

On the other side of the door, Sweetie Belle panted and listened to what her friends were doing. The noise was faint, but she heard the sound of hoofsteps moving away from the door. As they walked away, she also heard the sound of their little filly giggles. Sweetie could not help but share in their laughter.


***


The show was about to begin, props were in place, and Sweetie stood center stage behind the curtains. The feeling of nervousness is something that never went away with artists. However, the thought of her fans always provided her comfort. Providing more comfort was the thought of her friends and family that would be there cheering her on. She continued to take deep breaths as she waited for the curtains to rise.

"Good evening everypony!" Mayor Mare addressed, "Welcome to this live and special concert performed by Bella!" The crowd of ponies cheered. The last time a large group of ponies gathered for an event in Ponyville, was when Countess Coloratura performed for the Helping Hooves Music Festival. "What makes this event so special? Well you see, Bella grew up in this town before she became the pony that she is today. When she was younger, she wanted to be just like her sister Rarity and try the fashion industry. Instead, she helped many ponies find their calling with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Now, she is one of the, if not the, leading pop stars in all of Equestria!" Once again, a loud roar of cheering came from the locals and tourists in Ponyville. "So without further ado, let us welcome home the talented and lovely Bella!"

The curtains rose and the darkness began to disappear around Sweetie. She provided a smile and waved her hooves for nearly the entire crowd. Many ponies cheered and chanted her name for her attention.

As much as she was happy to see her fans, she refocused her attention to the center stage. In the front row, there were many familiar faces, but the first pony she spotted was her sister Rarity. As always, she was slightly over dressed for her sister, but that was a quality she loved about her; no event was considered too small and unimportant. Sitting next to Rarity, was her parents, ever so happy to see her and proud of their youngest daughter. Then next to them, were her two best friends in all of Equestria.

However, an uneasy feeling began to grow within her. As she scanned the crowd, there was one more pony that she was hoping to see. She looked and looked, but he was nowhere to be found; Button Mash was not at the concert.
> Button Mash Raid! (Click Bait)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A certain YouTuber is just outside of the concert's perimeter. The stage is not only surrounded by fences and security, but by the many fans of Bella. Although he was unable to get a clear view of the stage, the roar of the crowd indicated that it was just about to start; Button made it just in time.

“Ticket please,” said the security guard at the gate entrance.

Button reached into his saddlebag. Not able to find the ticket, he took off his bag, stepped aside for other ponies to enter and continued to search. As he looked through the bag, fear began to build up inside him. He found his camera, his bits bag, but no ticket. He searched and searched, but was unable to find the ticket. “Oh no!” Button screamed in his mind, “I am sure I put it in here. Where is it? Where is it!?!” Persistent, Button double, no, triple checked his bag. However, his final attempt at searching that bag was a failure.

“Sir?” questioned the guard.

“I-I must’ve lost my ticket. It fell out while running here.”

“I see. I’m sorry sir, but I can’t let you in without a ticket.”

“Aww come on! Please, I need to see her.”

“You and all the other Bella fans here who don’t have a ticket. If I let you in, I have to let everypony else in. I’m sorry, I truly am, but you can’t enter without a ticket.”

“I’m a personal friend of Bella’s. Just go ask her.”

“You can’t expect me to interrupt a concert for one pony. Plus, I don’t even know if you are telling the truth."

"...How much?"

"You can't buy your ticket here. You were suppose to-."

"No, how much to let me in? I'll pay you more than the ticket's worth."

" Are you bribing me? What kind of pony do you think I am!?!" The security guard shouted, as he was obviously insulted by Button's proposition. He took a deep breath and talked in a more calming tone, "Sir, I must ask that you please step out of the line.”

"But-"

"Don't make me ask again," the guard whispered in a quiet, but aggressive tone.

Button cooperated and stepped aside, but he kept close to the gate entrance. Just in case, he decided to check the bag again; with hope that the ticket was somewhere in that bag. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain. Button was both frustrated and in pain at the thought of not seeing Sweetie Belle for... Luna knows how long. "I'm sorry Sweetie," he said to himself as he put back on the saddle bag. Before he walked away, he took one last look at the fences that stopped him from entering. He sighed deeply, then turned to the direction home, walked away with his head down.

As he walked away, he was stopped by a shout, "Button Mash!" Button raised his head at the shout of his name and searched for the source. He looked behind him to see the little colt that was with his sister the other day. "Oh hey! How's it going?" Button replied.

"I didn't think I would see you here at a Bella concert."

"Oh yeah... She's a great singer... You're a fan?"

"Not really, but my friend loves her."

"Hey!" A unfamiliar shout came from a filly, running up to the colt. "The concert started already. Come on!" The filly tugged at the colt. She then took notice of Button.

"This was that YouTuber I was telling you about. He likes Bella too."

"He does? Are you going to watch the concert too?"

As Button stared at the two, he could not help but reminisce the times he had with Sweetie Belle; the time they worked on their school project, the time they had milkshakes and the time they first played Minecraft together. Button gave a smile to the little filly and said, "You bet. I just need to get a couple things ready."

"Great! We'll see you inside!" The filly said excitedly as she pulled away with the colt. As they ran back inside, the colt waved goodbye and Button returned his.

Button took off his bag and snatched his equipment. With his camera turned on, he placed it on his head and strapped it down tight. He then said, "Hello everypony. If you are watching this video, a day after the live stream was supposed to take place, then that means I did not immediately go to jail. For cancelling the live stream, I apologize and I will give you all reasons for my actions. You are about to see something that most ponies should not do. If any kids are out there are watching this, please don't try this... Unless you had a very good reason for it. Alright everypony, Button Mash is going in!"


***


The crowd cheered and cried for Sweetie Belle. Sweetie smiled for them as they wanted more from her. "Thank you all so much. It does my heart good to be back home in Ponyville. There are so many memories here... So many friends I have made here. Tonight, we-."

"Stop him! Get that stallion!"

Sweetie Belle was interrupted by a random pony in the crowd. She saw that there was a commotion and thought to herself, "There is always a troublemaker in every crowd." She saw that near the back of the crowd, ponies dispersed as a stallion was being chased by security. The gap that the troublemaker had created, drew closer and closer to the stage. Her eyes widened as the stallion drew near, with a smile on his face and a camera on his head. "Bu-Button?"

"Sorry! Excuse me! Pardon me! My bad!" Button screamed as he ran through the crowd to get to Sweetie. "Hey Bella! Big fan!" he shouted jokingly.

Although she was very happy to see him, her emotions took a quick turn when she turned her attention toward the camera. "Wait a minute," she thought, "Is he recording this? Did he... use this opportunity... just to get views?" She was both shocked and hurt at the thought. "Button, what in the name of Twilight Sparkle are you doing!?!"

"I would explain," Button screamed as he continued to run from security, "But I could sure use some help!"

She took a deep breath and shouted, "EVERYPONY FREEZE!" Almost immediately everypony was silent; including Button and the security guards. "I apologize to everypony for this disruption. The concert will resume in just a moment. I will deal with this matter immediately. For now, please enjoy some music from this wonderful band that has been with me throughout my career. Security, please escort the stallion backstage." Once her speech was finished, the band then started to play, Sweetie exited the stage and Button was escorted by two security guards.


***


Backstage, Sweetie Belle waited for Button to arrive. Once security finally brought Button to her, he was met with an angry look on her muzzle. Not only was Button confused at her expression, he also felt guilt and regretted the decision he made that probably ruined her concert. 

Finally, Sweetie Belle broke the silence, "Please give me a few minutes with him."

The security guards looked at one another with a concerned expression. One of them said, "I would advise against that Ms. Bella. After all, he did break into the concert and who knows what might have happened if we had not stop him."

"You didn't stop him, I did. I can handle this. Now please let me take care of it." Her reply annoyed the guard, but they both had their orders and left the two ponies alone.

After the security team left, Button gave a wide and nervous smile to Sweetie, "Hehehe, you sure told those guards huh?" Button said jokingly, but she was not amused. She kept silent and waited to hear the next thing he had to say.

Button then regained his posture, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Sweetie, I'm sorry for what I did, but I can explain everything."

She raised an eyebrow, "I'm listening."

"I really wanted to come and see you before you left, but I was in such a hurry, that I left the house without the ticket. The time it would take to run back to my house and back to the concert, it all would have been over already. I... I didn't want that to happen. So I forced my way in to see you."

His explanation seemed to have calmed down Sweetie Belle, "And the camera?:

"Well, to be honest, I didn't think I would get this far. There is a lot of security out there and I thought I would go to jail for pulling a stunt like this. So I wanted to make have a video for the fans to explain my absence and why I cancelled the live stream."

"So, it wasn't just to get views? To go viral?"

"What? No of course not. Why would you think that?"

Her expression changed from the being upset, to a look of depression, "You would be surprised from what fame can do to a person. In this line of business, I met many ponies who I thought wanted to be friends. But they only pretended to be so they can use me as a 'connection.' When I saw you with your camera... I was afraid that..."

"That I used you?"

Too ashamed to reply, she simply nodded with her head looking down. Button was somewhat hurt that Sweetie Belle could think that he would do such a thing. Then again, she must have had a long and hard time to find a pony she could trust and truly call a friend.

Button walked toward her at a slow pace, extended a hoof and brought her into a warm embrace. "As you wrote in the letter, that bond we had never changed. You don't need to worry about me ever doing that to you." A lump grew in her throat and a tear was shed. 

The moment was interrupted by the sound of fans running out of patience. "Ms. Bella, the crowd can't stall for them any longer. You need to get back out here," a stagehand pleaded with her.

"I gotta go. Wait for me okay?" She asked with a smile.

"You know it," Button replied cheerfully with a wink.

Sweetie left the embrace and walked towards the stage. Before going on, she looked back to Button with a smile and mouthed the words "Thank you." As soon as she appeared before her fans, the crowd roared with glee.

"I'm so sorry everypony! Thank you all so much for your patience. You know, it is fans like all of you that I enjoy what I do. To make up for the early disruption, the concert is extended for another half hour," the crowd cheered at the announcement as the band began to play the next song.

Button watched with his very own VIP access. As he stood behind the curtain, he spoke to the camera, "Everypony, for a while now, I always felt like something was missing. It just goes to show, that money and fame isn't everything. Sometimes you just need that friend, or even a group of friends, to lift you up when life gets you down. I know I found mine and I hope you all have found yours. Button Mash out."
> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Button Mash's computer was ringing and he rushed quickly to answer the call. He checked the username to see that it was Sweetie Belle, he quickly settled in his chair and answered the call. 

The screen immediately showed Sweetie Belle, but for some reason, her attention was away from the camera. She then noticed that the phone stopped ringing and  made eye contact with Button Mash, "Hey Button! How is everything?"

"Great! Just as I thought, I have the best fans and they weren't upset at all about the cancelled live stream. I made up for it when they donated a large amount of bits to the channel and I donated to the Red Cross."

"That's great! I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks Sweetie. How is your World Tour going?"

"We have our ups and downs, but overall it is going very well. Actually, that is why I called you. You are not going to believe who I ran into. Apparently, this fan of yours has attempted to contact you, but he understood that you were probably too busy. I told him that you are a friend of mine and he asked if he could meet you. I hope you didn't mind."

"No not at all. I'm always happy to meet a fan."

"Okay. Here he is." Sweetie Belle then shifted the camera to another pony in the room. The pony was a male, with a short black mane and wore a shirt with a red pixelated "C." When Button Mash saw who it was, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor and found himself unable to utter a single word. The best way to describe him was that he was starstruck. 

"Sw-Sw-Sweetie Belle, is th-th-th-th-th-that-?"

The other colt smiled, "Hello, my name is Coltiplier and it is awesome to finally talk to you."

Button nearly fell out of his seat when Colitplier spoke. "Sweetie, you said it was a fan!"

"But I am a fan. I found your videos to be really funny and I admire the fact that you donate a lot to charity."

"Colitiplier is a fan of my videos!?!"

"Uh Button Mash," Sweetie Belle interrupted, "maybe you should try talking to him."

Button blushed in embarrassment at the joke and laughter from Coltiplier.

"Just take a deep breath and take it easy. We are both stallions and just having a chat. That's all. Just a couple of good looking professional youtubers having a nice talk. Right?"

Although Button's favorite was right in front of him, it did help that Coltiplier was joking around in an attempt to calm him down. Button then took a deep breath and made his second attempt to talk, "It is... I just... This is just... Wow!" Once again, he failed.

"I know right? I almost feel the same way."

"I am, well, I am just so flattered that you are a fan of MY work."

"Absolutely. I have been trying to get in touch with you because I was hoping we could do a colab together."

"What!?! You w-w-w-w-want to do a colab? With m-m-m-me?"

"Sure, but uh, I think I will check back with you another day when you have recovered."

Button let out a nervous giggle, "I'm sorry. It's just that, you have no idea right now."

Coltiplier laughed, "No I have a small idea. So here's my personal email address." Coltiplier raised his hooves to show a piece of paper with his email address.

Button quickly made a note of it and replied, "Thank you Coltiplier. I'm really sorry about this."

"Oh don't be sorry. We can talk later. I have to get going anyways. Ms. Bella, thank you so much for letting me meet him. You are a very lucky mare."

Sweetie Belle giggled, "Thank you. Please keep in touch and call me Sweetie. I really enjoyed meeting you."

"Yeah! Maybe we can make a video together one day."

"That sounds like fun. Just umm, no horror games please."

"No problem there."

"Shall I show you the way out?"

"No that's fine I can find my own way out. Thank you Sweetie. We'll talk later Button?"

Button immediately sat at attention, "Yes yes! Absolutely!"

"Great. Talk to you later. Buh-bye!" Coltiplier said to Button in his regular outro. As soon as he left the room, Sweetie Belle redirected the camera to her.

She took one look at Button's face and could not help but burst into tears of joy.

"Sweetie! Why did you catch me off guard like that!?! That was Coltiplier! My inspiration! My favorite! A colt I adore!"

"Now we're even for making me play that game."

Button had no counterargument; instead he simply mumbled to himself.

"So? Was he everything you thought he would be?"

"Nope... He was more. Oh sweet Celestia he was so much more. Thanks Sweetie."

"Of course. He was a very nice colt and I feel like we just made a new friend."

"My heart is still pounding and my hooves won't stop shaking."

"I bet. I guess that makes us even again."

"For what?"

"For that night in Ponyville and showing that you truly are a great friend."

"Right... a great friend," Button tried to hide it, but he made it too obvious that he was disappointed.

"What? You don't want to be my friend?"

"No no no! I mean, yes I do. I mean, what I meant was-. Oh. Ugh!"

Sweetie Belle laughed, "I was just kidding. And uh..." She then moved closer to her webcam and gave Button a kiss as if she was in the room with him. "Don't worry. I do too. It's just that, with all the traveling I am doing and how busy I am, now isn't the best time. You think you can wait for just a little bit longer?"

Button's heart raced and was very happy to hear that Sweetie felt the same way. After he looked at those green eyes of her shine like a little sorry puppy, how could he have said "no" to her. "Sweetie, I miss you so much and I would like this to work.  I can wait for a little while longer." Button said with a smile as he gazed at her eyes once more.

"I'm happy to hear you say that. Unfortunately, I have to go now. I will be sure to write and we will have a day to spend time together. I promise."

"Don't work too hard. Bye Sweetie."

"Bye."

The video called ended.

After the call, Button felt content and relaxed by stretching out his legs. He then went to lie on his bed and just stared at the ceiling. So far, he had the best day of his life. Another video ready to upload, he met his favorite YouTuber and the pony he had a crush on felt the same way. He then looked to his shelf and saw the CD that Sweetie left him before the concert. He got out of bed and placed the CD into the computer. What a way to finish the day.