Chapter 1
“One ticket west, please.” Button Mash shivered and reached up to pull his hood tighter around him. With his other hoof he dropped a few bits on the counter.
The attendant in the ticket terminal nodded, took the money, and slid a train ticket across the counter. “Where are you off to?”
“As far as the line goes,” Button muttered under his breath. He turned and walked across the platform to board the train.
The car was full, as expected; a lot of ponies were travelling for the holidays. A few looked at him with familiarity and he pointedly avoided their eyes. Too crowded. He walked to the back of the car and passed through the doors to the next one. Also full. Now warming up and struggling under the weight of the suitcase over his back, Button grumbled and kept moving. The third car was nearly full, a few empty seats remained but all of them were next to somepony else. If I sit next to someone, they may try to talk to me. He moved on to the next car, the last one.
The car was perhaps a third full, maybe a little more, and most of the passengers were in the forward seats. This’ll do. Button heard the train whistle and the conductor call out, and quickly trotted down the aisle. He picked the last seat on the right side of the car and slid in against the window. He leaned forward and hefted his suitcase off and set it on the seat beside him – it was unlikely anyone would want the seat but he left a deterrent just in case.
Finally seated, Button slipped his hood off, unravelled his scarf, and leaned back. He tried to keep his eyes forward, but they kept straying to the window. Outside a light snowfall had begun, the shops were closing for the evening, and coloured lights dotted the townscape. What had once been a tiny town was becoming a more lively, bustling city. He barely recognized the landscape anymore. It was for the best. It made this easier.
So long, Ponyville.
The train jerked and slowly began to creak forward. Button saw a few more ponies coming in and sitting down, but no one even looked at him. He took a deep breath and looked outside again. In spite of what he was doing, part of him wanted to commit the sight to memory, in case he never saw it again.
“Running away from home, kiddo?”
The husky, unfamiliar voice belonged to a mare. Button turned his head away from the window.
Across the aisle, sitting by herself in a thick black winter coat with a violet ruffle and matching wool hat, was a burgundy unicorn with a deep rose mane and green eyes. Green eyes that were looking right at him.
“Well?”
Button remembered her question and shook his head. “No.”
“You’re a bad liar,” she said dryly.
He glared at her. “Even if I was, what business is it of yours?”
“None. Was just gonna say that this is a bad time of year to do it. Gonna be cold, sleeping out on the streets.” She shrugged and sat back in her seat.
Button frowned. “How’d you guess, anyway?”
“Not a hard guess.” She gestured a hoof his way without turning her head. “You’re young, you want to sit alone, you look miserable, and your suitcase is stuffed. Pretty obvious really.”
“Oh…” He deflated slightly at being read so easily. “Well, yeah. I am.”
“Parents know?”
His anger flared up anew. “Don’t mention them!”
“Oh. Sorry.” The mare shook her head and looked at him. “I should know better, touchy subject. You’re right, none of my business.”
Button tilted his head and peered closer at her. She looks familiar…is that a scar over her eye? “Who are you?”
“Tempest Shadow.”
Button’s eyes widened. “What!?” His jaw dropped as the mare’s eyebrows lifted. “I mean, the Tempest Shadow? The one that invaded Canterlot with the Storm King?”
“I’ve never met anypony else with the name, so, yes. Though that was a long time ago.” Tempest reached up and pulled off her hat to reveal the stump of a broken horn.
“Wow.” Button gave an awkward laugh. “Uh, I mean, it’s not like you’re famous or anything, but you…you kinda are, you know?”
“I do.” Tempest pulled her hat back into place, and looked him over. “I’m surprised you remember the Storm King. You’re a bit young, aren’t you?”
“I’m older than I look. I was a colt at the time. I’m Button Mash.”
“Nice to meet you.” Tempest gave him a small smile. “Though if you want to be alone, we don’t have to talk.”
Button spared a glance at the rest of the car. Most ponies were reading newspapers or books, or chatting with their seatmates. The cacophony was overwhelming and he couldn’t help but catch snippets of conversation. He turned his head to look outside and only saw pitch darkness.
“Talking is fine. Just, nothing about home, or my family.”
“Fair enough.” Tempest slid to the other end of her seat. “What about, then?”
Hmm… “You recognized the look because you ran away from home too, didn’t you?”
“That helped, yeah. I didn’t take a suitcase, though.”
“That must have been rough.”
“You have no idea.”
“Vanhoover, end of the line!”
Button blinked and looked out the window; a darkened cityscape filled his view, shadowed skyscrapers stretching up into a snowy sky. I fell asleep? He remembered talking to Tempest, but at some point he must have drifted off. He looked across the aisle and saw her pulling a small satchel from under her seat and swinging it over her neck. “Did I nod off while we were talking?”
“Yeah.”
He felt sheepish and lowered his head. “Sorry.”
“Eh, don’t be. You looked like you needed it.” Tempest nodded at him. “See ya around, kiddo.”
Button picked his suitcase and began to walk down the aisle. With nothing else to look at but the uninteresting interior of the train car, he found himself watching Tempest walking ahead of him. She’s only got a little bag with her. Is she just on a short trip? She packs light.
When they made it to the next car, it was already emptied as its passengers exited directly onto the platform, one of several across several train lines that connected to Vanhoover’s main station. Button stepped out onto the platform and pulled his hood up. Although it was actively snowing here as opposed to Ponyville, the wind wasn’t blowing so it didn’t feel as cold. He looked up at the clock on the platform; it was shortly after midnight.
I need to sleep. He swallowed suddenly. I have nowhere to go. Where am I going to sleep? Eat? He began to breathe faster. I knew what I was doing. Didn’t I? He swept his eyes back and forth and caught sight of the familiar burgundy tail in the crowd.
“Tempest!” Button hefted his suitcase and moved as quickly as he could with its weight slowing him down. He saw her stop and turn her head, giving him a chance to catch up with her. “Uh, hey.”
“Hey,” Tempest replied coolly.
“Can I stick with you for a bit?” Button asked.
Tempest’s eye narrowed slightly, but she didn’t seem annoyed or angered. After a moment she nodded. “Just keep up.”
“You got it.” Button nodded and moved up beside her as she resumed walking. The two descended a wide flight of stairs into the station interior, the crowd growing thicker as more travellers came and went from different accesses to the train lines. Button had to push back to keep from being knocked around by ponies not paying attention to where they were going, but he was able to keep Tempest in view and mostly keep pace with her.
When they exited the concourse to one of the halls leading outside, Tempest spoke. “First time in the big city, hm?”
“Yeah.” Button tilted his head to the skylight and the expanse of Vanhoover rising overhead. “I’ve never been here and don’t even know anyone here.”
“Makes two of us.”
Button took a moment to process her words. “You don’t?” He tilted his head and looked at her. “Then why come here?”
“Why did you run away from home?”
His breath caught at the unexpected response and he sputtered for a moment. “I… don’t wanna tell you.”
“There you go.”
He frowned as the two fell silent. I can’t tell if she’s angry or not. When they reached the doors outside and emerged on the sidewalk, the tension in his back lessened slightly. At least she’s still letting me go with her.
“And how many nights will you be staying?” The unicorn receptionist asked.
“Two,” Tempest responded.
The receptionist nodded and used her magic to flip through a binder on her desk.
Beside Tempest, Button awed at the lobby around them. She had said this was a lower-end hotel on the far side of town, where rates were likely to be lower and they’d have an easier time finding a room. But ‘lower-end’ must have been relative, because it was the most luxurious place Button had seen outside of occasional visits to Canterlot. The lobby was big enough to fit Ponyville’s town hall inside, both horizontally and vertically, and still have room left over. Carved wooden balconies from the second floor, a row of elevators at the far end, deep red and yellow carpeting, all lit by warm lighting from wall sconces.
I feel so out of place.
“We have a two-bedroom room available on the third floor,” the receptionist said.
Tempest held up a hoof before they could continue. “Two single rooms, please.”
The receptionist looked embarrassed and glanced at Button for a moment before turning their attention back to Tempest. “Of course, my apologies.” She went back to the binder and flipped a page back. “Would you prefer adjacent rooms, then?”
Tempest looked at Button expectantly; he looked up at her and then the receptionist, and held up his hooves. “If it isn’t too much trouble. Or expensive.”
“Not terribly.” The receptionist shook her head and ran a hoof down the page. “Rooms 607 and 609 are available.”
Tempest nodded. “That’ll do.”
“Alright, the charge for each room is twenty bits a night. We–”
“Twenty bits a night!?” Button blurted. The receptionist was slightly startled by the exclamation and paused. “Um, hang on…” Button put his suitcase on the ground and popped it open. He pushed a few items aside to grab a pull-string bag, and reached a hoof to feel the coins inside. I barely even brought sixty, I think…
“I’ll cover it.”
Button looked up at Tempest, but she was facing the receptionist. “That’d be eighty bits total, right?”
“Yes. As I was saying, that also includes a complimentary breakfast of eggs and fruit from the breakfast cart that makes the rounds.”
“Sounds good.” Tempest opened the flap on her satchel and pulled out a small purse, and withdrew a bill from it. “Make it ninety.”
The receptionist smiled wider and nodded. “Thank you, ma’am.” She took the bill and punched up the fee on the register.
Tempest turned and looked at Button. “Lesson one for running away from home – however much money you have, you’re still poor. Lesson two – any place promising a bed and a meal is worth it.”
“Right.” Button pulled his suitcase closed, taking a moment to look at everything he had brought with him before he clicked it shut.
“Here ya go.”
Button was roused from his thoughts by Tempest’s voice, and a key on a lanyard slipped over his neck. Tempest headed toward the elevators and he lifted his suitcase and hurried after her.
“Thanks a lot for that,” he said.
“You owe me,” Tempest said. She didn’t sound angry, at least.
I know she’s reformed and not evil, but she’s still being a bit too nice. What’s up with that? He looked at her closely as he tried to figure out the answer. She noticed quickly and turned her head.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”
Now she sounded a little angry.
“Oh, sorry!” Button’s face reddened. “I was just thinking, uh… what are you doing tomorrow?”
“Why?”
One of the elevators opened and they boarded it before Button answered.
“I could pay you back, somehow.”
“You planning to find a spot to panhandle in the middle of winter?”
Button opened his mouth, paused a moment, and then closed it. She’s right, where the heck am I gonna make money? I should have brought some things to sell. Or sold some stuff off before I left…though ponies would have asked questions then…
“I’ll figure something out.”
“Lesson three for running away from home – have a plan.”
Button nodded. ”Good advice.” He twitched his nose. “Did you have a plan when you ran away?”
Tempest didn’t answer and he let it drop as the elevator doors opened on their floor.
When you needed money in Ponyville, you just took a stroll around town. Somewhere there was a pony who’d accept help repairing something or moving something, or would let you run errands for them, and they’d toss a couple of bits your way for the assistance. Sometimes you could luck out on a business with an employee who was home sick, and after a brief rundown of your duties, fill in for them and make a day’s pay.
Vanhoover was not like Ponyville. No one wanted or needed help, and from the looks of the people walking around Button, they wouldn’t be the kind to pay him much anyway. He spotted a couple of ponies on various street corners, who rushed out to clean carriages at crosswalks, and maybe the owner would toss them a single bit as they trotted away.
The best he had been able to do was find an arcade, and with a couple wagers against some other arcade-goers over who could beat who in Power Pony Pummel 2, Button had managed to scrape together twenty bits, ten of which went towards paying for lunch and dinner – after he had gone to nearly a dozen different corner shops looking for the cheapest meals he could find. And, to put it mildly, both times he got what he paid for. He’d be hungry through the night for sure.
So it was that, ten hours after leaving the hotel for the day, Button found himself slowly walking down the street back to his room. He didn’t bother to apologise as strangers bumped into him, though mostly because they weren’t paying attention to where they were going and it was their own fault. I’m cold, I’m hungry, I’m tired, and I’m only slightly less-poor than I was last night. He sighed and looked up at the hotel. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
He kept his head down as he entered the lobby, navigated around the ponies going about their own business, and went to the elevators. One was opening to let ponies off just as he got there and he quickly got on and closed the door. He pressed the button for the sixth floor and waited.
I wonder if Tempest is back… Button had briefly seen her in the morning, then she went off on her own into town before he did. Maybe he could leave his partial payment for the room in hers? No, I don’t have a key.
The elevator doors opened and Button shuffled down the hallway. He reached his room, pulled his key lanyard from under his jacket, and unlocked the door. It swung in, revealing an empty room.
The accommodations were simple but adequate; a single, small bed, a dresser, a table and chair, and a TV and phone. Button had browsed the TV last night but there was nothing available without paying.
He tossed his coat on the back of the chair and sat down on the bed. He took a deep breath and looked around the room.
I’m bored.
Despite the long day, he wasn’t tired, and it was too early to go to bed anyway. But it was also too late to go out again; and besides, he couldn’t spare any money to do anything but walk around town. Walk around the hotel? Not out of the question, there were probably things to do like a gym or a lounge, or something. But they might need to be paid for.
With no reason to leave his room and nothing in it to distract him, his eyes slid over to his suitcase on the table; he had only briefly opened it to get a notebook out for the day. I could unpack…but why bother, I’ll be out of here in a day… Instead he lay back on the bed and let his mind wander. His mind chose to wander to the wrong places – the suitcase, Ponyville. Mom…
He swung his hooves off the bed and went to the table. He clicked his suitcase open, pushed the lid back, and after a moment began carefully lifting the contents out and placing them on the table.
A few basic items of clothing. A bag of bits. A handheld game device and a container with some game cartridges. Some boxes and cans of food. A hairbrush and a towel. Two notebooks with pens. Anything he could think of at the time that seemed like it would be useful on the road.
With the bottom of the suitcase empty, Button turned his eyes to the top, and the single item tucked behind the mesh lining.
His hooves shook and he took a deep breath. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t… His body didn’t listen, and he noticed that as soon as he felt his eyes watering. He let out a small sob and the sound of his own voice broke him.
Button collapsed in his chair and let his head hit the table. He wailed and let the tears roll down his muzzle and drip to the floor. I want to go home! I want my home back! I want things back the way they were! He tried to voice his thoughts aloud just to get them out of his head, but his mouth was busy sobbing.
He heard a knock on the hotel room door. “Button?” Tempest’s voice.
“Go away!” He snapped. Knowing that someone was listening now, he tried to get his crying under control, but it was a futile effort.
A minute or so later the handle of his door jiggled and then swung open. Tempest saw his state, and walked up to his bed and sat down. “It all finally caught up to you, hm?”
Button sniffed and turned his head. “How’d you get in?”
“You’d be surprised what you can do with a paperclip and a lot of practice.” Tempest replied. Button just turned his head back to the table. After several moments of silence, Tempest spoke again. “Want to talk?”
“No. You don’t care.”
“If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t have broken into your hotel room.”
“Why?” Button grew angry and glared at her. “Why are you being so nice to me? You let me tag along with you, you paid for me to stay here, and now you want to talk? Why?”
Tempest held his gaze evenly. “Because I know you’re having a tough time, and if I could make it a little easier for you, I want to. That’s what harmony is about, isn’t it?”
“You think just because you ran away from home too, that you know what I’m going through?” Button asked bitterly. “You don’t know anything.”
“You’re right, I don’t know why you ran away. But I do know life is going to get real hard real fast because you did. And…” Tempest rocked her head. “Like I said, if you want to talk…”
Button looked at her for a long moment. His tears had stopped in talking to her, and any frustration at her behaviour had left him, leaving him feeling drained. He thought for a moment before reaching to the top of his suitcase and gesturing to the item tucked into the mesh.
“That’s why.”
Tempest came closer and peered at the item – a photograph. “That your mom?”
“She was.” Button burrowed his head into his hooves. “She died this year.”
“Well…darn.”
Button lifted his head at the unusual tone in Tempest’s voice, and he saw her looking away and rubbing her head. Was she embarrassed?
She noticed him looking at her. “Just, yeah, I have no idea what you’re going through, then. I figured family squabbles or something, not…sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Button said softly. He looked at the picture of a colt with a propeller hat making a silly face with a pale brown mare smiling next to him, and took a shaky breath “I heard she collapsed while out doing errands. She had a brain aneurysm. Vessel popped and…that was it. They said she probably didn’t even realise it, didn’t feel any pain.” He took another breath.
“I’m an adult, I know. I’m a grown stallion. But my mom, she was my rock, you know? She was always there for me. And I lived with her, yeah I worked a job but she was supporting us both for real. Once she was gone, I…I didn’t know what to do.” He shook his head. “I mean, life, you know? How am I supposed to live without her? Even if I could take care of myself, I’m not ready for it. I didn’t want to be alone, I don’t know how to be. Coming home every day to an empty house, having to clean out her room, pay bills, sign over stuff in her name to me…I couldn’t do it.”
“So you ran,” Tempest said softly.
Button nodded. “I ran. I didn’t know where to go, I just knew I didn’t want to be in Ponyville anymore.”
The room fell silent, save for the faint sounds of their breathing. What’s going through her head now? Is she realising what a mistake it was to let me tag along? I’m not just a runaway, I’m an orphan, and she practically babysat me. He tilted his eyes up to Tempest and saw her looking off into space.
“I felt the same way, once,” Tempest said softly. Button jerked his head up.
“What?”
“Well, it wasn’t quite the same as what you’re dealing with,” she corrected. “My parents died a long time ago and I didn’t find out until long after. I mean, after the Storm King’s defeat.” She let out a long breath. “I had spent so long serving him, and spent more time before that just wandering Equestria being angry and selfish, that once he was gone, I didn’t know what to do with myself. Princess Twilight offered to let me stay in Ponyville, but it didn’t seem right. So I hit the road.”
“Where did you go?”
“Anywhere. Everywhere. Helped ponies in need, tried to spread word of the Storm King’s defeat. Went to the Crystal Empire for a while, made amends with an old friend.” She shook her head. “I kept telling myself I was atoning for what I had done under the Storm King, that I was trying to fix what I had broken. Problem with that story is that it only lasts so long before you have to admit you’ve either done enough, or will never do enough, depending on how you think about it. I figured that out, but I still didn’t know what else to do with myself. So I kept travelling.”
“Kept travelling…” Button thought for a moment. “You said you didn’t know anypony in Vanhoover and had never been here before. So…”
Tempest nodded. “Yeah. Still running.”
“Yikes.” Button’s eyes bulged. “I mean, um, just…that long? Really?”
“Really.” Tempest shrugged. “I don’t even know what I’m looking for anymore. I just know that whenever I ask if wherever I am now is where I want to stop wandering, the answer I give myself is ‘no’. Nowhere seems right.”
“I…I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Not your fault.”
Button nodded, and an idea came to mind. “Did you ever go back to your home?”
“You mean the place I was born,” Tempest said gently. “Yeah, a couple of times. Never stayed long. No one there remembers me, or if they do I don’t remember them. Either way, it’s not my home anymore.”
“That's how I felt about Ponyville,” Button replied. “Everypony I used to know has moved away or grown apart from me. I’m a stranger in my own hometown.” He considered what he had said. “Is the moral of this story something like ‘don’t end up like me’?”
Tempest snorted. “Kiddo, I don’t know how to not end up like me. And remember that when I left home, I was younger than you, less prepared, and I had a broken horn marking me as an outcast. All things considered I think I turned out pretty well – servitude to a warlord notwithstanding.”
“Right.” Button chuckled slightly. “So what should I do?”
“Dunno. I’ve been trying to figure it out for over ten years and I still haven’t figured it out.”
The two fell silent again. Button looked at the contents of his suitcase, and then the picture of him and his mother. “…What now?”
“You hungry?”
He jerked at the unexpected question. “Huh?”
“I haven’t had dinner yet. Want something from room service?” Tempest asked.
“Uh, sure.”
She reached over to the nightstand by the bed, pulled open a drawer, and fished out a small pamphlet. “Let’s see what they’ve got.” She opened it and began to browse.
“I can’t pay you back, you know.”
“When did I say I expected you to?” Tempest didn’t look up as she spoke. “I just know that now, we can keep sitting here feeling depressed and mopey and confused, or we can get food and eat. I vote food.”
Button chuckled. “I agree.”
“As for what you should do…” Tempest glanced at him and gave a small shrug again. “Just, keep on truckin’. You’ll figure things out sooner or later. That’s what I figure’ll happen to me.”
He nodded. “Good plan.”
As a foal, Button had dreamed of seeing the furthest reaches of Equestria, but he hadn’t expected to realise that dream when he was still a young stallion.
He had seen the badlands surrounding the changeling hive, where the reformed shapeshifters had begun cultivating the land to return the greenery. He’d been to the mountains beyond the Crystal Empire where the yaks were levelling the mountain passes for easier travel to Yakyakistan. He had swam on the coasts of both the Celestial and Lunar oceans, seen the valleys of Griffonstone and the waterfalls of Mt. Aris. He had camped out in jungles and arctic tundras and desert oases, done trade with dragons and zebras and kirins. He felt like he could write a book about all he had seen already.
He’d learned to adapt to the wanderer’s lifestyle. He picked up odd jobs along the way where he could, learning what types of businesses were willing to hire a young stallion for a day or two at sub-standard pay. Other times he relied on the charity of others, getting to camp out in a pony’s back shed or on their porch in exchange for doing some yardwork or other favours. He had gradually sold off, lost, or worn out his possessions he had brought with him, and traded in his suitcase for a backpack, and then a saddlebag. His picture of his mother, his game system, and a journal documenting his travels were what was left over from his initial provisions, and had been joined by a sleeping bag, a lantern, and some medical and personal hygiene supplies.
Looking back, it was hard for him to believe that he was the same stallion who had burst into tears at the thought of being alone and homeless. He was proud of himself for coming this far.
It had also helped that every step of his journey, he had taken it alongside Tempest.
Button wasn’t sure why she kept him around. For a while he assumed that any day now, he’d wake up wherever it was they were sleeping and find she had left, or she’d tell him to leave her alone and walk off. But it never happened and eventually he stopped expecting it. He’d never asked her about it and she’d never said anything. All he knew is that they had become travelling companions across Equestria, and she didn’t seem to mind it. He certainly didn’t. She was the closest thing he had to a friend, and he had quickly learned that was the most invaluable thing one could ask for with a lifestyle like theirs.
But now a new sort of tiredness had begun to set in. The more Button thought about Ponyville and the life he left behind, the more he realised he didn’t miss the city itself – he missed what he had had there. The security of a warm bed every night, having a regular routine, knowing the places and ponies around you and how you fit into them. Travelling, naturally, never allowed him to have that peace of mind.
Which was why he found himself standing in the middle of Baltimare Central Station staring up at the train schedules for an hour, unsure of what to do.
“Excuse me!” A foal ran past Button and bumped into him, jerking him from his thoughts. She was chased by a colt the same age, and a stallion running after them with a haggard look.
“Sorry!” the stallion called as he passed. Button watched them go and then turned back to the schedules.
“Midnight…” He turned his eyes down to the clock. “Just a little less than three hours to decide.” He took a deep breath and nodded. “No pressure. No pressure at all…”
He left the station full of bustling travellers, slipping through thicker parts of the crowd and ducking ponies he recognized weren’t paying attention to where they were going. When he made it to the doors he stepped out of the way and took a moment to zip up his coat and wrap his scarf tightly around his neck, then headed out.
The snow was coming down in thick blankets, making him grateful he had made the decision to buy a new pair of thick boots a month ago. The snow on the sidewalk at least had been crunched down by the steady stream of pedestrians, so he didn’t have much trouble making his way through the streets and across roads. Also fortunate was that there was no wind, but it was still cold out and he trotted to get back inside as quickly as he could. On the way he tried to mentally rehearse the upcoming conversation.
How to tell her…how to tell her…
The hotel lobby was surprisingly not that busy; Button assumed that most ponies were out shopping or staying in their rooms. He nodded at the attendant at the doors, took a moment to wipe his boots on the mats, and headed to the elevators at a slower pace. He stepped onto one that just opened to let two mares off and pushed the button for the seventh floor.
Alone as the doors slid shut, he closed his eyes and steeled himself.
I hope she’ll say yes.
When the doors opened he took his time walking down the hall to Room 709. He paused at the door for a moment.
I could go down to the lounge, get a snack, and come back later. Take more time to figure things out.
The idea sounded very appealing, but instead he found his hooves reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a card key. He tapped it to the pad under the door and the latch clicked open.
“You were out late.”
Tempest was laying on her stomach on her bed, eating from a bag of chips and reading a magazine. Button sat down on the other bed in the room and began removing his clothing.
“Was just looking around the town,” he replied. Tempest murmured in response but kept reading. He glanced at her over his shoulder.
She’ll listen if I keep going, but she’s not going to pry, either. She gets me. He gave a small smile and pulled off his boots.
“So,” he began, sitting back on the bed and relaxing. Tempest turned her eyes his way. “This is our last night here, right?”
“Yeah, but check-out is in the morning. We can still sleep.”
“Right…” Button inhaled. “I was just thinking that maybe I’d leave tonight.”
“Oh?” Tempest lifted her head from her magazine and gave him her full attention. “How come?”
“The Harmony Express stops here at midnight. According to the schedule, it heads to Canterlot and then Ponyville. It arrives in the early morning.” Button looked over at her. “Was thinking maybe…it’s been a year. I could go home.”
“I see.” Tempest nodded. “Okay.”
The room went silent. Button leaned his head back and turned his eyes to the ceiling.
Not the response I expected.
He heard movement and saw Tempest stand and move to the dresser. She opened the drawer and pulled out a folded bundle of cloth, and she moved to the large bag by her bed.
“What are you doing?” Button asked.
“Packing,” Tempest replied. “You said the train leaves at midnight, should at least be ready to go whenever we go.”
She…
“Oh.”
“What?” Tempest paused and looked at him.
“Just…I didn’t say we were going…” Button grunted and slapped a hoof to his face. “Wait! That didn’t come out right at all.”
“Didn’t it?”
“NO!” He furiously shook his head and sat up. “I meant that I didn’t specify we could go to Ponyville, but you’re assuming I meant it that way!”
“Do you not want me to come with you?” Tempest asked evenly.
“Of course I do!” Button exclaimed. “But…I mean…” he groaned. “You assumed…”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Tempest looked confused. “We’ve been travelling Equestria together for a year, Button Mash. This wouldn’t even be the first time you suggested the destination.”
“I know, but…this is different.” He shook his head. “What if I wanted to stay in Ponyville?”
“That’s up to you, obviously.”
“But what about us?” He said forcefully. He climbed off the bed and looked Tempest in the eye. “Are you really just gonna move in with me and settle down?”
“Oh.” Tempest looked away. Her brow lifted and she looked mildly surprised. “I’d not thought of it that way…” She rocked her head. “I don’t hate the sound of it, though.”
“Really?” Button peered closer at her. “I can’t picture you living that sort of life.”
“I can’t picture either of us living that way.” Tempest lifted her head and tilted her eyes up to the ceiling. “Then again, I can’t remember the last time I really tried.”
But you’d try for me? Button couldn’t bring himself to voice the thought. There was too much weight behind it and not even he was sure how to address it. He pondered for a moment how to rephrase it, and his thoughts kept going back to two words.
“Why me?”
Tempest turned his way. “What?”
“Why would you do that for me?” Button asked.
She frowned. “I’m not doing anything for you. I’m–”
“Aren’t you?” Button interrupted. “I mean, you’ve wandered Equestria for at least a decade, but now you think maybe you want to settle down and live a normal life with me in Ponyville after knowing me for a year?” As he spoke, realisation dawned on him and his eyes widened. “Are you in lo–”
“Finish that sentence and I will buck you in the head,” Tempest said with a scowl.
Button calmed down. “So, you don’t?”
Tempest rolled her eyes and moved towards the window to look over the city below. “I wouldn’t even know enough to argue it if I tried. It’s not like they make self-help books on this stuff.”
“Actually, they do.”
“None I’m ever gonna read.” She looked back at him. “What about you? You’re the one who brought it up to me and said you wanted me to come with you. Nopony is forcing you to do anything there, if you wanna head back on your own, you can leave any time.”
“I know. But…” Button scrunched his nose. “I…I don’t want to not be with you anymore. You know?”
“No. I don’t know,” Tempest said softly.
He took a deep breath. “It’s…complicated.”
“We have time before either of us needs to get on the train.”
“Right.” He inhaled again and let it out. “I just, I think about when I left Ponyville. I missed my mom, I didn’t know how to take care of myself, I was getting older, the town was changing so much. Too much was happening too fast and I couldn’t handle it. Nothing was the same and I couldn’t see myself fitting into things the way they were going.”
He looked at Tempest. “But this last year, travelling with you, spending time with you…things kinda started to feel…’normal’, again. I know that wherever I end up sleeping, or eating, or working, at the end of the day, I can count on you to be there to listen to me vent or hang out together or just be there.” He gave a small smile. “We may not have a daily routine, but at least there’s some sense of stability, knowing we’ll be there for each other.
“With you, things on the road don’t seem so scary or so hard. There’s always somepony I can turn to if I need help. I feel safer, warmer, like things will be okay. I think…” Button hesitated and quickly organised his jumbled thoughts into a denouement. “When I’m with you, even when we’re out on the road, I feel like I used to when I had a home.”
He fell silent and watched Tempest’s face. He saw flickers of emotions pass over her, but they were too brief to get a sense of what was going through her mind.
“You’re putting a lot of words in my mouth there, kiddo,” Tempest replied. “I haven’t said anything about that kind of stuff.”
“I know. But I don’t think I’m wrong.” Button shrugged. “I’ve gotten to the point I could be fine on my own, but you’re still here. You’re not hanging out with me anymore because you feel sorry for me. You like travelling with me too, don’t you? And you assumed if I went home, you’d be coming too.”
Tempest opened her mouth, closed it, and looked annoyed. “...well, darn. You got me on that one.”
Button smiled at himself. “So I’m right, aren’t I?”
“I’ve never really been much to travel with someone. Always been a loner. This last year though, knowing someone’s got my back if things get dicey, having someone to chat with on train rides and when I can’t sleep…” She smiled. “Yeah. It’s been nice.” She lifted her hooves and gave a small chuckle. “I dunno if I’d say I feel at home with you or anything. I don’t even remember what that feels like at all.”
“Well, maybe I could help remind you.” Button slowly approached her. “You helped me get used to life on the road. I could help you get used to life in Ponyville.” He reached out and put a hoof around hers.
Tempest looked down at their joined hooves, and he felt her give a gentle squeeze.
“That could be nice.” She raised her head. “What if I don’t like it and wanna head out after a day?”
Button shrugged. “I could come with you, or stay there. We’ll see. We won’t know until we try. Whichever it is, we’ll figure it out together, right?”
“Sounds good.” Tempest smiled widely. “Thanks, Button.”
She leaned in and placed a quick peck on his cheek.
Button’s eyes widened and his face flushed. “Guh…you…”
Tempest put her hoof over his mouth, and he noticed she seemed as flustered as he was. “Don’t. Whatever you say will make it weird, and we have a long train ride ahead of us and I’m not in the mood for awkward silence all the way. Got me?”
He nodded.
Tempest withdrew her hoof and nodded back. “We’d better make sure we’re packed.” She walked past him to the dresser and resumed putting her things away in her saddlebags. Button quietly did the same and loaded up his saddlebag with his few possessions.
He clipped the flap shut, pulled the bag into place, and tightened the strap. He then grabbed his coat and boots and scarf, and saw Tempest doing the same on her side of the bed. When he was done, he turned and saw her waiting for him fully dressed.
“Ready?”
Button reached into his pocket, and placed his keycard to the room on top of the dresser for the cleaning staff. Tempest stepped up next to him and put hers on top of his.
The two looked at each other. Button smiled and gave a small nod.
“Let’s go home.”