“I just can’t believe Sweetie Belle would do such a thing!”

Sweetie Belle cringed as she heard her sister’s voice from outside the school. She had been left at her desk to sit and think about her actions in the schoolhouse while Cheerilee went to get Rarity, presumably so her big sister could give her a lecture on her behavior.

Despite already getting a lecture from Cheerilee, Sweetie Belle still wasn’t very regretful about the whole incident. Alright, so blasting them with magic probably would have been a bit much… But they were picking on Button… Sweetie Belle paused and pursed her lips. It’s not like he knows how to defend himself in those situations. Sweetie Belle pondered on this for a second, she giggled lightly to herself for a second and shook her head. I can’t believe the same colt who would jump off a roof or cliff with a small promise that whatever on his back will keep him safe bursts into tears if he’s being made fun of… Gosh, he’s so cute…

Sweetie Belle suddenly frowned as she felt her cheeks warm up, Uh-oh… I think I’m in deep…

Her thoughts occupied with her own feelings on Button Mash, she forgot about the conversation the two mares were having about her outside.

“To think my own sister would lose her head over something, and resort to violence…” Rarity said. “Why, I know our parents taught her better than this.”

“I was just as surprised as you were when I saw it,” Cheerilee explained, “but it was quite clear she was about to get violent with those two.”

Rarity paused. “Two?”

“Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon,” Cheerilee explained.

The surprised expressions on Rarity’s face abandoned ship as her countenance crashed at full speed into the shallow sandbar of understanding. “Oh, now that I believe.”

“Well, who it was doesn’t really matter does it?” Cheerilee said.

Rarity cocked an eyebrow at the magenta mare, “I understand that violence against one’s peers should never be the answer, but those two bully my sister and her friends relentlessly. I would have expected Scootaloo to come to blows with those two first, but it’s hardly surprising one of them was pushed over the edge.”

Cheerilee pursed her lips and knitted her eyebrows slightly. Slightly flustered by Rarity’s words, she decided to press on. “Be that as it may… your sister looked like she was about ready to blast those two with magic. Now wouldn’t you agree that seems just a little extreme?”

Rarity sighed. “Don’t tell me you’re punishing her more severely because she was going to use magic instead of pummeling the two girls silly with her hooves.”

Cheerilee looked at Rarity with equal parts shock and offense. “Excuse me?! I would never treat any of my students differently just because they were a unicorn,” Cheerilee insisted.

Rarity smirked. “I didn’t say ‘unicorn’, now did I? I said ‘magic’.”

“What?!” Cheerilee cried in a protesting tone. “But you… that’s being pedantic and you know it!”

“Still hung up on Proud Heart?” Rarity asked. “I can’t help if he had a thing for unicorns, you know...”

Cheerilee shot Rarity an angry glare. “No…” she said through gritted teeth. “…I am not hung up on a high school crush or letting such a trivial thing affect my judgments…”

“I’m just saying, dearie,” Rarity began, “he and I go out on a few dates and then you don’t even speak to me again unless you have too…”

Cheerilee narrowed her eyes. “It was much more than ‘a few’ dates.”

Rarity tittered lightly. “Hehehe… So you are still hung up on Proud Heart.”

Cheerilee’s jaw hung open slightly as her eye twitched ever so slightly. “No! I didn’t… grrrRRRRRAH!”

Cheerilee made frustrated roar and then looked back at Rarity with an irritated expression. Rarity always did know how to get under her skin with they were growing up together. She just had to bring up Proud Heart, didn’t she?! She knew I had a huge crush on him, but did that stop her?! This is why I was hoping to get one of Sweetie Belle’s parents! Cheerilee’s expression shifted back to thoughtful contemplation. Wait… Is Rarity trying to distract me like she used to do back in school? Is she trying to get me to let Sweetie…

“I’m sorry, dearie…”

The apology smashed into Cheerilee’s thoughts like a wrecking ball. She refocused her attention on Rarity.

“Oh, I knew how you felt about Proud Heart, and you did everything right!” Rarity insisted. She gave a small chuckle. “Hehe… I daresay it was always fun trying to keep up with the latest fashion with you, but I wasn’t trying to steal him from you, you know…”

Cheerilee sighed and shook her head. “Oh, it’s alright… I mean… he did have a thing for unicorns, and I can’t blame you to saying ‘yes’ to a few dates and dances because he was attracted to you. Of course you’d be interested… what pony wouldn’t?”

Rarity grinned briefly before a serious expression remerged on her face. “Still, I could have been more mindful of your feelings, darling. I mean, I knew full well how you felt about him...”

“I appreciate hearing that Rarity, but…” Cheerilee sighed again, this time with more forcefulness. “…No, you know what? It wasn’t your fault...” Cheerilee took a few steps away from Rarity and stared off into the bright, cheery landscape of Ponyville. The pleasant day did little to improve her currently dour mood as she dealt with her feelings of the recently dredged up past. “Oooh… I just wish I didn’t waste so much time and effort trying to woo him…”

Rarity chuckled once more. “You did have the frizziest hair by far,” Rarity mused. "You probably could have had any stallion you wanted…”

“UHG! I KNOW!” Cheerilee exclaimed. “But nooo…” she said in a tone almost as if she was berated her past self, “it just had to be Proud Heart… hours spent getting my mane and tail to be the frizziest at school just to catch his attention…” she said as she inserted her forehooves into her mane and lifted the pink hair slightly.

Rarity grinned to herself as Cheerilee launched into a tirade over her past fashion and high school crush choices. Some things never change…

“What’s the sitch, mom?” Button asked as he looked up at his mother. The colt was still wearing his signature propeller beanie, however he had donned black tights that hugged his body up to his neck.

Love Tap was dressed similarly, her tights also extending up to her neck. She passed a pair of binoculars to her son as she tilted her ear in the direction of school.

“I think Rarity is keeping her distracted,” Love Tap informed as her ear twitched slightly.

“Are they talking about Sweetie Belle?” Button asked as he raised the binoculars to his face and peered through them.

Love Tap knitted her brow slightly. “I think they’re talking about high school…”

Scootaloo trotted over to the black-tight-wearing mother-and-son duo. “Sweetie Belle did mention that Rarity used to go to school with Cheerilee.”

“Ah wonder why they’d up and start talking about that,” Apple Bloom wondered out loud.

Love Tap shook her head. “Maybe, Rarity is trying her own tactic to get Sweetie Belle out of trouble…” She shrugged. “…or maybe there’s just a few things the two need to talk about and this is the first chance Rarity’s had to talk to Cheerilee… Anyhow…” Love Tap glanced at the cart full of large, dangerous looking fireworks before she looked out at the foals and smiled. “Everything ready?”

The foals saluted. “Ready!” they answered.

Love Tap nodded. “Good, then let’s not let this opportunity go to waste...”

Button Mash and Apple Bloom enthusiastically retreated back to the cart of fireworks, while Scootaloo lagged behind.

“Something I can help you with, Scootaloo?” Love Tap asked with a smile.

“Uh… I guess I just wanted to know why you’re so willing to blow a hole in the school… being an adult and all…” Scootaloo said sheepishly. She suddenly smiled. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you…”

Love Tap chuckled. “Well, let’s just say I understand Sweetie Belle’s situation quite well.” Love Tap paused as she turned back towards the school. “And I figured out long ago that if you’re going to get in trouble for something, it might as well be something you deserve to be in trouble for.”

Scootaloo chuckled. “Hehehe...So go big or go home, huh?”

Love Tap gave the young filly a closed eyed smile. “Something like that. Now go run along and help the other two with the fireworks,” Love Tap said as she shooed the young filly along with her forehooves.

Scootaloo nodded. “Right!”

So what do I say to him? Sweetie Belle thought to herself as she stared out into open space. That I ‘like,like, like, you’?Sweetie Belle frowned. That sounds stupid… Love? Erm… maybe that’s a bit forward… I mean… I’m pretty sure we’re too young to get married...

“ULGH!”

Sweetie Belle broke herself from her stupor as she noticed the talking outside becoming increasingly heated.

Her lower lip began to quiver as her ears flopped down around her head. Wow, Ms. Cheerilee actually sounds angry. She wasn’t like that when she was talking to me. Maybe I’m in more trouble than I thought…

Sweetie Belle perked an ear up and leaned over in her desk towards the voices. The large schoolhouse windows didn’t tend to block sound very well, but Cheerilee’s animated talking was somewhat difficult to follow. Rarity didn’t seem to be saying much of anything, only punctuating Cheerilee’s speech every now and again as the magenta mare continued her frustrated sounding diatribe.

Sweetie Belle gulped as her face began to feel hot and beads of sweat formed on her face. Ms. Cheerilee couldn’t be that mad at me… could she…? I mean… she already lectured me about what I was doing…

Sweetie Belle looked off into space as she considered the possibility that both Cheerilee and Rarity might be incredibly angry at her and that the school door could open at a moments noticed and she’d have two adult mares screaming at her.

Rarity will probably tell our parents and I’ll be grounded for forever…

No going to the clubhouse, no crusading... Sweetie Belle sighed. No going over to Button’s house…

Sweetie Belle paused, noticing that Cheerilee has suddenly become a bit quieter and almost jovial sounding. Huh…? Is she not mad anymore? Sweetie Belle’s face lit up. Maybe Rarity talked to her so she wouldn’t be so mad! Yep, I bet my big sister is looking out for me… Sweetie Belle briefly frowned before her face shot back up into panic mode. Either that or they're talking about how I’m going to be punished and laughing about it…

‘Tap. Tap. Tap.’

‘Tap… Tap… Tap…’

She paused as she heard a tapping sound on the wall. Rhythmic, as if something was tapping out a pattern. She glanced towards the school entrance and hoped the two mares weren’t going to finish anywhere soon. She hopped down from her chair and made her way towards the tapping noise. She placed her ear up against the wall. It sounds like… a hoof against wood. She listened some more.

‘Tap. Tap. Tap.’

‘Tap… Tap… Tap…’

Sweetie Belle knitted her brow. Horse code? “Uh… excuse me?” Sweetie Belle said. “I don’t know Horse Code… like… at all…”

“Oh…” A young foal’s voice replied.

Sweetie Belle’s face lit up. “Button?” she asked.

“Yeah! It’s me… uh… look… you should probably stand back and find cover,” Button said.

“Find cover?” Sweetie Belle replied as she knitted her brow.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS JAIL BREAKERS, YAY!”

‘Ssssssss…’

Worry quickly overtook Sweetie Belle’s features. Between her friends cry and the familiar hissing of a fuse, it didn’t take her long to figure out what was going on. The young filly ran for her desk, and in a light green glow, set the piece of furniture on its side as she wrapped her forearms around her head and hid behind the metal and wood item.

“ULGH!” Cheerilee cried in an annoyed tone. She blew a quick gust of air up towards her bangs as she stared off into open space.

Rarity just grinned. She was quite used to all the little noises Cheerilee would utter when frustrated or if she was having an animated discussion.

“It’s just…tell me the braces had play…” Cheerilee said as she turned back towards Rarity.

Rarity tittered once more. “Hehe… The braces totally had play, darling.”

Cheerilee sighed. “I KNOW! Most ponies would think they were lame, but I totally rocked those braces…” She frowned. “I was almost sorry to let them go.”

Rarity placed a sympathetic hoof on Cheerilee’s shoulder. “We all were, dear. We had some times… Hehehe…Remember when the glare from your earrings and hair clips kept on blinding the Pegasus students, causing them to crash?”

Cheerilee grinned. “I remember, you actually stormed into the schoolhouse on my behalf and demanded I be allowed to keep wearing them because my outfit wasn’t complete without them.”

Rarity sighed wistfully. “Those were the days…” Rarity smiled wide at Cheerilee, “Maybe we should get together and talk old times over a drink sometime.” Rarity flashed Cheerilee a hopeful look. “My treat?”

Cheerilee grinned. “I’d like that.”

Still smiling, she looked back at Cheerilee. “So, uh… about Sweetie Belle…”

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing…” Cheerilee said with a smirk.

Rarity flinched. “Uh… whatever do you mean, darling…”

Cheerilee gave Rarity a knowing chuckle. “Oh come on Rarity. The distraction? The offer of a drink? You used that routine enough on me at school that I eventually pieced together what your little game was.”

Rarity giggled nervously. “Heheeeh… Was I that obvious?”

“Well, no,” Cheerilee said. “And I did enjoy talking to you. I just have had enough time to pick up on your tricks is all.”

“Tricks, right…” Rarity said as her face went serious. “Sorry Cheerilee, I should have known better than to try and pull a fast one on you… but… I do want you to know I meant everything I said…” Rarity said earnestly.

Cheerilee paused as she looked at Rarity and sighed. “Look… I know Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon pick on everypony pretty relentlessly… and I can see how somepony might lose their temper if they saw their friend being picked on. If you can get Sweetie Belle to promise she’ll never do it again, I guess I can keep it between us.”

“Oh my, why that’s ever so kind of you!” Rarity exclaimed happily.

Cheerilee smiled. “You still owe me that drink though.”

“Hehe… Of course, darling…”

“Anyhow, I doubt Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon will pick on Button Mash ever again…”

Rarity’s happy expression shattered like a brick thrown through a plate glass window. “Ba…Button Mash…” she stammered out. “You put Sweetie Belle in detention because she was defending, poor, sweet, harmless Button Mash?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!” Rarity shrieked.

Cheerilee’s expression turned surprised at Rarity’s outburst. She frowned. “Well, I can’t make distinctions based on the bullying victims here.”

Rarity shook her head. “You don’t get it, do you? His mom, she’s a mother…” Rarity said as her voiced dropped to a whisper.

Cheerilee cocked an eyebrow at Rarity. “Well… I think that’s pretty obvious.”

“No, I mean… her cutie mark… she isn’t a mother, she’s the mother. And if she thinks her son has been wronged somehow, it’s not likely she’s just going to sit back and do nothing here. She’s probably working on breaking Sweetie Belle out of the school as we speak!”

“Uh…” Cheerilee began, “…that seems… rather extreme…”

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS JAIL BREAKERS, YAY!”

Rarity cringed as she heard the cry from the side of the school, knowing calamity was sure to follow. “Get down,” she ordered.

Cheerilee’s eyes drifted towards the sound of her students yelling, then back to Rarity, “Down? You don’t think-WHOA!” Cheerilee cried out in alarm as Rarity dove on top of her and covered the magenta mare’s head with her arms.

‘FeeeeEEEEEESSSSSSBOOOOOOOOOOOM!’

Soon, a high-pitched squeal followed by a school shattering boom tore through the quiet air. A dazzling, colorful display briefly lit up the daytime sky followed by the sound of falling wood and shattering glass as the ground and school itself shook violently.

“She… they… they wouldn’t…” Cheerilee murmured with wide, unbelieving eyes as she and Rarity raised too their hooves.

Cheerilee swallowed and opened the schoolhouse door. Overturned desks, scattered, flaming papers, and a large, burnt hole in the side of the wall greeted her as she witnessed Sweetie Belle gallop off towards a cart and quickly jump inside. A cloud of dust kicked up in front of the cart and Cheerilee swore she picked out a familiar buzzing sound and the sight of a small, green propeller as the cart sped away. Cheerilee simply looked on dumbstruck as she trotted forward to examine the large hole in her classroom. She heard the sounds of someone tentatively trotting up behind her.

“Soo…” Rarity said nervously, “…about that drink…”

“UHGGGG!” Cheerilee shouted before angrily looking out the hole again and sending a long, angry gust of breath up at her bangs. “Huuufff… Yes… I think… I think that’s the best idea the moment before I go have some poor colt’s parent arrested for property destruction.”

“It would break poor Button’s heart,” Rarity chimed in, “and you know how sensitive he is…”

“She IS going fix this, however!” Cheerilee declared as she motioned to the hole in the schoolhouse. “They ALL will!”

Rarity shrugged. “Well, that is a fairly standard Ponyville method of dealing with destroyed things…”

Cheerilee sighed as she walked out of the hole towards a nearby path.

Rarity followed and trotted up next to the mare.

“Rarity… am I… am I too soft hoofed?” Cheerilee asked.

“Well… erm…”

“Be honest, please,” Cheerilee said simply.

“Sometimes…” Rarity admitted, “…but I daresay about half your students would spend everyday in detention with you if you weren’t.”

Cheerilee smiled to herself. “You make an excellent point…”

Rarity chuckled. “Unicorn, dearie…” she said as she bobbed her head up, drawing attention to her horn.

Cheerilee shot Rarity a glare. “Don’t push it.”

“I can’t believe you guys came to rescue me!” Sweetie Belle cried happily as she wrapped her arms around Button Mash and began enthusiastically nuzzling the young colt.

Button grinned and returned the affection, he rubbed his cheek against Sweetie Belle as he enjoyed the feeling of her arms around his neck. “Well I couldn’t just leave you after you came to my rescue,” Button explained.

Apple Bloom averted her eyes and pretended to find something interesting out in the distance. Love Tap just grinned down at the young foals.

“Still, a broad daylight rescue with high explosives?!” Sweetie Belle squeaked out.

“Which was MY idea,” Scootaloo cried as she speed along with the cart tied to her scooter.

“Well, mom threw the plan together,” Button said.

Sweetie Belle looked up at Love Tap. “Thank you!” she said with a bright smile.

Love Tap smiled down at the young filly. “Oh, it’s alright… just righting an injustice…”

“Speakin’ of that,” Apple Bloom chimed in, “what did you do to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?”

Sweetie Belle’s expression turned pensive. Wait… if she was willing to blow open a hole in the school just because I was defending Button… I mean… she wouldn’t…

Love Tap chuckled. “Oh, I just thought they could use a good friend for about a week…”

‘Knock knockknockknock knock… knock knock.’

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked up from their teen fashion magazines and shot eachother a confused glance. It wasn’t often anyone simply came up to Diamond Tiara’s unannounced… and those that usually did certainly didn’t tap out ‘Shave and a Haircut, two bits’.

‘Tick, tock, tick tock…’

A large, grandfather clock that sat in the corner of the room ticked on as the two fillies contemplated what to do.

“Randolph!” Diamond Tiara called out from her comfortable looking cushion on the floor.

The two fillies perked their ears up, listening for the sound of Diamond Tiara’s approaching butler.

‘Tick, tock, tick tock…’

“RANDOLPH! DOOR!” Diamond Tiara cried with far more force and irritation.

Silver Spoon sighed and set down her magazine. “I’ll get it…” She stood to her hooves and trotted towards one of the large, elaborately carved double doors that served as the entrance to the large mansion. She reached for the doorknob and opened the door.

A bright pink mare with a curly, pink mane and beaming smile stood on the other end of the door.

Before either Silver Spoon or Diamond Tiara could say anything, the mare broke into song.

“Oh, somepony told me there was a pair of sad fillies in desperate need of a friend!”

“And I couldn’t bear the thought of two frowny ponies despairing without end!”

“So I said to myself, ‘Hey, Pinkie Pie what are you to do?”

“And then I said, ‘Let’s gather up some fun supplies!’ and brought them here to you!”

“So please, oh please turn those frowns upside down because Pinkie’s here to stay!”

“Let’s gather round and sing a song then go outside and plaaay!”

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon simply stared out at Pinkie as she smiled back at them.

Pinkie paused and put a hoof up to her chin, “Wait… I guess I just sung a song…”

‘SLAM!’

Silver Spoon quickly slammed the door and turned back towards Diamond Tiara with a worried, confused expression. “What is she doing here?”

Diamond Tiara just shrugged. “How would I know?”

“It’s your house!”

“So?! That doesn’t mean I’m privy to all the strange ideas my dad comes up with.”

“Hehehe… ‘Privy’ is a fun word to say!” a bubbling voice rang out.

“AHHH!” the two fillies cried out in alarm as they turned towards Pinkie, the pink mare somehow miraculously having gained entry into the home.

“You know what else is fun to say?” Pinkie asked as she tilted her head slightly and smiled at the two fillies.

“Uh… No… what…?” Diamond Tiara asked in a nervous tone.

“Discombobulate… hehe! So much fun… Here! Say it with me!”

The two fillies exchanged confused glances and looked back at Pinkie with blank expressions.

“Come on! SAY IT!” Pinkie commanded.

“Uh…discombob…” Diamond Tiara began.

Silver Spoon cleared her throat. “Discombobulate.”

“Discombobulate!” Pinkie cried cheerfully as she threw her forehooves into the air.

The group went silent again as the large clock continued to ‘tick’ and ‘tock’, counting down the uncomfortable seconds.

“So uh…Pinkie,” Diamond Tiara began, “Why are you here… in my house?” She said in a somewhat demanding tone.

“Oh! I thought I explained it all in my song! Here, let me start again… Oh, somepony told me there was a pair of sad fillies…”

“Uh, no…” Diamond Tiara said forcefully, “that’s alright… just… who told you we needed a friend? Did my dad put you up to this?” Diamond Tiara asked as she raised an eyebrow.

Pinkie shook her head. “Somepony, who I promised to keep their personage a penitentiary held private particular, paid Pinkie Pie to be your private pal for a period of peven days!”

“Uh… ‘peven’ isn’t a word…” Silver Spoon said.

“Yeah, but I was kinda on a poll, there…” Pinkie explained. “Whoops! Hehehe… I meant ‘roll’.”

“Sa… seven days?!” Diamond Tiara exclaimed. “That long?!”

“Long?!” Pinkie exclaimed in surprise. “More like short! That’s barely enough time to through my entire list of fun words to say while still leaving time for my collection of irritating noises...” Pinkie paused and leaned over towards the fillies. “With ‘Bee-do! Bee-do! Bee-do! Bee-do!’ being a new, personal favorite… so get excited about that, because you’re going to be hearing it a lot…” She said with a smile. “I mean like… you’re going to close your eyes when it’s quiet and think I’m saying ‘Bee-do! Bee-do! Bee-do!’ but it’ll just be your silly little filly noggins playing tricks on you!”

Diamond Tiara slowly stood up and began making her way for the door as she flashed a look at Silver Spoon.

Silver Spoon slowly began to turn the knob to the front door.

Pinkie continued, “…And every night I’ll read you a story from the Big Book of Shaggy Dog stories… which has a surprising lack of shaggy dogs!”

“RUN!” Diamond Tiara cried.

Silver Spoon opened the door and the two fillies made a mad gallop out into the mansion’s yard.

“Wait!” Pinkie cried as she began to bounce after the two. “The next word is ‘perpendicular’! How can you not be excited about that?!”

“RUN FASTER, D.T.! SHE’S GAINING ON US!”

“OH CELESTIA! HOW CAN ANYPONY BOUNCE SO FAST?!”

“So, what’s the plan now, mom?” Button asked.

“Well, I figure we’ll just go home and wait until this whole thing blows over…” Love Tap replied.

“Ya really think if we wait long enough we’ll get away with blowing a hole in the school?” Apple Bloom asked.

Love Tap frowned and her eyes went wide as her pupils shrank to pinpricks, almost as if it had just now dawned on her what had just transpired. “Uh…no… no I do not…” she answered.

Scootaloo sighed, “Oh well… at least we’ll all have plenty of company in detention together…”

“Gee, I hope it’s not cold out the next several days…” Button Mash muttered.

The group paused, before breaking into a fit of giggles and laughter.

“Hehehe…” Sweetie Belle stopped laughing as she realized Button was looking right at her. She attempted to get her thoughts together… Oh geez, what do I say to him? He just put himself in major trouble to get me out… Should I just try to tell him how I feel? But… everyone’s right here! His mom’s even here…

“Uh… hey…” Button Mash said.

“Ya… yeah?” Sweetie Belle replied as the young colt interrupted her thoughts.

“If I’m going to be in trouble… I’m glad it was because of you, Sweetie Belle,” Button Mash said with a smile before he planted a quick peck on the white unicorn’s cheek.

Sweetie Belle paused and stared out into space briefly as the blacks of her pupil’s swallowed her emerald iris. SweetieBelle.exe has encountered a fatal error, rebooting in 3…2…1…

Sweetie Belle collapsed to the cart floor.

“Sweetie Belle?!” Button exclaimed. “What… what happened?!”

Scootaloo glanced back into the cart. “Aaaand, Button just broke Sweetie Belle. Way to go, champ,” she said with a smirk.

“No, but I…” Button Mash began to protest.

“Ya’d think she’d be better prepared for something like that.” Apple Bloom said. “Ah mean, she’s done tha same to him.”

“I know, right?” Scootaloo replied.

“But I didn’t mean…!”

“Button Mash!” Love Tap exclaimed in a stern, maternal tone as she concealed a grin with a forehoof. “What did you do to poor Sweetie Belle?!”

“But I was just… I didn’t mean to…” Button’s eyes began to tear up as he glanced down at the white unicorn at his hooves. An oddly serene smile plastered on her face.

“Hhehh… hehh…” Button’s lower lip began to quibble as he uttered small, pained sobs.

“Here come to waterworks…” Scootaloo said as she rolled her eyes.

“Whouaa… WhouaaaWHOUAAAAHAAAAHAAAAA!”

Love Tap chuckled. “Hehehe…Button! Stop! There’s no need to cry.”

“Uh… girls?” Apple Bloom said as she noticed a green glow from the car floor. “Ah don’t think that was a good idea…”

“WHOUAAAAA…” Button suddenly ceased his wailing as Sweetie Belle rose to her hooves with a rageful, distant expression on her face, her horn glowed a bright green. “Sweetie Belle?”

“LEAVE HIM ALONE!” Sweetie Belle shrieked as the green light from her horn intensified accompanied by a high pitched whistle.

“Wait, Sweetie Belle, dearie,” Love Tap pleaded. “We were just…”

“PheeeeeeeePHHOOOOOOOOOM!”

A green light enveloped the cart and all its occupants, accompanied by a large explosion.

Scootaloo felt herself go airborne as she desperately tried to right herself in the scooter. She hit the ground hard and tumbled along the soft grass for a bit as pieces of wood flew past her and bounced along the ground. She eventually rolled to a stop, shortly before her scooter came to halt as its back wheel impacted one of her wings.

“OW!” Scootaloo cried as she pushed her scooter off her wing. “Why is it always the wings…” She mumbled out. She stood to her hooves and tensed her back painfully. Scootaloo grabbed her scooter and propelled it with a back hoof towards a small smoking crater. She stopped as she noticed four recently dug trenches heading away from the hole in the direction she herself had been heading.

“Whoa… are you guys alright?” Scootaloo asked as she approached the group of ponies lying in the dirt.

Apple Bloom stuck her head out of the trench that was mostly dug with her face and spit out a mound of dirt, “PHHBLEH! Remind me to never pick on Button Mash again.”

A white horn along with a dirt encrusted pink and lavender mane attached to a worried looking face poked out from one of the trenches. “Oh no, Button Mash!”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “I’m fine thanks. How are you, destroyer of worlds?”

Sweetie Belle ignored Scootaloo and bee-lined for one of the trenches. “Button! Don’t be dead! DON’T BE DEAD! I’D NEVER FORGIVE MYSELF IF…” She stopped short as she reached the end of the trench and peered in.

“Am I… am I in heaven?” Button woozily asked as he looked up at Sweetie Belle with a slightly glazed over look.

Sweetie Belle grinned pensively as her face went from white to red in an instant.

“Uh, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom began, “Ah know you’re mighty protective of Button Mash. But could ya maybe stop and think about who you’re blasting before you fly off the handle next time?”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes went wide as heavy frown crushed her nervous, happy expression. “Whoops… Sorry everypony…”

“Cough… Oh, it’s okay Sweetie Belle,” Love Tap said as she rose out of her own trench and dusted her outfit off. “I completely understand.”

Sweetie Belle beamed at Love Tap as Button Mash climbed to his hooves and smiled happily at his mother.

“Now let’s get you to my house and cleaned up before your sister has even more reasons to be mad me.” Love Tap looked at her son and smiled. “And then maybe French toast for dinner?”

“YAY!” Button Mash cried as he flailed his forehooves about.

The five ponies began a slow, somewhat pained gait towards Button Mash’s and Love Tap’s house. The worries of the trouble they were likely to be in were momentarily pushed away in favor of the sweet, syrupy meal that awaited them.

Author's Notes:

If any artists out there fancy the idea of Cheerilee, Love Tap, and Rarity sitting at a bar together. I have an idea for a brief spin-off story I wouldn't mind writing someday and would love some cover art.

Thanks for waiting and reading!

Also thanks to Tired Old Man for a bucket full of corrections.