Button pressed his head up against the clubhouse door. He had been waiting for several minutes with no sign of life emitting from the building. “We can’t let him in,” A voice spoke.

“Why not?” a second voice squeaked.

“Because he’s a colt.”

“Why can’t we have a colt?”

“Because he would act all macho and try to outdo us at everything.”

“I don’t think Button is like that. If anything, he’s the opposite of that.”

“So you think your coltfriend is a wimp?”    

“He isn't my coltfriend.”

“Either way, Ah’d welcome ‘im with open hooves,” a third voice chipped in.

“I have an idea,” the first voice spoke up again. “We’ll make him go through three trials. If he wants to join us, he’ll have to prove himself.”

“Ah like that idea. How ‘bout you Sweetie Belle?”

“Sure, but we can’t make them too dangerous. I don’t want to risk his life.”

“Why, because then you won’t get to kiss him passionately under the light of the setting sun?” the first voice spoke in a mocking tone.

“I’ll just go and get Button.” the second voice said.

“Ah thought that Sweetie Belle was more of a moonlight pony,” the third voice pitched in again.

A dark hooded filly smacked a pair of timpani in a rhythmic faction, one after another. Each smack of the skin of the drum echoed in Button’s ears. The tall, dark figure before him spoke, “We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, elect Button Mash to join us as a sister… brother, friend, confidant, ally, gal… guy pal, amigo, et cetera and fellow Cutie Mark Crusader. You are solemnly sworn in, here this day, in witness of your fellow sisters, friends, confidants, et cetera. Do you, Button Mash, promise to uphold all the virtues of our club and to do anything and everything to earn and help your fellow Cutie Mark Crusader earn their respective cutie marks?”

The room fell silent, Button staring up the the three figures before him. They quickly exchanged glances. “This is tha part where ya say ‘Ah do’” Apple Bloom spoke.

“Oh right. I do.” Button said.

The filly that was just previously slamming her hooves against the drums jumped up the podium and threw a cape over to Button. “Congratulations Button,” she spoke with a sadistic grin, “You are now the first honorary colt member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

The abyss beneath Button’s hooves seemed to never end. The leather belt which the three fillies wrapped tightly around Button gave him no sense of security. “Are you sure this is safe?” he asked, peering over the ledge.

“You’ll be fine,” Scootaloo said, pushing Button closer to the edge, “We've done this a million times.”

“Really, you have?”

“Uh, no. We haven’t. But i’m sure a big, strong colt like you can do it.”

“If you say so.”

“Plus, hang gliding is the easiest thing in the whole world.”

Button took a deep breath and took a step forward off the cliff face. Within the second, he was out of sight. The darkness below had consumed the young colt. The three fillies stared into the deep ravine they had just launched their friend into. “He should be coming back up now, right Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Yea, any second we’ll see him fly out of that hole and around our heads.”

“But what if-”

“WOOHOO, I’M GOING SO FAST!” the three fillies turned around to see a bright red hang glider zoom out of the hole and across the sky, carrying beneath it a small brown colt.

Sweetie Belle let out a deep sigh, “At least we know he didn't crash.”

“Yet,” Scootaloo added, pointing towards the hang glider. Button’s face turned from a face of joy to one of pure terror. He swung his hooves around wildly, bringing the nose of the glider to face the ground. As the glider got closer, Button’s screams got louder.

“I DON’T WANT TO DIE!” He screamed before slamming face first into the ground. A small puff of dirt appeared where the once screaming colt hit the earth.

“Button!” Sweetie Belle screamed. She pushed off the ground and started to run towards the crash site. “Button, are you alright?”

The impact that Button had made on the ground left two fillies with open mouths and another jumping in the crater. “EVERYTHING HURTS!” Button cried, tears flowing out his eyes like a waterfall onto the dirt below. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shared looks of disbelief as Sweetie Belle wrapped her arms around Button, picking his head up off the ground.

“Shh, there there Button. You’re going to be fine,” She whispered.

“BUT EVERYTHING FEELS BROKEN!” he continued.

Scootaloo puckered up her lips and kissed the air before receiving a swift hoof to the side from Apple Bloom. “Alright, alright. I was just trying to make a joke,” Scootaloo complained.

“Well this ain't a laughin’ matter, Button could be really hurt,” Apple Bloom told her immature friend.

“He’ll be fine, he’s even got nurse Sweetie Belle looking after him.”

“Come on Scoots, let’s go get Button’s mom.” Apple Bloom suggested, dragging Scootaloo away from the pair of foals sitting in the crater.

“Please Button,” Sweetie Belle said, wiping away his tears. “You have to stop crying.”

“I can’t, it hurts” he said, tears continuing to flow off his face.

“Well, what does your mother do when you get hurt?”

“I don’t know, sometimes she sings to me or kisses whatever hurts,”

“Oh boy,”

“YOU DID WHAT?” Button’s mom screamed. The two ponies that had just barged in on her preparing dinner were still catching their breath.

“Hang gliding… Button… Crashed… Sweetie Belle…” Scootaloo spoke with a breath between each word.

“YOU LET HIM TRY HANG GLIDING, DO YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THAT IS?” she asked. Before the two fillies could say anything, Button’s mom was already out the door.

“We’re dead, aren't we?” Scootaloo asked.

“Eeyup”

The two fillies quickly followed the speeding mare, her tan body clouded by the dirt she kicked up. “Ah thought ya said almost no pony could beat ya when ya’ll was on your scooter,” Apple Bloom screamed to Scootaloo while simultaneously coughing up all the dirt currently in her lungs.

“I did, but this mare is no pony,” Scootaloo grunted.

“That jus’ don't make no sense. Whataya mean she ain't a pony?”

“She’s a worried mother-” Scootaloo turned to face her yellow-clad companion “-nothing runs faster than a worried mother.”

“Not even Rainbow Dash?”

“Not even Rainbow D-”

“SCOOTS, LOOK OUT!”

Scootaloo swung her head around, only to be met with a tan flank to the face. Apple Bloom landed on top of her, creating a pile of wood and ponies. “Can you see why she stopped?” Scootaloo asked, trying to pull herself out of the carnage. “More importantly, why we just wasted a perfectly good set of wheels.”

“Aw. Not that is pos-i-tively the cutest site in all of Equestria.”

Beyond the pile of broken wood and the three ponies laid a young colt, strewn about on top of a young unicorn. She looked down onto him, slowly stroking his mane and humming a tune to herself. Her cheeks were quietly blushing. A small smile grew across her face. She was oblivious to anything besides the young colt, her hoof going through his soft mane.

She held her face close to his, close enough to feel each other’s breathe on their skin. She edged her face closer to his, their lips almost touching.

“Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo asked, approaching her zoned out friend.

“SCOOTALOO?” Sweetie Belle screamed, dropping Buttons head onto the dirt below. “I was just… watching over him, until his mother came.”

Button’s mom approached her semi-conscious son. “Hey sweetie, are you alright?” She asked, placing a hoof on his head.

“Huh?” Button mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “Hey mom, I just had an awesome dream.”

“Come on, let’s get you home and then you can tell me all about it over a stack of hay fries,” She spoke in a soothing tone, picking up Button and placing him on top of herself.

“Oh Button,” She sighed, “you’re growing up too fast.”

The three fillies watched as Button’s mom carried him out of view. “So Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo said.

“Not a single word about it,” She moaned.

“So, what was your dream about?” Button’s mom asked, placing down a stack of hay fries on the table.

“Well, at first I was a knight and I was exploring a cave-” he shoved several fries into his mouth “-Then out a of nowhere, a dragon appears. It released a roar and the whole cavern shook. I tried to swing my sword, but it just deflected off the scales and hit the ground. It snapped against the rocks.” he paused as he shoved more fries down his gullet.

“So what did you do?” Button’s mom asked, placing a single fry onto her tongue.

“Well as I stared up at the dragon with a broken sword, another pony dropped down on top of the dragon and shoved her sword right into the dragon’s eye. It swung it heads around with the knight holding on really tight to her sword.” Button let out a squeal of pain, imitating the dragon.

“Her?”

“Yea, when the pony that saved me walked off the dead dragons body and over to me she lifted her helmet and said ‘hey, you’re pretty cute’.”

“Then what?”

“Then she kissed my head and trotted off. That was when you woke me up.” he said, filling his mouth with fries and spurted ketchup all over his face.

“Did the female knight remind you of anypony?”

“She had a purple-pink mane and green eyes and she was a unicorn. She was really smart and pretty as well.”

A small giggle came from his mother. “That means?”

“Does that mean Sweetie Belle was the knight? That doesn't make any sense, I doubt she even knows how to properly slay a dragon. Not everypony knows that to kill a dragon through the eye, you have to stab right into the center of the pupil or otherwise it’ll just bounce off. Either that or find the one scale that slightly hangs off, which every dragon has, and plunge a weapon deep into that.”

“Button” his mom began, only to get interrupted by a door swinging open. The wind ran past Button, sending a shiver down his spine. “Now which one of my stallions is that?” Button’s mom asked.

“It’s just me mom. But I gotta jet, i have a date in a little bit.” A voice called from the other room.

“Hey Button, why don’t you go say hello to ‘me’ before he leaves again.” Button’s mom said, pulling away his hay fries.

“Okay mom,” he returned. Button turned the corner, hoping to see the brother that he always knew. When he saw the stallion standing in the door frame, a small ‘yeesh’ escaped his mouth.

“Hey Button, like my mane?” his brother asked.

“Bro, who ate it?”

His brother’s once brown mane now looked as if a dragon had grabbed it and swung him around. What ever strands remained of it had turned a light blue and were slicked straight back against his neck. He started to snort and chuckle. “Your face,” his brother laughed, “Oh wow, the look on your face is just priceless.”

“So, how’s my oldest doing?” Button’s mom asked. As she turned the corner, her body stopped. The face that she shared with Button was one of pure terror.

Button’s brother collapsed onto the ground. “This is too good. I mean, I knew you would be surprised. But this, this is amazing,” he barely got out inside his fit of laughter. “I gotta… I gotta go get ready, excuse me.”

“Button,” his mother spoke, staring into the space where her first born stallion just stood.

“Yea mom?”

“Promise me you’ll never style your hair like that?”

“I promise.”

Next Chapter: The First Date Estimated time remaining: 19 Minutes