Chapter 6: You Complete My Heart Container

A set of mandibles dripping with venom clattered together. All six eyes of the fiend blinked out of unison. These eyes were merely orange specks compared to the gargantuan body they were attached to. Stemming from the cephalothorax were eight armor-plated legs. Rather than having spindly hairs poking up from each leg, the fashionable foe had molten chunks of rock protecting each joint. It would take one heavy newspaper to squash this nightmare.

The beast also had what appeared to be green veins pulsing throughout its exoskeleton. These lines flowed from the tips of each claw and congregated within the creature's abdomen. The luminous green aura emanating from the boss's rear was most likely bad news for the bite-sized foals shaking in their boots.

A deafening shriek left its angered maw and caused the duo to flinch in place. When the ringing in their ears finally cleared, it became apparent why this room was under such heavy lockdown.

[Armored Stalker Queen: Venirae - As if normal arachnids weren't nasty enough… This queen promises to give you an explosive time, but not before doing everything in her power to tear you apart! You've truly met with a terrible fate, haven't you?]

"I don't even know what a stalker is and now we have to fight a queen?" Sweetie's voice struggled to overcome the spider's constant screaming.

"I guess I forgot about those guys… A stalker is a little explosive spider that hides in broken walls and loose dirt underground. They don't usually come out unless you disturb 'em." Button took a few steps back. "I ran into some when I was digging last night, but they weren't this big at all. Two sword swipes and they died! I swear!"

Sweetie frantically searched through her inventory hoping to find an oversized can of bug spray. "Well, now what? We don't stand a chance against this thing!"

A serrated tip from one of the spider's many legs struck the ground between the foals. Button hopped to the side and skidded across the floor, keeping his eyes glued on Sweetie Belle. Her escape wasn't as graceful. Sweetie's legs flailed wildly as she leapt away and face-planted into the ground.

Button snickered at the clumsy filly. "We'll need to watch its movements and wait for an opening!"

"The only opening I want is one back to the surface!" Sweetie pouted at the beast, while rubbing her bruised forehead.

Mineshaft was marketed as being an unrivaled gaming experience anypony could enjoy. The overworld was bright, beautiful, and peaceful for the most part, while still offering an extensive palette through which creative minds could thrive. Bold gamers played Mineshaft for the adventure waiting beneath the world's crust. Countless enemies filled the dungeons and guarded rare chests brimming with unique items. It took some serious preparation before finally diving into the mines for the first time.

Unfortunately, Button's eagerness to impress Sweetie Belle with his findings had him muzzle-to-mandibles with one very aggressive arachnid.

Venirae jumped away from the foals and slashed a leg through the sand-filled pit in the center of the room. Sweetie took a direct hit in the face and felt the coarse granules stick against her eyeballs. She frantically pawed at her face to wipe away the sand, whereas Button charged ahead toward the towering queen.

"I'll keep her distracted! Go rinse off your face in the water!" Button jumped over the sand and slid between the spider's front legs, narrowly avoiding a chomp from her mandibles. He twisted his neck and stabbed the sword directly into her abdomen. The queen shrieked and slammed her entire body onto the brave colt. Button barely limped away with his life after she lifted her body back into the air. It seemed his ability to escape the warg was simply a stroke of good luck. This queen was no stray mutt lost in the woods! "N-not doing that again. Lost two hearts from that attack… Better heal up!"

Sweetie slid to a halt and dunked her face into the shallow stream encircling the room. She pulled her dripping muzzle away and continued rubbing her closed eyelids. "We'll never beat her if we can't see anything!" After shaking her fur dry, she equipped an iron sword in her mouth. "Thanks for covering me, Button! I'm ready to fight!"

Button tore away a chunk of the bread with his teeth and munched noisily. "Good! I could use some help!" His five hearts were shining as vibrant as ever!

Before they could reunite, Venirae jumped into the air and braced herself between the pillars above the pit. Her legs punctured the columns and sent the queen scuttling high above the room. Only her eyes dotted the shadowy ceiling. She screeched again and caused four pieces of the surrounding walls to crumble. Green-bodied spiders with long, lanky legs jumped out from each of the newly-formed holes.

"Are those her babies?" Sweetie asked, running out of safe places to take cover. Everywhere she looked there was something hoping to deliver a game over.

"Maybe! I killed a bunch of 'em last night, so…" Button chuckled nervously as two closed in on him. "I'm guessing she's upset with us."

"Us? Us?! I didn't even do anything!"

"Hurray for teamwork!" Button backed against the wall until his hind legs were dipped in the water. This isn't looking so great. I can't even land a hit on her without some serious retaliation, and now she's calling in backup! Think, Button, think!

Sweetie screamed and swung her head wildly. She chopped the legs off one stalker and landed a direct hit on the other. A bead of green ooze dripped from the wounded spider's body. They both started to give a feint glow and shimmered like the water surrounding the arena. "I got 'em!" Sweetie reared up on her hind legs in excitement. "Nopony's gonna wipe me out that easily!"

"Jump back! They're gonna blow!"

The radiance of their bodies shone even brighter until they finally reached a blinding eruption. Sweetie was blown away by the explosion and tumbled across the ground. She felt the floor quake once again. The queen was no longer in the mood for hiding, and Sweetie was barely holding on to her last heart.

Button gave two angry slashes with his sword and chopped the stalkers on his side directly in half. The goo contained inside their bodies poured onto the ground. Surprisingly, no explosions occurred on his side of the room. With Venirae back on the playing field, reuniting with Sweetie Belle was top priority. "Eat some of that bread you have! It'll refill your life! Hurry!"

The queen's claws easily pierced the stone flooring and sent her stampeding toward Sweetie. Her mandibles rattled together until a familiar ooze was eating away at the floor beneath her.

Sweetie narrowed her eyes and braced herself on all fours. "You messed with the wrong unicorn, ugly!" She encased her sword within her magical aura and flung it forward. The blade wedged between Venirae's mandibles, staggering the queen for a moment. Sweetie raised her nose into the air and closed her eyes. "It's rude to disturb a lady while she's trying to eat!" The filly took several dainty nibbles of her bread until she was back at full strength.

Button jumped onto the flailing spider's backside and violently twisted his muzzle to hack away at the tough flesh beneath him. "Good one, Sweetie! We're definitely gonna need to get you some magic books! Just as soon," Button growled, "as this thing goes splat!" His excessive swinging left him without any energy to move.

The spider hadn't lost a single hit point from the ferocity of Button's swordsmanship.

"We're not even hurting it!" Sweetie watched as Button was bucked onto the ground; one heart lighter. "It only lost some life when you slid under it!"

Button struggled to get up. "Then we need to hit her underbelly! The bottom of the abdomen is really weak!" He watched the spider jump back and cast another wave of sand into the air. She's definitely got a pattern. Tries to blind us, jumps up onto the pillars, crawls to safety, calls for help… Wait a sec! Crawls to safety! Button's deep thoughts were interrupted by the newly illuminated light bulb between his ears. "That's it!" He exclaimed. "We gotta use the Buckin' Boots! We can knock her down when she's climbing between the pillars!" Before the final word left his muzzle, Button had already switched his matching leather boots out for the bulkier set of iron Buckin' Boots. He tapped each piece of footwear against the ground before sprinting toward his destination. "Gotta be careful. I won't be making any quick escapes with these on…"

Sweetie nodded and ignored the stalkers crawling through the cracks in the wall. "I'll take the left pillar!"

Button glared up at the queen and wriggled his rump at the pillar behind him. "Right one's all mine! Count of three! One."

"Two," Sweetie squeaked.

"Three!" They shouted together. Their metal boots clanged against the pillars and sent a tremor up into the queen's legs. Almost automatically, she fell onto her back and writhed in agony. Her weak spot was fully exposed.

Button jumped onto her spongy abdomen and firmly held the sword between his front hooves. "Let's see how you like the power of an earth pony!" He speared his blade into the queen. Inch by inch the blade sunk deeper through her carapace. Her wound opened even further due to her non-stop thrashing. After several more aggressive stabs, Button jumped off and landed next to a breathless Sweetie Belle.

"Just finished off all the stalkers without losing a single heart!" Sweetie squeed. "They aren't so tough when you know how to beat 'em! Just cut them in half before they can explode!"

"Told ya, you're a natural at this!"

Venirae's abdomen was leaking green slime all over the floor beneath her. She covered her retreat up to the ceiling by erratically flinging goo around the room. A glob of the explosive venom splattered against Button's body. Before he could even react, an enormous explosion cast him away from the safety of his partner. He could only watch as three more hearts faded in his wake.

"Button!" Sweetie galloped over and helped her battered teammate to his hooves. "Are you okay?"

The colt's leather armor was partially torn away from his body. Luckily his boots were unharmed. "Y-yeah. Just caught me off guard." Get it together, B-man! Now's not the time to celebrate. Gotta finish off this monster first! It wasn't just his life on the line. Button narrowed his eyes as the next wave of stalkers scuttled towards them. "I have a plan…" He charged away, drawing the attention of the volatile pests.

Sweetie stomped a hoof in frustration. "Mind filling me in?" After foolishly chasing Button and his pursuers around the room, Sweetie felt the floor rumble once again. Rising up from the sand was none other than the queen herself. "Button, she's back down! What's the plan?"

Button groaned at the nagging filly. "Yeah, yeah; I'm gettin' to that!" Let's just see if I'm right about something first… He rolled through the surge of sand aimed for his face. The queen's predictable pattern continued.

Venirae latched four legs onto each pillar and made for the ceiling once again. But something was amiss. Her body twisted from side-to-side, scanning the playing field below. Even her dulled vision could see that her children were still on the prowl. Rather than calling for more help, her cry rallied the current troops to speed up their pursuit of Sweetie and Button.

"Ha! She won't call for more reinforcements if they're still alive from the previous round!" Button slowed his gallop to a canter in order for his stamina gauge to stabilize. "This next one's all you Sweetie! We're gonna knock her down, then I want you to wound and buck all of the stalkers right at me while I'm on her abdomen!"

Sweetie's eye grew in shock. "You'll be caught in the explosion again!"

Button turned and raced for his pillar. "I'll be fine! Just gonna speed things up a bit!" He screeched to a halt and planted his legs against the base of the support. "One more time, Sweetie! One!"

"T-two," she said with much less enthusiasm. Button's plan wasn't making much sense.

"Three!" Button's shout overpowered Sweetie's inaudible whimper.

With the four stalkers closing in on them, the foals kicked away with everything they had. The pillars practically shook from the ground as the spider's screech indicated it was falling fast.

Thud!

Button wasted no time and jumped onto the squishy underbelly of the queen. He quickly slashed his sword over the existing wound. The squelching ooze poured from her tenderized meat and left a gaping window to her insides. "Now, Sweetie! Just give 'em a little cut and send 'em over!"

Sweetie slowly exhaled with the hilt of the sword clenched tightly in her mouth. Stalkers were relatively dumb monsters and were only good at two things: pursuit and detonation. Due to their lack of a functioning brain, Sweetie made quick work of the foes and left each one with a nick wide enough for the liquid to pour out. As soon as the air made contact with the ooze their bodies started to glow. "Here goes nothing!" Sweetie's rear twisted and sent the first balled-up spider across the room. She used every last ounce of energy in her body to buck the remaining stalkers in Button's direction.

Button's sword was already clenched between his hooves like a baseball bat. He narrowed his eyes and focused on the fluorescent green orbs spiraling toward him. One wrong step and he'd be toast; charred, venom-covered toast! "Alright, queeny, I'm putting an end to you before you pull off another cheap move!" He swung his sword down and slammed the first stalker into the messy wound under him. "You wanna keep calling your babies over to kill us? Fine by me!" He leapt into the air and smacked the next stalker back into its mother. "But you're not taking us down so easily!" He snarled and caught the third and fourth spider on the blade of his sword. The leaking bodies were growing brighter! Button used his hooves and jammed the entire sword into Venirae's abdomen to hold the wriggling monsters in place. "Time for some fireworks, Sweetie!"

As Button jumped away from the queen's shrill yelps of defeat, he was cast against a growing backdrop of green light. The colt scampered over to Sweetie and jumped onto her. The two tucked their bodies against one another and felt the room violently shake.

"What's happening?" Sweetie yelled, with her eyes clenched shut.

"We're on our way to level two!" Button's eyes shifted to the rampaging boss behind him.

The explosion could no longer be contained in Venirae's aching abdomen. A burst of green paste sprayed onto the pillars. She haphazardly attempted to claw up the ceiling, but her efforts were in vain. Chunks of the ooze-covered columns erupted into her body. The shards of thick stone pierced through her armor and left the once vicious queen in a twitching pile. She was buried under her very means of escape.

Button and Sweetie flinched as one final explosion consumed the room.

The arena was once again filled with nothing more than dim light and an eerie silence.

"Is it… over?" Sweetie breathed a sigh of relief.

"Not yet…" Button grabbed Sweetie by her foreleg and yanked her onto her hind legs. "It ain't over until we strike a victory pose!"

Button equipped his extra sword from his inventory. He reared up on his hind legs and stabbed the sword into the ground. The showboating colt proceeded to jump around on his hind legs. "Dun dun dun da dun da dundadun! Armored Stalker Queen, Venirae… vanquished!"

Sweetie scratched her head in confusion and hesitantly lifted a foreleg. "Y-yay?

"We'll… work on your pose later." Button yanked his sword from the ground. "C'mon! That barred door opened up. It's treasure time, partner!"

Abandoning the disheveled boss room, Sweetie and Button marched down an endless hallway with a gleaming golden chest at the far end. The two could barely contain their excitement and raced down the musky corridor.

"It's beautiful!" Button's eyes started to glisten.

"Whoa…" Sweetie rubbed her hoof against the smooth lid. "Let's open it!"

Button flicked the chest open and pushed the lid back against the wall. A refreshing beam of golden light consumed their curious muzzles. Both foals dove in face first so that only their hind legs were dangling off the ground.

"There are tons of coins! We can probably find a village and trade for some new materials!" Button squealed like a filly. "A diamond pickaxe?! That's all you, Sweetie!"

"There are some scrolls in here for a… Magic Study! What does that mean?" Sweetie raised an eyebrow.

"It means you'll be blasting fireballs and freezing all the baddies in no time! I'll use the money to buy any items we're missing!"

"There's a fancy stone in here, too! A warp stone?"

"We can use that to leave the dungeon! Probably safer than trying to walk back. We did just commit one serious case of regicide…"

After several minutes of mindless hoarding, the chest closed shut once again. The foals were loaded down with more money, equipment, and materials than they could imagine. Defeating a boss this early in the game had paid off! All that was left was to leave the dungeon.

The hallway seemed even longer now that the thrill of plunder had worn off. Walking home would take an eternity, but the two foals felt like trotting a victory lap back to their base of operations. Each hoofstep brought them one step closer to home and one memory closer together. Hard to believe a virtual world could generate such a hoof-biting adventure!

Sweetie came to halt. "Um, Button?"

"Yeah?" Button stopped next to her. His heart was still racing from the fight. Maybe it was a good idea to take a break.

"Did I… do a good job? You know, against that monster. I tried really hard not to let you down."

Button's beaming grin lit up the hall like a freshly ignited torch. "Sweetie, you were amazing! If I didn't know any better I'd think you were practicing at home with your sister or something!"

"With Rarity?! She'd never play one of these things! Unless they made some Manehattan Makeover Edition."

"I hope that never happens… "

The two ponies uproariously laughed at the thought of creating a boutique for pony makeovers. Maybe that would come out in an upcoming expansion pack. For now, it was time leave the dungeon. The sound of their hooves clicked against the polished stone lining the treasure hall. It felt good to laugh and enjoy a peaceful moment of gaming nirvana. The afterglow of victory was proudly worn on their battered bodies.

But that peace was short-lived. During the walk, Sweetie's hoof pressed down onto a pressure plate built into the ground.

Click.

"Hmm? What was that?" Sweetie froze in place.

As she turned her head, a piece of the wall slid down and revealed a small nook. A stalker was lying in wait.

There was no time to equip a sword and cut the monster down. Everything was instantaneous. The dungeon was designed to keep ponies out. A good trap would spring before the victim ever had a chance to even notice.

But one brave colt wasn't about to watch his beloved partner perish in front of him.

"Sweetie Belle!" Button aggressively shoved her aside. Then everything went black.

Sweetie stumbled onto the ground and watched as the legs of the stalker wrapped around Button's face. The green body illuminated to match the increasing shriek of the explosive minion.

Revenge for its fallen mother.

The explosion knocked Sweetie against the wall. Her body slid down the slimy, moss-covered slab until she was nothing but a crumbled heap on the ground. When she finally managed to lift her body onto all four hooves she noticed that she was the only player in the room.

Button was gone.

"Wh-what happened?" Sweetie took several shaky steps forward before pausing. She placed a hoof against her head and groaned. Half of her hearts were gone. The blast nearly consumed her as well. Even her stamina bar struggled to refill. It took as much energy as possible for Sweetie to steady her wobbling legs. "Button?"

Only the drips of musky water falling from the ceiling were heard. Their victory dance was replaced by a deadly silence.

"Button?" Sweetie's voice grew in panic. Her eyes recalibrated from the blast and darted across the empty hallway. An uncomfortable sensation washed over her body when she returned to the scene of the last visage of her comrade. The charred outline of his body said it all.

Use the stone to warp out of the dungeon.

She frantically opened her inventory and a shimmering, green rock dropped into her hooves. Her horn sparked and encased the stone in an urgent shroud of magic. The warp stone shattered into pieces and summoned a blinding emerald light that consumed Sweetie's body. She covered her face as she felt the illumination pierce through her eyelids.

The damaged battleground was now devoid of all life.

Sweetie awoke within the serenity of their newly created home. Button was sprawled out in the bed next to her. His armor was gone. Every inventory slot was barren as if he never lifted a single hoof in the game. Reverted to nothing more than a naked warrior exposed to the dangers of the world.

"Button! You're okay!" Sweetie scrambled to her feet and tackled him. She wrapped her forelegs around him and refused to let go. "I thought you were gone for good!"

Button's left eye was closed shut from the nuzzling filly invading his personal space. "Well, I was gone. I died." He shrugged. Despite his best efforts, Button wasn't able to fully conceal his displeasure for falling in battle. The first death always hurt the most. Especially after reaping the rewards of a boss fight.

Sweetie pulled her head away. "Died...?" She touched his bare hind hoof. "Where'd your boots go?"

Button could only shrug again. "When you die in this game you lose everything on you. Weapons, armor, items, materials; all gone when your last heart is knocked away."

Sweetie felt the weight of her heart and stuffed inventory forcibly press her face against Button's body. His fur immediately absorbed the water trickling from her eyes. "I'm so sorry! You lost everything because of me. I-I thought it was safe…"

The enclosure was rife with choked sobs and congested sniffles.

"D-don't worry about it," Button stammered. It was time to shut down the waterworks before their home flooded. "I knew what would happen."

"Then why did you do it?" Sweetie removed her face from the soaked imprint on Button's shoulder.

"'Cuz you were in danger." Button took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The missing items were the last thing on his mind right now. "I just did what I would do if you were in danger for real." He chuckled to settle his own nerves. "Okay, maybe it wouldn't be as dangerous as an exploding spider killing me..." Button jumped from the bed and anxiously paced around the room. "I just, well, you were in trouble… and I didn't want to see you get hurt. I had to do something! Ugh, it's hard to explain! "

Sweetie giggled, while Button ruffled his mane in frustration. "I think I understand what you're trying to say." Her flank slid down from the sheets. "Almost like… I'm a special pony to you?"

Button pumped a foreleg in agreement. "Yeah! You're a very special pony to me! I would do anything to keep you safe, Sweetie Belle! Even if I lost all of my items after every boss battle!"

"So... I'm like your special somepony then?" Sweetie gave a sly grin. It was obvious that she wasn't the only pony with a growing crush in her heart.

Button stumbled backward and fell onto his rump. "N-no! I mean, you are, but-"

"But what?" Sweetie crept closer, while Button scooted backwards into the corner of the wall. She was becoming more threatening than the venom-spraying spider!

Then the game paused.

. . . . . .

Button's controller dropped to the floor.

Sweetie was holding the blushing colt's hoof between her own. "You can tell me!" Her smile shone brighter than the lustrous white reflection of the screen's light against her fur.

"But… I'm afraid you'll get bored of me." Button pinned his ears against his head. "What happens when we finish the game? O-or what if you get tired of coming over to visit? I don't have any other hobbies we can share!" The panic was rising in his voice, but was quickly cut off when a hoof was gently placed upon his quivering lips.

"You're far from boring, Button." Sweetie removed her hoof from his muzzle. "Maybe you don't fight monsters in Equestria, but whether we're playing the game or gluing leaves into a scrapbook I can tell you're a total sweetheart! I said before all the other fillies would be jealous when I told them you chose me as your new gaming partner. Well, now all the colts can be jealous… 'cuz I'm choosing you as my special partner."

Button's heart pumped against his ribcage as if trying to break free. "You mean…"

"That's right! I'm signing you up to be my second player, mister newly appointed coltfriend." Sweetie giggled. She knew Button wouldn't handle a serious conversation about love and emotions very well. It was best to keep the mood light. "And your first duty as my special somepony is to walk me home." She fell backwards onto the couch and sighed. "I'm gonna be late for dinner! These games really make a pony lose track of time."

"Tell me about it… Now you know why I was so tired this morning!" Button grabbed his controller and saved the game, while Sweetie shuffled over to her saddlebag. "But I'd say today was worth missing a night of sleep!" His eyes followed her every hoofstep. Several days ago, he was staring at the strands of her mane as no more than just a classmate. Now she stood at his front door waiting to be escorted home; by him.

"A true gentlecolt doesn't keep a lady waiting!" Sweetie said in her snobbiest Canterlot voice. She sent a playful wink across the room.

Button walked over and extended a foreleg to Sweetie. He felt his heart skip a beat when her leg wrapped around his. "My apologies, Miss Belle. I was merely polishing my monocle." He adjusted the invisible lens over his eye and snickered.

"Come along, dear! I need you to protect me from these Ponyville ruffians." Sweetie lifted her nose toward the sky. Spending a weekend around Rarity's demeanor had really rubbed off on the filly.

"I swear on my life, your collection of diamond-encrusted tiaras and silver-coated spoons shan't be thieved by any bandits!" Button puffed out his chest. The spinning propeller on his cap would do little to intimidate an adversary, but it certainly caused Sweetie's eyes to water as she attempted to hold back a serious case of the giggles.

"I have nothing to be worried about with such a dashing stallion by my side!"

"Quite right." Button took a puff from his imaginary pipe.

The two foals skipped out the door hoof-in-hoof leaving only a trail of strange accents and eccentric laughter in their wake.

. . . . . .

"He really needs to take better care of his things," Penny sighed. This had been a daily topic with the careless colt since he was old enough to lose his belongings. She lifted the NeighStation and set it within a slot under the monitor. No point in having a fancy entertainment center if Button was going to leave everything spread out on the floor.

After a drawn out tango with tangled wires, Penny made sure no other pieces were strewn about. She was fading fast to the charm of sleep. In her final moments of fluffing the couch cushions and straightening the pillows, she missed one small detail.

Only one controller was plugged into the console.

Upstairs, a gust of cold air blew in through the partially cracked window of Button's room. He was curled into a ball, protected by the thick blanket covering the inside of the lower bunk. Clenched against his beating heart was the controller Sweetie used during their adventures. It was secured against his body like a newborn foal being held for the first time.

Button's dreams were often awash with outlandish events and vivid imagery. He spent his days thinking about imaginary worlds, so it only made sense that his dreams were a non-cohesive mishmash of adventure and exaggerated dialogue. Gaming was relatively new to ponies. Their brains were still trying to sort everyday reality from all-night fantasy.

Tonight, the colt's mind was still on Sweetie Belle even long after he had wished her a good night. Rather than sending Button off to fight a deadly dragon, his mind was replaying the final moments of the night with his new marefriend. It was a memory that would invade his dreams for the rest of his life.

Button jumped onto the top step and placed a hoof above his eyes. He scanned the empty streets behind Sweetie Belle and motioned for her to join him on the stoop of her home. "All clear! No threats detected!"

"Good work!" Sweetie joined him between the bushes hugging the entrance to her home. "I feel so much safer with you around," she teased.

They both chuckled before enduring several seconds of unwelcomed silence.

Oh, boy. Do I shake her hoof or something? Kissing is probably too forward. Maybe… a hug? Nah, she wouldn't want that. Would she? Button bit his lip and gulped. This is a lot easier when she's staring at the game and not directly into my soul!

Aww, he's panicking! How adorable! Sweetie's lips curved upward. I guess I better lend him a hoof before he has a heart attack. "Thanks again for having me over, Button. Huge, exploding spiders aside; it was a nice way to unwind after school. We'll have to get together again soon!"

"Y-you can come over tomorrow," Button proposed nervously. "If you want..."

"I actually have plans with the girls tomorrow. Apple Bloom is building a ramp for some new trick Scootaloo wants to try." Sweetie grumbled with concern. "I'm not thrilled about her speeding down a ramp into a stormy forest, but Scootaloo is dead set on doing it before the clouds are moved away."

"Oh, okay." Button looked down between his hooves as if searching for a better answer.

"You could... come with us. It'll be a few days until we finish, so I could use the extra company!" Sweetie's voice rose in excitement. "But it's probably not as much fun as playi-"

The colt's head snapped to attention without a moment's hesitation. "Okay! I'd love to keep you company!" Button tried to tone down his excitement. "Will they… care if I'm around?"

Sweetie Belle pushed her muzzle forward until her lips were pressed against his cheek. She could feel Button shiver with excitement. Even with her eyes closed she knew the exact look carved on his face. As she pulled way, her puckered lips curled into a smile. Sure enough Button was wide-eyed and redder than ever. "I'm sure they'll be thrilled to meet my new coltfriend."

The incoming autumn wind couldn't possibly extinguish the fire Sweetie had started on Button's cheek fur. Every nerve was tingling! "And you're sure you want a gamer as a coltfriend? I-I dunno the first thing about this stuff!"

"And you think I do?" Sweetie's eyes fell upon the direction of Carousel Boutique. "My sister still doesn't even know what she wants in a stallion. Rarity's tried giving me her best advice, but I just want somepony who makes me smile. Somepony sweet, who I can always run to when I have a problem." She opened the door to her house and smelled the inviting aroma of dinner. The thought of closing the door with Button on the other side left a growing discomfort in the pit of her stomach. She pushed away the inevitable goodbye and focused on the happiness coursing throughout the rest of her body. "And whenever I think of you I can't help but smile. Not to mention I like having a brave colt by my side to protect me! You're like my personal bodyguard!"

Button placed a hoof against the cheek that was now twice the victim of Sweetie's loving assault. "I-in the game?"

"Not just in the game!" Sweetie planted a hoof against her face. It seemed her new coltfriend's brain didn't work properly after a kiss. "Just go clean up your room, goofball! I'm pretty sure I'm free this entire weekend, so I can definitely come back to play more."

"My room will be spotless!" Button squeed. "And I'm not playing another second of Mineshaft without my player two! Maybe we can even… grab dinner together? I know a place with good milkshakes." Even though Sweetie had already broken the ice of being special someponies, Button couldn't help but flounder in the unknown waters of love.

Sweetie winked over her shoulder as she closed the door. "Sounds like we have our first official date planned! I'll be your second player for as long as you're willing to protect me!" The soft blush on her face vanished behind the slab of wood dividing them.

If Button was wearing his Buckin' Boots, he'd be melting in them. "Sweetie Belle, I promise that-

Button stirred in his sleep. A muffled whimper left his lips as a shard of cold wind poked against his bare cheek. He nestled deeper under the blankets until only the messy tips of his mane were exposed. Almost instinctually, he curled into a tighter ball around the controller. The fragrant scent left on his blankets by his beloved Sweetie Belle kissed his nostrils one last time before he drifted back to his symphony of snoring. But not before uttering his eternal promise.

"…I'll protect you forever."

/) The End (\