It had been quite a few days since Sweetie Belle had recovered from his injuries and checked out of the hospital. That being said, he could still remember the terrible things he'd been through there - not from the injuries themselves or the operations he had to endure, but from what happened when Mash Buttons tried to cheer him up. They weren't memories Sweetie Belle was willing to look back on with a smile on his face - at least, not so much as tears in his eyes.
Sweetie Belle sniffled a couple of times as he wiped his eyes with his hand, trying to dry the tears that were running down his cheeks. He was lying on his back on top of his bed, trying not to weep over what had happened.
"Why did Mash Buttons have to tickle my feet?" Sweetie Belle asked, to no one in particular. "Did she really think it would help me feel better? I wasn't feeling that much better before she got there…"
He looked down at his feet, which were sticking out close to the bottom of the bed. They didn't look hurt, but they felt a tad sore - from reminiscing about the tickling, probably. Sweetie Belle brought his hand down to rub the tops of his feet a bit.
"Well, at least I haven't been tickled there since," said Sweetie Belle. "But maybe it was what I said to Mash Buttons that was the problem. Like, did I really think I was going to die, or was it just an excuse so she could stop? I don't even remember…"
"I'm gonna go with that second one," he decided after some thinking. "I probably shouldn't say it ever again, though, unless I'm absolutely sure it's happening or going to happen. But it's not happening or going to happen right now, is it?"
Sweetie Belle reached over to his plush toy of Audrey, then held her in both of his hands as he gave her a hug. The tears continued to fall from his eyes, but there weren't nearly as much as there were before.
"Should I apologize to her? I think I should, but Mash Buttons was the one who was trying to help, so maybe she should… But I don't want to feel like I'm making her."
Just then, Sweetie Belle heard the doorbell. He put down his Audrey toy, then sat on the edge of his bed before stepping off. He made his way out of the bedroom, then down the stairs and over to the front door. That was when he placed his hand on the doorknob, turned it and pulled the door open.
"Hi, Sweetie Belle."
"Ah!" As soon as he recognized who his visitor was, Sweetie Belle cringed in fear. He brought his hands out to defend himself for a few seconds.
"Um, Sweetie Belle?" Mash Buttons raised an eyebrow in curiosity as well as light confusion. "What's the matter?"
"Oh. I'm sorry, Mash Buttons." Sweetie Belle put his hands down as he tried to calm down. "I didn't expect you to come over."
"Oh…" Mash Buttons seemed to understand, although she didn't know why Sweetie Belle was like this. "Should I leave?"
"No, it's okay, you can come in," Sweetie Belle replied, rather hastily at first. "It's just… there's, uh… there's something I need to talk to you about."
"Okay."
Mash Buttons made her way into the house, making sure to let Sweetie Belle move out of the way first. Then she closed the door for him and moved by his side. She was looking up at her friend in concern.
"What's the matter, Sweetie Belle?" Mash Buttons wanted to know.
Sweetie Belle sniffled, a few tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes. He made his way over to the couch, sitting in the middle of it. He gestured for his friend to sit next to him, and Mash Buttons did as she was told.
"Mash Buttons… do you remember what happened at the hospital?" Sweetie Belle whimpered.
"You mean, when I visited you and tickled your feet?" Mash Buttons clarified, and Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yeah, I remember that. Why?"
Sweetie Belle hung his head down, his eyes practically glistening with tears. He began to weep, quietly, as he brought his hands up to cover his eyes. Knowing that he was crying, Mash Buttons immediately became concerned.
"Aww, what's wrong?"
"I told you I was going to die…" Sweetie Belle mentioned, tearfully, "…just because you wouldn't stop tickling me…!"
Mash Buttons reached up to place her hand on his shoulder, using her other hand to rub his other arm gently.
"I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle. I really am," Mash Buttons apologized, sincerely. "I had no idea you'd say that."
"I'm sorry, too!" said Sweetie Belle, pulling his hands away from his face. His right hand reached up to wipe some tears from his eyes with his forefinger. "I didn't mean it, I couldn't take it anymore. I don't know what else could've come over me, I felt like I just had to say it!"
Mash Buttons looked at him, not sure if she could believe him. "Are you sure?" she asked, and Sweetie Belle nodded.
"I guess it's alright. Sometimes I'm like that, too. But if anything, I'm really glad you didn't actually die," Mash Buttons said.
Sweetie Belle sniffled once, then twice. "I'm glad, too. But I wish I could take those words out of the air so you never would've heard them…"
Almost out of instinct, Mash Buttons wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in for a hug. Sweetie Belle hugged her as well, but not as quickly as she thought he would. The moose could still feel the tears running out of his eyes, streaming down his cheeks. A long minute went by, and soon they let go of one another. Sweetie Belle brought his forefinger up to rub his nose, looking cute as he did so.
Mash Buttons reached into her pocket, pulled out a light pink handkerchief and offered it to him. Sweetie Belle wiped his nose with it, sniffling occasionally as he did so.
"Is there anything I can do to help you feel better, Sweetie Belle?" Mash Buttons wanted to know.
"I… I don't know…" Sweetie Belle said. Once he'd finished wiping his nose, he wiped his eyes with that same handkerchief, drying his tears.
"If it helps, I'll never tickle your feet again," Mash Buttons suggested. "At least, not as much as I did at the time. Would you like that?"
Another sniffle from Sweetie Belle. "I'm not sure I would…" He wiped his nose again with the handkerchief. He wanted to blow his nose, but he couldn't. Not on something that belonged to his friend. "Don't get me wrong, I like having my feet tickled sometimes, but there's only so much I can take. I'm super ticklish there."
"Is there another place I can tickle you?" asked Mash Buttons. "I've seen Sniffles tickle your belly a few times. And sometimes he tickles your nose, too, but that makes you sneeze, doesn't it?"
Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yeah." He lowered the handkerchief again and wiped his eyes again with his forefinger. "But I suppose I don't mind being tickled in either of those places as much as my feet…"
"Why don't I give it a try?" Mash Buttons asked. "I'll be gentle, I promise."
Sweetie Belle looked at her for a bit of a long moment, but then handed his friend's handkerchief back to her. As she placed it back in her pocket, the moose moved a bit closer to her so she could reach him. At least he was feeling calmer now.
Feeling certain that he was ready for some tickles, Mash Buttons brought both of her hands up for him to see, and then placed them in the middle of Sweetie Belle's belly. The sensation of her fingertips touching his tummy was enough to bring a smile to Sweetie Belle's face, but as she began to wiggle her fingers around - slowly and softly - he began to giggle. As she continued, his giggling turned to laughter.
"Hahahahahaha, hahahahahahahaha!"
Mash Buttons could feel a smile finding its way onto her face as well. There was something about the sound of Sweetie Belle's laugh that she really enjoyed - although, admittedly, almost every Tree Friend enjoyed it. As she continued moving her fingers around Sweetie Belle's belly and close to his sides, he continued to laugh, twitching around as he did.
"Hahahahahahahahahaha!"
A few seconds went by, and she decided Sweetie Belle needed a break. The porcupine pulled her hands away from him, though a few more cute giggles slipped out as Sweetie Belle held his sides.
"Did you enjoy that?" Mash Buttons asked, giggling a bit, and Sweetie Belle nodded.
"To say I enjoyed that would be an understatement," Sweetie Belle commented. "Thank you, Mash Buttons."
"My pleasure, Sweetie Belle," Mash Buttons replied, keeping her smile. "But I think I know what else will make you feel better."
"Oh, really? What?" Sweetie Belle wanted to know.
Mash Buttons held out her arms for a moment, then wrapped them around Sweetie Belle before giving him a hug. The gesture brought Sweetie Belle a feeling of happiness he hadn't felt in quite a while - since before he'd had to go to the hospital, at least. In response, the moose brought his own arms up to hug Mash Buttons in return, making sure not to let the palms of his hands or his fingertips get too close to her quills.
Sweetie Belle and Mash Buttons spent the rest of their day together - watching their favorite cartoons, playing some games, and at one point, leaving the house for a trip to the ice cream shop, where they bought some delicious rainbow sherbet. It was safe to say that amends had been made - the incident had been forgotten, and through the power of forgiveness, Sweetie Belle and Mash Buttons had managed to save their friendship.
From that day on, Sweetie Belle decided that it would be best to be more careful about what he said to others, and Mash Buttons decided it would be best to be more careful about how she tickled her friends, whether they asked her to or not.