//------------------------------//
// Response 
// Story: Anonymous 
// by Mr Marshmallow 
//------------------------------//

In the dead of night, Rainbow Dash punctuated the silence with sniffles and the occasional sharp sob.
Wiping away her tears she stared at one part of the letter that kept drawing her attention and calling forth the tears from her eyes.
I already have somepony in mind 
I knew it.., I tried too late..., the heartbroken Pegasus wept ...
But you didn't really try did you? A sneaky little voice in her head sang, you didn't even have the guts to tell her your name!
Imagine, the mighty Rainbow Dash, brought to earth by a letter, and you call yourself a daredevil?!
"Shut up!" She screamed at her ceiling, her voice scratchy from crying."Just... Shut up..." The last part so quiet that even Fluttershy would have had problems understanding it.

It was then at this point that a certain tortoise entered the room, awoken from his slumber by his "mother"'s earlier outburst.
She tried to hide her face in a cloud, but he had already seen her bloodshot eyes and tearstained sky blue coat. Speeding up to his max he rushed to her side. But this took too long and so she just came and picked him up by the shell and then flew back to her bed.

He raised gave her a concerned hug and silently asked her, what's wrong mom?
Sighing unhappily she replied aloud, oh Tank *sniff* I'm heartbroken
This he had definitely not been expecting but he managed to maintain his usual poker face and nodded to gesture she should go on
RD blushed at this point and Tank definitely knew something was up." Well Tank... Ya know how some mares like... Other mares..? 
Tank nodded, thinking he knew where this conversation may be going
She took a deep breath, this she had never shared with anyone." I'm one of them."
Most people, their expression changed in a matter of seconds, with a tortoise, especially a half asleep one, it took a while.
It started at point zero, concerned, then blank incomprehension, then confusion, then shock, then more confusion, then he fell off the bed.

"Holy Celestia are you okay Tank?!" 
Sloooooowly he climbed back onto the bed and then nodded surprisingly quickly, now fully awake.
Anxiously she clopped her hooves together , "Are you angry?" 
By way of response he lovingly licked her face.
"Thanks buddy" she hugged him to her chest, tears plopping from her eyes onto his shell.

After a moment thy parted and Tank made an expression that implied,
So? Who's the lucky lady? and drew a heart in the air while shrugging as only a tortoise can shrug.
"It's ummm... Ehh... Go to bed Tank!" Blushing furiously she buried her head in her pillow, with forced snores emanating from her muzzle. 
Understanding that he would get no more out of his mother tonight he hugged her and went back to bed.

When she was sure her son was gone she got out of bed and set her rump down at her chair, pulled a piece of paper from a stack on her desk and set about a reply.

Dear Fluttershy...