July 9, 2019, Outside the Letter Shop, 9:30 A.M.
This was the day that everyone looked forward to. The day that they'd finally be able to catch the secret admirer in the act. Spike didn't want to come, he said he didn't feel like going out today. Currently, Twilight, the other Element Bearers, Starlight, the CMC, Smolder, and Gabby had all taken up positions in nearby trees and bushes. They had the letter shop completely surrounded and were now lying on wait for the admirer to show up.
They were only waiting for about 15 minutes when a small figure wearing a tan trench coat, a grey top hat, and red-rimmed sunglasses came strolling up the path with a small backpack. He looked like he didn't want to be spotted and didn't seem to notice the twelve pairs of eyeballs watching his every move. He walked into the store, was in there for about ten minutes before coming back out again with his backpack full of new envelopes and gifts. The second they heard the bell to the front door ding and saw the admirer step outside again, the dozen girls were ready to strike.
"Now!" Twilight shouted.
Everyone jumped out of their hiding spots and rushed to surround the admirer. At long last, it seemed they'd finally caught their man...or so they thought.
The second he heard Twilight shout, the admirer took of flying, which successfully made him lose seven of his twelve pursuers in the first ten seconds. Twilight, Smolder, Gabby, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, however were a different story. Although they had forgotten to cover the air, that didn't mean they were going to give up right away. They flew after the admirer and the chase was on.
The three ponies, Dragon, and Griffon flew as fast as they could, but no matter how hard they flew, they couldn't close the gap. It didn't help that every now and again, the admirer would make a sharp turn unexpectedly and he'd widen the gap just a little bit. After 15 minutes of flying non-stop, Fluttershy grew tired and couldn't go on. After another five minutes of flying, Gabby and Twilight both hit their limit and had to land. Now only Rainbow Dash and Smolder remained. The admirer was growing tired, and the Dragon and Pegasus were now slowly closing the gap between them. Right when it seemed like they had him, however, the admirer took a sharp turn upwards and was now flying towards the thick clouds and the two tomboyish girls didn't expect his move. By the time they had put two and two together, the admirer had managed to fly into clouds and had disappeared from sight.
"Augh," Rainbow Dash groaned. "Why did the weather patrol have to make it cloudy today?"
Having lost sight of their target, Smolder and Rainbow Dash had no other choice but to head back to where the others were. Twilight, Gabby, and Fluttershy were already back with the other seven girls. By now, the two ponies and griffon had managed to catch their breath and had regained the ability to speak again.
"What happened?" asked Twilight.
"He got away," Smolder replied. "He made a sharp turn upward toward the clouds and took us both by surprise. He flew into the clouds, and we lost sight of him."
Disappointed groans echoed throughout the street.
"You gotta be kidding," Starlight complained. "Now we have to try again in another week?"
"It would appear so," Twilight sighed. "Maybe we'll get them next time."
"Yeah," Gabby added. "It's not like we'll not have another chance to catch him."
"You're right," Smolder replied. "We'll get 'em next time."
With nothing left to do or say, the twelve girls headed back home.
Little did they know, however, that their chance to unmask the admirer would come much sooner than they expected.
Friendship Castle, 8:48 P.M.
Twilight let out a yawn as she headed from her bathroom to her bed. Ordinarily, she'd usually be in bed after 10:00 P.M., but all the hard flying that she did today really wore her out. She was looking forward to falling asleep and pushing all her fatigue away, and she did just that.
10:51 P.M.
Twilight was abruptly awoken by the sound of a loud crash. The crash came from a wooden coat rack hitting the floor. She sat up and looked around, only to see an envelope hit the floor and the front door to the bedroom slam shut. She instantly noticed that it was an envelope that resembled that of the numerous love letters that she was getting. There was also a heart-shaped box of chocolates spilled on the floor as well. The Lavender Alicorn's fatigue disappeared in less than a second and she immediately jumped out of bed and gave chase. The admirer had escaped them once, but he wasn't going to escape them twice. The crash was loud enough that it woke up the other five Element Bearers and Starlight and they walked into the large hallway to see a small figure whizz by them, followed closely by Twilight.
"That's the admirer!" Twilight shouted to the others. "He's not escaping us this time!"
Like Twilight, the fatigue of the other six ponies disappeared instantly as well. They jumped up and joined Twilight in pursuing the admirer. No matter how much he hoped or tried, he wasn't going to slip by them this time. Presently, they approached the staircase that led to the entry way of the castle. If the admirer got out those doors, he was home free. Near the staircase on the upper lever was a small area rug. What the admirer, nor did the ponies, realize was the carpet wasn't perfectly flat because they couldn't see in the dark. The admirer tripped on a large hump in the uneven rug, was sent airborne, and tumbled down the staircase. The ponies could've sworn they heard a faint crack as the admirer took his tumble. Their demeanor changed from determined to catch the admirer, to being worried for his safety. They hadn't meant for that to happen.
"Starlight, find the light switch," Twilight ordered. "Girls, you're going to follow me and were going to check on the admirer."
The Element Bearers ran down the stairs and approached the downed creature. He was clutching his right leg and he sounded like he was quietly crying. They were no more than five feet away from him when Starlight found the light switch and the whole place lit up. In the process, the seven ponies could now have a good look at who the admirer finally was. The Element Bearers and Starlight all gasped when they realized who he finally was.