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// Your Hearts and Hooves in Hers 
// Story: Butterflies In Her Tummy 
// by Hivemind 
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Everything had to be perfect.

Everything.

Especially for the mare you loved.

Hearts and Hooves Day was by far one of the most anticipated times in Equestria. Love was in bloom at every turn, from small-time crushes to joyous, lifelong commitments. Love was one of the greatest feelings in the world, and even though you still felt like the luckiest stallion in the world you could not help but think of those who had to spend such a holiday alone. Empathy was all you could give them. There was always somepony for everypony out there though. They may find their true love soon enough.

You hear a door upstairs in the cottage close shut, causing you to spring off the living room couch and up to your hooves. You swiftly grab a lovely bouquet of yellow roses, their color enchanted by magic, off an end table beside you and speed to your spot at the bottom of the stairs. You hold the bouquet in between your teeth as you straighten your mane into a presentable fashion. Using the precious few seconds you had left, you scan the room around you to assure yourself that everything was in order.

Firefly lanterns? Check.

A lit fireplace? Check.

Living room vacated of animals? Check.

The scene was set and the ambience could not have been better. Finally, you turn your attention to your own self for a brief run-down of how you looked. Your mane was nice and neat and your coat fared just as well. A quick check of your breath revealed it to remain minty fresh. Your handsome figure was just like you planned it. 

Before you could relax, you move on to examining your lavish, formal dressage. Everything seemed to be in order, except for…a stain! A small, dark, and fruity-smelling blemish was clearly visible on the fabric on your right shoulder. You immediately regret partaking in a leftover jelly pastry you brought back home from Sugarcube Corner only mere minutes after you clothed yourself for the evening ahead of you. This somehow added up to be a big problem in your book. You start to panic slightly and begin vigorously rubbing the stain in hopes that some invisible force will just make it all go away. It was only until you heard a soft giggle break through the air did your vying heartbeat grind to a halt.

“You look cute when you’re nervous,” murmured Fluttershy, giggling. You return your gaze to your front to find Fluttershy sitting flat on the second to last step, clad in the most beautiful outfit you have ever laid eyes on: a green and blue dress that made Rarity’s wares look like fashion season rejects. The mare sat on her haunches as her personal merriment continued to flow, her lips stifled only by the most adorable hoof-over-mouth pose ever.

You smile an embarrassed smile at your darling dearest and hold out one hoof to her. She blushes and gladly accepts your gesture, resting her chin over it as she took the final steps down onto the hardwood floor. The timid pegasus scanned her eyes across the outstanding backdrop behind you, her mouth agape and steadily lowering with each and every sight she sees. The dim lighting and fresh scents of all things delightful added so much more to the atmosphere of the romantic night.

You lean forward and bow to her, closing your eyes like a gentlecolt and pointing a hoof in the direction of an empty floor space you cleared earlier that day. Fluttershy continues to hold her tongue as she gracefully strolls past you and into the area you pointed out. You turn around and give her some time to observe the décor, with each element she sees delivering a special appeal to the glow of the firefly’s light in her eyes.

You offer her the bouquet after you trot up to her side. She looks up into your eyes as she gratefully accepts it with a soft ‘thank you’ whispered out. She then closes her eyes and takes a relaxing whiff, releasing every blissful breath she gathered in a peaceful sigh through her nose. She sets the bouquet aside and returns her wanting gaze up to yours.

It was time for the moment you’d been waiting for all night. You extend your left foreleg out to a tripwire mechanism beside you, purposely triggering the simple device that causes a gramophone in the far corner of the room to start up and play. The soothing sounds of a concert hall ensemble of various string instruments, wind chimes, and bells slowly filled the room, staring it all off with a leisurely zealous ascendance.

You each rise up on your back legs and place a hoof on each other’s shoulder and side, keeping a firm grip on each other and never letting go. You hold a deep, passionate kiss with your beloved as you performed a slow dance with her, cherishing every second of it as if it were a part of your very being. The feeling was indescribable as ever. The sense of mind you were in was like a thousand dreams coming true all at once. Nothing in the world had even the slightest chance of being comparable to this. 

Your heart and hers were warm and in tune, and your hooves exchanged the gentle caresses of true lovers. There were once-in-a-lifetime moments, and then…there were moments like these. You break the kiss and lean in close to her ear.

“Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Fluttershy…”