Fluttershy returned to her cottage at the edge of the Everfree Forest, still feeling a bit uneasy from her encounter with Rainbow Dash earlier that day. Upon entering her cozy home, she collapsed on her couch with a sigh and forlorned look.
Why did romance have to be so hard?
Confessing my feelings is tough enough for me as it is Fluttershy thought to herself but the fact that they're feelings for my closest friend makes nearly impossible. Oh, of all ponies, why did I have to fall for her?
It was then that Fluttershy felt herself getting prodded in the side. Turning her head, she saw it was a certain white rabbit.
"Oh, Angel Bunny" she said to her head pet. "I'm having a difficult problem."
While he originally wanted to get Fluttershy's attention because he wanted dinner, Angel decided to lend a sympathetic ear and gestured for his owner to continue speaking.
"I've recently realized that...I'm in love with Rainbow Dash!"
Angel Bunny quirked his eyes at Fluttershy's revelation. Of all Fluttershy's friends, he never would've seen Rainbow as the one she'd fall for. Still, the cyan speedster wasn't the worst she could fall for. Counting his blessings that Fluttershy wasn't in love with the pink lunatic, Angel gave her a look that could be translated as 'Then what's the problem?'.
"Oh, Angel" Fluttershy said as she shook her head. "I'm not like this because I dislike having feelings for Rainbow Dash. I mean, she is a wonderful mare. She's always been there for me since we first met the day we got our cutie marks. What's got me upset is that I can't find it in me to tell her how I feel."
Sitting up on the couch, Fluttershy continued. "I've never been good at this sort of thing. I always get nervous when talking to other ponies, and being the center of attention always scares me, like when with Tornado Duty and when I filled in for Big Macintosh on the Pony Tones."
Angel looked to his owner with raised eyebrows, Fluttershy knowing what he was referring to.
"Yes, I know that those incidents worked out okay" Fluttershy admitted, "but even still, I'm not good at telling ponies anyway. I was the first pony who saw the black smoke coming from that dragon, but it was Twilight who was able to get everypony's attention. And when I discovered the book with the Alicorn Amulet, I was too quiet for anypony to hear me and they only found it by themselves."
Sighing, Angel puffed up his chest to make himself look big and strong. Fluttershy knew what he meant.
"Angel, you know what happened when I tried to become assertive" the creamy pegasus said sadly, not wanting to recall that horrible incident "I took it so far that I became a bully to everypony and even insulted Rarity and Pinkie Pie." Fluttershy sighed "I'm afraid I just don't have what it takes to tell Rainbow Dash."
Walking over to her desk, the creamy pegasus looked longingly at the picture she had of Rainbow Dash doing one of her amazing flying tricks. Fluttershy reached out and gently stroked the framed photo while sighing in defeat. In a moment of despair, Fluttershy shut her eyes tight while letting out a mournful cry and swept her hooves over the desk, sending books and papers to the floor.
With another sigh, Fluttershy turned to the mess on the floor "Angel, can you help me clean this up."
Seeing that the only way he'd get his meal was to help his owner, Angel reluctantly hopped over to pile on the floor and started picking things up.
Just then, the white rabbit spotted something peculiar in the pile. Picking it up, he realized that it was a piece of paper, carefully preserved in a sheet of plastic.
Curious, Angel prodded Fluttershy's side to get her attention.
"What is it, Angel?" she asked before the rabbit held up the paper he had found. "Oh that" Fluttershy replied before taking the paper and explaining with a smile. "It's a letter I got when I was in Flight School. It was about a month after I got my cutie mark. I was in my dorm, reading a book on the many species of birds when I heard somepony rapping on my door. When I got there, nopony was around, but I found this letter sitting on the stoop. Much to my surprise, I realized it was a love letter."
Looking over Fluttershy's shoulder, Angel took another look at the letter. It was beautifully written, both in style and ink, and it looked like the words had been thought out carefully:
My dearest Fluttershy,
You are the wind beneath my wings. Ever since I first saw you, I haven't been able to get your adorable face out of my mind. Every time I see you, my heart goes wild. Every time I fly, I imagine you are at my side. Every time I dream, you are there, in my hooves, your soft, loving lips pressed against mine as our tails intertwine. I can no longer deny that I'm head over hooves for you. I long to stroke your soft, warm coat, to gaze into your beautiful crystal blue eyes, and to run my hooves through your long magnificent mane as we sit on a cloud watching Celestia's light lower beyond the hills. I wish I was able to show my face to you instead of pining for you from afar. I wish I could declare to all of Cloudsdale how deep my passion for you goes. I even wish that it was legal for ponies our age to wed so that I wouldn't have to wait to spend the rest of my life with you. At the moment, however, I am too nervous to do more than leave you this letter. Hopefully, one day I will be willing to appear before you in person and be able to hold you in my hooves in real life and not just in my dreams. Until that day, my lovely Fluttershy, know that somewhere out there, you have a special place in a pony's heart.
Until we're finally together,
Your Secret Admirer
Angel Bunny couldn't help but wipe the tears from his eyes after reading the touching letter. Truly, the author was quite a sentimental one.
"It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever read" Fluttershy said with sparkling eyes herself "I've held onto it since that day. I even had it laminated so it would be perfectly preserved. I never did find out who the pony who sent this was," Fluttershy with a sigh "Even knowing there was a pony with a crush on me at the camp, I was still too shy to talk to any pony and learn who it was. They probably moved on to another special somepony a long time ago. Maybe even got married and is living in Manehatten with the real love of their life by now."
Angel Bunny looked to the pegasus with a frown and folded arms, a gesture that Fluttershy was able to translate easily.
"Oh, you're right, Angel Bunny" Fluttershy nodded. "I lost my chance with my secret admirer because I was too nervous to look for them. I can't make the same mistake with Rainbow Dash. If I truly want to be with her, I have to tell her how I feel."
Placing the letter carefully back on the desk, Fluttershy turned to Angel with conviction.
"I've decided" she said with declaration "before Hearts and Hooves Day, I will tell Rainbow Dash how I feel about her!"
Angel Bunny nodded his approval of Fluttershy's decision...before gesturing to his bowl to be feed.
Things had been busy for Lily, Daisy, and Roseluck, Ponyville's prominent flower salesmares. With Hearts and Hooves Day inching closer by the day, lots of ponies were literally in the market for flowers for their special someponys.
"Well, girls" Roseluck said with a grin as she locked up her flower cart. "Another successful day of flower selling."
"Yeah" Daisy nodded "Hearts and Hooves Day is always our best sales time."
"Do you girls hope this year the three of us will finally find dates?" Lily asked. "For ponies that help with romance, we're not experiencing a lot of it firsthoof."
"I'm with you, Lily" Daisy agreed. "If I don't find a hunky stallion soon, I'm going to put an advertisement in the paper before I become an old mare."
Roseluck looked to her friends with a confident smile. "Don't worry, girls. One day we'll find our dream stallions."
"Maybe soon than you think" came a polite voice behind the trio.
Turning, the three mares saw the gentlestallion Fancy Pants standing before them.
"Hello, my dears" the stallion said with a bow. "I couldn't help noticing you three lovely young mares."
The flower mares couldn't help but giggle.
"You're just saying that" Roseluck said in between giggles.
"But it is true" Fancy Pants said with a smile "You three are as beautiful as the flowers you sell." he then walked up to Roseluck "You're mane is red and wild like fire and your coat is as lovely as Celestia's sun."
Roseluck couldn't help shyly twisting her mane around her hoof "My, you are such a charmer, Mr. Pants"
"Please" Fancy said to the pale yellow mare "Call me Fancy".
He then turned to Daisy.
"And you my dear look like you could be a model for a Renaissance artist."
"Oh, Fancy Pants" Daisy said bashfully "You're making me blush."
Fancy then turned to Lily. "And you my dear look so innocent and beautiful with those flowers in your mane."
"Oh, you are such a dreamboat" Lily said as she dramatically swooned.
"I'd love to stay and continue enjoy your lovely company, but I must attend to things elsewhere" Fancy said regrettably "If any of you are available on Hearts and Hooves Day, though I don't see how such lovely young things couldn't, look me up. Until then, here is a parting gift."
Much to the mares' excitement, Fancy leaned kissed them one at a time, first Roseluck, followed by Daisy, and then Lily. As each of them was kissed, however, they felt a strange sensation. The bubbly excitement and passion in their hearts was disappearing, leaving them feeling strangely empty.
"Au Revoir, my dears" Fancy said as he tipped his hat and was off.
Lily, Daisy, and Roseluck barely acknowledged Fancy's departure, their eyes glazed over like they were dazed. Stiffly, they walked to their carts to return to their homes, though their desire to sell flowers had vanished.
Meanwhile, the form of Fancy Pants walked behind a building with an evil grin.
"Ah, another tasty meal" the creature said as it's shadow morphed back to its true form and seemed to grow and become more hideous. "It's amazing how much love is in this town. It won't be long before I have more power than what to do with!" the creature said as it leaped into the sky "Soon, both Equestria and the hive will be mine!"