Hondo "Magnum" Flanks and Cookie Crumbles's anniversary is coming up, and Rarity has the perfect gift in mind for her parents. She and the Ponytones are going to give them a surprise performance at their anniversary dinner. And when she discovers that poor Sweetie Belle completely forgot about this momentous occasion, she offers her the opportunity to perform alongside the Ponytones as part of her present.
Unfortunately, Sweetie Belle doesn't seem to be too keen on the idea. She loves to sing, sure, but not in front of large crowds. Plus, she thinks that Rarity's singing voice is much better than hers will ever be. Rarity has a suspicion that there's something being left unsaid, but Sweetie Belle isn't willing to open up to her sister.
Luckily, Rarity has a close friend who was in a very similar situation not too long ago. And who better to confide in than somepony that knows exactly what you're going through?
I will be very saddened if this doesn't get Featured.
Me too.
4289519
4289523 While the Feature Box is never something I aim for when I write, I'm glad you two enjoyed this little tale.
This will probably get featured, it was done very well.
I understand what it's like to have stage fright, being a performer, so Sweetie, Fluttershy and I have that in common. This is extremely well done and although I don't see myself conquering my fear of singing alone, I can say Sweetie most certainly can!
I knew you were going to make a story like this the minute you expressed your disappointment how little Sweetie Belle was involved in Filli Vanilli.
But hey, for good reason. Everypony here would have loved to see something like this play out.
4290126 I suppose there's some truth to that, if only because I seem to be the only one bringing this up. That and I tend to know a solid story idea when I see it.
I thought this was an excellent follow up story for Filli Vanilli. I have to say, your characterizations were very top notch. It really felt like Rarity, Sweetie Bell and Fluttershy were actually speaking in this. And who knew Fluttershy could be so deep and wise, but still remain in character? Well done!
4290578 Honestly, I've always thought that Flutters was capable of this level of introspection, at least since the events of Putting Your Hoof Down. There's a lot of nuance to Fluttershy's character that most people seem to be unaware of in my opinion.
Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the story.
Ohhh, this is so adorable!
I hope a moment like this happens with Sweetie Belle in the show! Then she'll finally get her cutie mark! 
4294075 That or come one step closer to earning it, like Scootaloo did in Flight to the Finish. Either way, that's my hope, too.
This is a masterpiece. You wrote everyone perfectly. I'd love for this to be an actual episode of the show.
4318260 Hey, you and me both, buddy. At the very least, they should acknowledge this similarity between Flutters and Sweetie Belle on some level.
Question: What's your favorite pairing with Sweetie Belle?
4434651 Answer: ButtonBelle. Now I have a question for you: What does that question have to do with this story besides the fact that Sweetie Belle is involved?
4434976 My favorite shipping with Sweetie Belle is SpikeBelle and just asking.
Also you might want to go to MLP wikia because Rarity's official parents' name:
Rarity's mom name is now Cookie Crumbles.
Rarity's dad name is now Hondo Flanks.
4436352 Okay, Magnum already didn't make sense as a name for Rarity's dad, but Hondo Flanks? Really?
Eh, whatever. Thanks for the update.
Aw... That's so adorable! Sweetie Belle wouldn't just be singing for her folks' anniversary. Imagine if Pipsqueak was at the restaurant, watching Sweetie Belle from a table:
fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2013/211/2/2/pipbelle_request_by_twilight_changeling-d6fx0eh.jpg
This is such a cute little fanfic. Could use a little improvement, but still sweet!
4496788 I'm glad you enjoyed it, but would you mind telling me where it was lacking? I'm always open to criticism.
4497076 For example,
It's should be:
Those three dots should help spell out hesitation.
4497666 I've actually always been skeptical about that rule. Ellipses are meant to indicate that the sentence wasn't finished, not to indicate a pause in dialogue. That's really how I learned it, and if I ignore that rule, I fear that someone else is gonna say that I'm misusing ellipses. Grammar is very confusing sometimes.
4497695 It sure is.
So here's a question: what is the "~" supposed to do? I've seen you use it a lot in your stories, but I'm not sure what it means.
5180286 I mainly use that to emphasize an exaggerated tone of voice, such as whining, syrupy sweet, or a singsong voice (as in this case).
I really love this!
Did you write that segment to remind readers of Dragonshy? Because that's what first came to mind when I read it.
7310577 Not per se, though there is a comparison to be made between the scenes. Mostly, this is my way of explaining why Sweetie Belle is specifically nervous about singing in front of crowds when she can do other stuff in front of crowds just fine.
7310900 I got that second part.
And it does make sense (though, on a semi-unrelated note, I actually genuinely enjoy the CMC theme song as it was sung during the talent show).
Awwww. This warmed my heart.