Attempted automated wordcount. Please use LibreOffice/MSOffice for an accurate count: 1746

thanks, author! If you wish to have this removed from this list, email ra.llan.pcl+complaints @ gmail.com, making sure to provide proof that you are the author.

Special thanks to Eileen Spinelli, author of "Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch." Go buy it and read it to your kids. It's awesome.

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Princess Luna was quiet, and shy, and she did not smile. Every day, she would sit alone in her room and read books until it was time for the sun to go down. At dusk, she would step out onto the balcony of the palace where she lived, and raise the moon into the night sky. At suppertime, she would sit quietly with her sister Celestia, eat her expertly-prepared meal, and have an apple for dessert. After supper, she did a little more reading, took a bath, and went to bed early. She would only leave the palace for two reasons: to buy new drama novels from the bookstore, and to get her favorite apples from the apple cart when it came in to Canterlot. "She keeps to herself." That's what everypony said about Princess Luna.

One Saturday when Princess Luna stepped onto the balcony overlooking the city, she got a surprise. The postmare was there, with a package wrapped in brown paper. Princess Luna had never spoken to the postmare before. "Thank you, Ms. Shines," she said.

Bubbly Shines smiled. "You're welcome! I always enjoy delivering packages!"

Princess Luna tore the brown paper off. Inside was a white box, which she opened to find another box. This one was heart-shaped, all satiny-red with a pink bow on top. It was filled with candy!

Something fluttered to the balcony floor. It was a little white card. She picked it up and it said, "Somepony loves you." Only then did she remember that this was Valentine's Day!

Princess Luna wondered, "Now who would send this to ME?" The only person who ever talked to her was her sister Celestia. She had no friends. And yet someone, SOMEONE, had sent her a valentine. But who?

She put the box on her desk and tried to do some reading. But every few seconds she had to keep glancing over to see if the box was still there. And as she read, the book seemed to whisper, "Somepony loves you. Somepony loves you."

At last she flung the book away and exclaimed, "I've got a secret admirer!" And then, she did something that she had never done before. She laughed. She laughed and danced and clopped her hooves. And then she took a piece of candy from the box and ate it.

Princess Luna put on her crown and found some nice perfume in the bottom drawer. She sprayed it behind her ears, picked out a nice purple saddle, and put it on. And then, she went for a walk.

"Maybe," she thought, "I'll meet the person who sent me the candy!"

Of course, no one had ever seen Princess Luna wearing a saddle, smelling of perfume, or smiling. So she got a lot of attention. Sunny Day tripped over her dog, Mrs. Dancer nearly flew into a tree, and little Dinky Doo spilled all the toys out of her wagon. Princess Luna waved hello to them all.

While she was out, she decided to stop by the bookstore. Inky Spot went to get a copy of their latest release.

"I'm a little tired of drama stories," Princess Luna said, not as usual. "I think I'll get a comedy this time."

Inky Spot was shocked. "Was that you speaking, your majesty?"

"Indeed it was!" said Princess Luna. "I said I'd like a comedy story this time. And if you don't mind me saying so, Mr. Spot, you don't look very well today."

Inky Spot recovered from his shock to reply, "You're right. I don't feel very well. I have a cold. I was supposed to go to the doctor's this afternoon, but the store has been so busy that I haven't had the time."

Princess Luna thought for a moment. Then, she smiled, and waved her horn in the air. A flash of bright light filled the room. When the light had cleared, Inky Spot found himself staring at a perfect copy of himself.

"I'd be happy to watch the store for you while you go," the disguised Princess Luna said.

Inky Spot could hardly believe his ears. "You would?"

"Certainly! Just show me what to do." And so Princess Luna ran the book store for an hour. She wondered if any of the ponies who stopped to buy a novel, or a magazine, or a comic book, had sent her the mysterious valentine.

When Inky Spot returned, Princess Luna made her usual stop at the apple cart. "I think I'll get a couple of apple fritters today," said Princess Luna. Big Macintosh wrapped the apple fritters and handed them to her. "You look worried," said Princess Luna.

"Yup," Big Macintosh admitted. "Apple Bloom wanted to come into town with me today. I let her go to the park for a bit, but she hasn't come back yet. If that little filly doesn't hurry herself back soon, I'll have to leave the cart unattended and go find her."

"Goodness! Why didn't you say so?" said Princess Luna. "I will go look for her." And so, she walked to the park, found Apple Bloom by the swings, and brought her back to the cart.

"Thanks, Princess Luna!" Apple Bloom chimed.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh agreed. "Thank ya."

"Any time!" said Princess Luna.

That evening, after she had finished raising the moon, Princess Luna went to sit with Celestia for supper. She spoke excitedly about her secret admirer, as well as all of the fun things that she had done that day. After supper, she got out the apple fritters that she had bought from the apple cart, and the two sisters ate them together. Princess Celestia was very happy to see her sister in such high spirits.

The next day, Princess Luna didn't bother to read her new book. She decided to go to the royal kitchen and bake brownies instead. "It would be nice to have brownies to share with the palace guards." And as she baked, the warm chocolate smell of brownies floated through the city streets. Little fillies wandered by the palace, sniffing the air.

"Well, I suppose the palace guards can wait," said Princess Luna, as she looked out the window. And she brought out two platefuls. "Now, what are brownies without lemonade?" she said. And she stirred up a nice, cold pitcher. When the parents came to get their children, they had some brownies too. It turned out to be a picnic in the palace's garden. Even Princess Celestia took a short break from her royal duties and came out to visit everyone. Princess Luna dusted off her lyre and played songs she remembered from her childhood. Everypony danced.

And so the days and weeks went by. When Princess Luna wasn't smiling, she was laughing. And when she wasn't laughing, she was helping someone. And when she wasn't helping someone, she was having a party in the palace's garden. She seemed to have forgotten about finding the pony who sent her the valentine.

And then one evening, Bubbly Shines the postmare came to her balcony. Her face was very serious.

"Come in, Ms. Shines!" said Princess Luna. "You look upset."

"I am upset. My supervisor is very angry with me. Do you..."

"Yes, Ms. Shines? What is it?"

"Do you recall the package I delivered to you? On Valentine's Day, I think it was?"

"Yes, I believe so," replied Princess Luna, beginning to feel a little uneasy.

"I don't suppose you still have it, do you?" said Bubbly Shines sadly.

"As a matter of fact," said Princess Luna, "I still have the box. The candy is gone though. Why do you ask?"

The postmare took a deep breath. "I'm afraid I delivered it to the wrong address. It was supposed to go to another home."

Princess Luna recalled tearing off the brown paper. It had never occurred to her to look at the address. She fetched the heart-shaped box, and the pink bow, and gave them to the postmare. "I do hope your supervisor won't be too angry with you now."

The postmare was heading back into town when Princess Luna called from her balcony. "Ms. Shines, I forgot something!" She gave the postmare the little white card.

"Somepony loves you," it said.

Alone in her room, Princess Luna sighed. "Nopony loved me after all."

Then she read a little, took a bath, and went to bed early.

The next day, Luna sat in her room and read her new book until it was time for the sun to go down. At suppertime, she sat quietly, ate her expertly-prepared meal, and had an apple for dessert.

When she finally went out to buy a new drama novel at the bookstore, she did not talk to Inky Spot. And when she bought fresh apples from Big Macintosh, she did not smile. Nor did she pat little Dinky Doo on the head, or bake brownies or have picnics or parties or play her old lyre anymore. Everypony whispered, "What is wrong with Princess Luna?"

Bubbly Shines the postmare told them.

"WE love Princess Luna," said Mr. and Mrs. Dancer. "She helped us carry our groceries home."

Sunny Day nodded. "I love her too. She always makes for good company when I'm walking my dog Daisy." Daisy barked. She loved Princess Luna too.

Inky Spot told everyone about how Princess Luna had watched his bookstore so he could go to the doctor. Big Macintosh told everyone how Princess Luna had found his baby sister. All the little fillies in the neighborhood remembered Princess Luna's wonderful brownies and lemonade. And most of all, her laughter.

"Poor Princess Luna," they said. "What can we do?"

Then, Bubbly Shines announced, "I have an idea."

On Saturday evening, Princess Luna looked out the window to find that it was almost dusk. Sighing to herself, she went out to the balcony to raise the moon.

She couldn't believe her eyes. All over the palace garden down below were red and white hearts and pink bows. There were boxes of candy on the chairs, and yellow streamers flowing from the trees, and perched on the edge of the balcony was a shining, silver lyre. The garden was filled with ponies. Happy, smiling ponies. They were holding up a huge sign with hand-painted letters that said,

"Everypony loves Princess Luna!"

Princess Luna dabbed at a tear with her hoof. "I do believe," she sniffed, "somepony loves me after all." And then she smiled. And then she laughed. And then she hurried down to be with her friends.

The End