//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: Flutter My Heart Ashore 
// by RainbowDangerDash97 
//------------------------------//


Fluttershy gulped. She craned her neck, trying to see the ground, the place where she'll fall if she failed to lift herself off the cloud she stood on, like a normal pegasus of her age. It was so far, she had an idea the sky went on forever, and was bottomless.

"Your turn, Fluttershy," a middle-aged pegasus sternly said.

Fluttershy gulped once more. She didn't bother getting into taking-off position like everypony else did. She daintily leapt off the cloud, flapping her wings like mad. She squealed, and as her nervousness overtook her, she shrunk back, letting her wings rest. Without knowing it, she was falling.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!!!!" she cried out, as she fell. 

"Quick, save her!" a young pegasus ordered. She dived down, and gripped her teeth on Fluttershy's coral pink hair, and struggled back on the cloud she was standing on, wings flapping fast. She dropped the filly on the cloud before her. 

"Well done, Cloudchaser," the coach praised, as he and the other students clapped for the filly's brave act. "She nearly fell "

"The wind has messed up your mane!" a pegasus cried out.

"Nope, it looks 20% cooler," a certain blue pegasus, with a rainbow mane, answered.

Cloudchaser grinned and said, "Thanks, guys."

"Enough," the coach declared. He glared at Fluttershy. "Next time try harder, Clutzershy!"

Fluttershy winced. She hid behind the crowd of pegasi, her head low.

Later that day, she forced herself to try again, when she was alone, and flying lessons were over.

She tried again, but the results were the same. She fell down, but this time, with no one there to save her. 

She screamed, and fell flat on her face. "Where am I?" she asked, looking around.

It was beautiful. There, in place of fluffy clouds, were grass, trees, rivers, lakes, flowers and butterflies. She was too amazed, gaping in wonder and awe at the new-found Paradise, to remember her flying problems. It all started again, when she looked up and saw pegasi racing each other miles above her head.

"When will I ever learn how to fly?" she asked herself, as she settled down by the river. She looked at her reflection, her tears altering it a bit, as they, one by one, dropped into the clear water.

Suddenly, she saw another reflection beside hers. She screamed, and turned around, to face a pink earth filly, with a pretty straight mane, and no cutie mark. 

"Oh my..um..am I trespassing? I..um..." she whispered, backing away.

The stranger pony stared in amazement. "What do you mean?" she asked. "No need to feel shy. I'm...Pinkie Pie. Nice to meet you. I'm sorry, but I...have to go."

Fluttershy blinked a few times, before rubbing her eyes to see if they were playing tricks on her. Why, the pony had no wings! "I'm...Fluttershy. I..um..my friends..um...laugh at me when I try...to fly."

"Nice to meet you, Fluttershy," Pinkie Pie muttered. "If only I had friends."

"Oh my! You poor poor thing," Fluttershy cried out. "You don't have any friends?"

"Not one," Pinkie Pie said, a tear dropping from her eye into the river.

"Don't cry," Fluttershy couldn't help but console. A sudden courage overtook her. 

"I'll be your friend."