Fluttershy rested against a tall tree under the shade, the rough bark feeling uncomfortable on her back. Tears filled the rims of her eyes and no matter how many times she tried to wipe them away, they kept on coming back. It was an important day for one of her best friends, the brave Rainbow Dash, as she was trying to get water up to Cloudsdale with the help of Ponyville's pegasi while simultaneously breaking a record for collective wingpower from pegasi of the same town. Rainbow Dash pleaded Fluttershy to help her with this task, but even though Fluttershy wants her friend to succeed, the painful memories of her childhood haunted her as mocking laughs rang inside of her head. Fluttershy was still a poor flier, despite being much older than her traumatic days as a filly, and just thinking about testing her wingpower sent chills down her spine.
"It's no use," muttered Fluttershy in a depressing tone of voice. "I'll just make a fool of myself in front of everybody. I'm so pathetically weak."
Fluttershy dug her head into the ground, the texture of the grass rubbing against her body, and sobbed. As she was crying, she heard what sounded like the hoofsteps of another pony. She remained where she was, knowing that if it wasn't Rainbow Dash, the pony would probably just make fun of her anyways since her eyes were likely red and irritated. Fluttershy closed her eyes and continued weeping, not noticing a lone pegasus mare wearing a blue and yellow uniform approaching her. She knelt down and looked at Fluttershy, whose emotions were already withered. The mare gently rubbed Fluttershy's back, producing a comfortable and relaxing feeling that cheered Fluttershy up slightly, but not enough to break her out of her melancholy.
"It's okay, just let it all out," said the mare in a soothing, but concerned voice. "It's going to be just fine."
Fluttershy stopped crying and looked up at the mare. She wiped away more tears and coughed quietly as the mare sat there patiently.
"Spitfire?" said Fluttershy. Her eyebrows raised up and she wiped her eyes again to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. When Spitfire was still standing in front of her, she immediately knew that this was actually happening. "What are you doing here?"
"I was taking a walk and I heard someone crying," responded Spitfire. "I wanted to cheer you up in any way I could."
Spitfire politely extended her hoof towards Fluttershy, who accepted the gesture and was calmly pulled back up. Fluttershy felt more comfortable not having her whole face covered with grass, but she felt there were a few blades stuck on her cheek, so she wiped them off.
"What's wrong?" asked Spitfire. She took off her goggles and stared directly into Fluttershy's eyes as though she was looking into her soul. Fluttershy shifted her eyes around, frowned, and let out a deep sigh. "If you don't want to tell me, I understand, but I can't stand to see someone so upset. It breaks my heart."
"I'm frightened of what all the ponies will think of me when they see my wingpower," said Fluttershy. "They'll all laugh at me and call me mean names like Klutzershy." Fluttershy could feel the tears returning again as she recalled the noises of bullying that polluted her head.
"I won't call you any mean names." Spitfire placed her hoof on Fluttershy's back and smiled. "In fact, if I see or hear anyone acting rude towards you, I'll give them the drill sergeant nasty side of me and not hold back. I promise I'll look after you and make sure everyone gives you the respect you deserve."
"Um, thanks, but my wingpower is still pathetic. I'll be no use if I can't get a decent wingpower."
"In what Rainbow Dash is doing, every little bit counts. I can give you some advice on improving your wingpower, but remember, if Dash is going to break that record, she'll need all the help from Ponyville she can get, and you're from Ponyville. I wish I could help, but I'm from Cloudsdale and I was assigned to make sure everything was safe and secure. As a result, Ponyville needs you more than ever, and I can tell looking in your eyes that you know it's true."
"I, um, I—" Fluttershy knew what she wanted to say, but she kept stuttering as the words she wanted were lodged into her throat, trying their best to escape her mouth. "I see what you, um, mean."
"One more thing, I actually see a lot of myself in you."
Fluttershy flinched ever so slightly, never expecting to hear those words come up in their conversation. "What? What does that mean? I look at you and see the Captain of the Wonderbolts, not a doormat."
"I was bullied quite often as a filly. I was called weak, useless, and pathetic. To this day slurs and insults thrown at me sting, but I look at how far I've come and realize that with hard work and determination, I can fight off those insults and show the world the real me, the me that is prepared to give it her all."
"So does that mean I'll be worthwhile too?"
"You already are. Nightmare Moon and Discord were both stopped with your help. You're a real hero, Fluttershy, an inspiration to thousands of ponies, and promise me you won't forget that."
"I promise." Fluttershy felt her spirits soaring high into the sky and the tension in her body loosen. Tears still ran down her cheeks, but instead of tears of despair, they were tears of joy. Fluttershy tightly hugged Spitfire, who hugged back with tears of her own forming in her eyes.
"I believe in you, Fluttershy." The two mares released each other from their hugs and for the first time since they met, Fluttershy's face expressed the faintest of smiles, but faint enough that it was clearly noticeable. "I'll give you some tips on how to improve your wingpower, from the angle of the wings to reduce drag to your launch posture to get the most out of your start. I promise to go easy on you, and don't tell Dash, or she'll get jealous."
Fluttershy giggled at the thought of how Rainbow Dash would react upon hearing she had one on one training with Spitfire. She could actually visualize her reaction perfectly, but she didn't want to offend Dash or Spitfire. "I promise. Shall we begin?"
"Sure, let's start with the angle of the wings."