Fluttershy looked at one of the hoops before trying to flap her wings to get herself to take off. She whimpered as she took off. Losing strength in her wings she landed back onto the floor. She flapped harder until she managed to make it to one of the hoops, but lost her balance. She slid down the hill. Her eyes grew wide as she was heading toward one of the flags a few moments later she landed on the ground, bundled up, with two colts laughing at her.
"Nice going, Cluttershy!" one called out. "They ought to ground you permanently!"
"Ha! My baby brother can fly better than you!" The other chuckled.
Her eyes fogged up with tears. Rainbow Dash landed in front of her with a glare in her eye.
"Leave her alone!" she squeaked.
"Ooh, what are you going to do, Rainbow Crash?"
"Keep making fun of her, and find out!"
"You think your such a big shot? Why don't you prove it?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"Race us next week."
"You're on!"
The two colts took off.
"You okay, Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked, concerned for her friend.
Fluttershy sniffed, nodding.
"Thanks for helping me out Rainbow." she muttered.
"No biggie."
The whistle blew.
"Come on, we should head up to the Flight Dive Cliff while we still can before those two colts do."
She and Rainbow walked to the Flight Dive cliff. Rainbow usually would fly, but today she wanted to walk with her friend.
---
Fluttershy stood at the edge of the cliff. Rainbow Dash stared at her. She looked down at the bottom and froze.
"Whoa..." she thought.
Noticing her hesitation the coach promptly pushed her off, causing her to spin in the air. Her wings locked in tight, refusing to come out. She fell to the bottom. She got up dizzy from impact but otherwise unharmed.
"Nice going Cluttershy!" played in her head. But in reality she heard, "Fluttershy, Fluttershy, Fluttershy can hardly fly!"
Fluttershy hid her face behind her hooves. Her eyes became hot with tears. She burst out of the flight aria and into her room. Rainbow Dash watched her friend with sad eyes. She ran after her.
"Fluttershy, wait!" she yelled.
Fluttershy stopped outside her door.
She looked at Rainbow Dash with tears in her eyes.
"I don't know why I even bother. They will just laugh at me no matter what!" she cried.
Rainbow put her hoof around her friends shoulder.
"Don't say that."
"I just want to be left alone right now."
She walked into her house.
---
Fluttershy sniffed, tears in her eyes. Her parents worked at the camp so they where home fairly early. Her mother walked in to check on her.
"Fluttershy, dear, it's time for bed." she said quietly. She noticed the sniffs from her daughter. "Are you alright, hon?"
"Yeah mommy," said Fluttershy wiping her tears. "I just had something in my eye. Do you think you could sing me my lullaby tonight?" she faked a smile. She always loved hearing a lullaby from her mother.
Her mother walked up to her bed.
"Why don't we sing it together?"
"Okay."
Her mother played a music box.
"Hush now, quiet now
It's time to lay your sleepy head
Hush now, quiet now
It's time to go to bed" her mother sang.
"Hush now, quiet now
It's time to lay my sleepy head." Fluttershy yawned.
"Hush now, quiet now, time to go to bed."
"Of to dreamland now, where all wishes come true,
Off to dream land now, where no troubles find you."
By the time her mother finished, Fluttershy was fast asleep. Her mother smiled.
"Good night, dear. Sweet dreams." She kissed her daughters forehead and left the room. She grabbed her a stuffed animal and put it beside her before turning off the light. Her husband walked to her side.
"She's having trouble again with those two colts, I saw her today." he whispered, trying not to wake her up. "She was in tears."
They closed the door to let her sleep peacefully.
"It breaks my heart to see her be treated the way she is. She is such a kind little filly."
Their voices faded away.
Fluttershy felt a tear stream down her face. When she knew her parents were gone, she got up. Tears continued streaming down her face. Fluttershy got out a book and grabbed a pencil. She wrote into the book.
"Sticks and stones, may break my bones, but names will never hurt me..." she wrote. "But in my mind, those words unkind, can nobody see? In my world, of tears, in my world of fears, can they all be, can they be true to me?"
She sighed, wiping away the last tear on her face. She then sang what she wrote to herself.
---
Fluttershy woke up to the sound of a whistle. She then jumped out of bed and recited the camp's chant.
"Junior Speedsters are our lives
Sky-bound soars and daring dives
Junior Speedsters it's our quest
To some day be the very best."
She stood up straight and tall.
Her coach looked at her with a strict look.
"Report outside with the others." he ordered.
Fluttershy then trotted off outside, finding Rainbow Dash waiting for her.
"You feeling better, Fluttershy?" she asked.
"A little." Fluttershy muttered.
"Come on, lets go grab some food."
"I am a little hungry..."
They trotted off to the mess hall.
Fluttershy looked at the other kids in the camp who were flying. She slowly flapped her wings in disappointment.
Rainbow Dash put her hoof on her shoulder. She smiled. Fluttershy faked a smile back.