She was there again. In that instant she could see the racers, Rainbow, the noise, the crowd. The fear. She swung the flag. They all raced by. And she fell. No one tried to stop her. You know that song by Phil Cloppins, "In the Air of the Night," about that one colt who could save that other colt from drowning, and he didn't, then Phil saw it all and had a show and found him? It was kinda like that. They could have saved her from drowning. No one cared. Did they even realize? She doubted it. She fell. And fell. And fell.
And woke with a start. She often had dreams about that day. What would have happened if those butterflies didn't break her fall? Would anyone have cared? Would anyone have remembered that shy, clumsy mare who never seemed to have a partner during group work, who never showed up for school games or activities? She had never told anyone. She was too shy. Social anxiety, said the psycologist. You'll get over it. She never had.
Fluttershy slid out of bed, onto the stone floor. It was cold and smooth, with indentations and streaks of color throughout. She slowly opened the door, and trotted down the hall. Her eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness of the halls. As she walked, she remembered her day,how Twilight was enjoying life in the castle, how much Twilight had grown. Twilight had been socially awkward once, too, but now look at her. A princess! And Fluttershy? Still as shy and clumsy as ever. Twilight was destined for greatness. Flutters was not.
These thoughts raced through her mind while she walked. No light shone in through the windows. Tonight was a new moon. But by now her eyes were adjusted to the dark, and a glimmer of light caught her eye. The mirror. The same one Twilight had used to find Sunset Shimmer and return the crown. It was usually solid, reflective. Now it wavered and wobbled, almost liquid. She could still see herself in it, but distorted. She tentatively poked a hoof at it, admiring the beauty of the mirror. That was a mistake. As soon as she touched it, she could feel a force. A strong one. Pulling her in. Not a physical force, but one of curiosity. What was behind that mirror? All of her awkwardness was gone, replaced with one thought: move. She could only do that one thing. She opened her wings, hooves set into the ground, and jumped.