The Element of Kindness

by Hoshii Niisan

In Which A Filly Goes to School

Fluttershy's days as a filly were normal. They always followed this order:

Cry at three o'clock in the morning.

Recieve a small slap from Mommy, but it feels like a slap to the filly.

Sleep, drowning in tears.

Wake up four hours later.

Receives regular food.

Poops.

Changed diaper.

Recieves lots of love.

Feels happy. Breifly.

Get a good night kiss.

Repeat.

It was a peculiar relationship indeed, but Fluttershy kept noticing these bottles all over the floor. They weren't like baby bottles, they had writing on them. Oh well, Fluttershy couldn't read well yet, but she knew the alphabet. B-E-E-R. She decided there wasn't any harm in drinking it, it was accessible on the floor. Fluttershy took a sip. It was a small sip, but it tasted awful. But something horrible happened. She felt horrible pain in her head. It went all the way down to her stomach. Then her hooves. Then her tail. She lied down on the cold, bare cloudy floor, and rested. Her last moments of consciousness were of her father picking up the bottles.

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A year later, Fluttershy was ready to go to school.

"Mommy!" She yelled. "I'm ready to go to school!"

She and her mother went through the checklist, and before she departed for school, she received a big hug and a bigger kiss. "I love you," she said, sending her off. As she left, her look of happiness turned to anger once more as she pulled out more alcohol to drink as she went inside.

Fluttershy meanwhile spent about ten minutes searching Cloudsdale, confused with slight terror. The terror subsided as she found her school, and was met with a comforting and warm face. "Are you lost, sweetie?"

"Y-y-yes." She started shaking, and adopted a nervous look.

"Honey," said the teacher. "Please don't be nervous. I'm here for you." Her face lit up with a smile. Fluttershy reciprocated, and the teacher asked for her name. Once she replied with her name, the teacher brightened up. "It looks like you're in my class!"

Fluttershy let out a small and sheepish "Yay."

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Fluttershy felt friendly envy towards one of the fillies in her class. Her name was Rainbow Dash. She was such a good flier, compared to Fluttershy she was a guru at flying. She had told her cliques of friends that she was working to make a sonic rainboom, a flying stunt that was hard to achieve, especially for a mere filly. Fluttershy watched her fly meekly from a distance. Rainbow Dash noticed her once, but Fluttershy turned her head to the swings nearby, so as to conceal her burning, deep red face.

When Fluttershy returned home, she recieved a nice black and blue eye from her father.