It’s time again to reflect on our similarities with some of our favorite ponies, if that’s okay with you.
Fluttershy; she was a character that we defined by her name. Shy to the point of debilitating, Flutters struggled with relating to her fellow ponies and preferred to build her relationships with animals. After spending time with her friends and gaining new experiences, Fluttershy began to build the confidence to start dreaming, taking care of herself, and contributing to the things in life she cares most about.
If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like anyone who’s ever related to Fluttershy to join me after the break.
Fluttershy - now hear me out- is one of those characters I truely hate to admit I relate to. She reminds me of rougher times when I was younger and sometimes those memories hurt. But that’s also why I like her. Fluttershy is so much more than just shy, she embodies the struggles of raising above anxiety to become the best she can be. Here are the moments we can really relate to Flutters:
Season 1: Friendship is Magic Part 1: Forgetting her anxieties because of her passion.
 |
| "Who cares who's watching, I gotta see this!" |
When we first meet Fluttershy she just stands there, kicking the ground, as Twilight tries to talk to her. But within the blink of an eye, Fluttershy sees Spike.
The pegasus immediately lightens up. She loves animals. Her excitement is so strong she throws off her anxiety and embraced what might be her only chance to see a baby dragon (luckily it wasn’t).
Anytime someone with anxiety steps out to pursue a passion, no matter how big or small, it’s a large step and a testimony to their strength. From episode 1, Fluttershy has been an ambitious pony with great hopes and we relate to her fight against her own feelings. It’s easier to get comfortable with things you love around.
Season 2: Putting Your Hoof Down: Becoming the bully.
 |
| The first step toward evil . . . no, I am ashamed of that joke. |
Most fans don’t like this episode because it portrayed Fluttershy as a bully. To me, I see how I used to feel about the people who picked on me. Flutters has grown up being bullied; manipulated; teased; verbally, emotionally and mentally abused; all the while being encouraged to be passive by her parents.
Flutters probably has a lot of hurt and frustration built up by this point in the series. Her whole life she’s learned that the way to be assertive is to act horribly. Even Rarity and Pinkie Pie (her friends) encouraged her to use manipulation to get what she wants out of life.
If you’ve ever been bullied, you can probably grudgingly remember wishing you had that kind of power over others. Now of course none of us want to admit that.Why would we want to hurt others? Why would we want to become the very thing that torments us? Fluttershy didn’t mean to become a jerk. Fluttershy is simply responding in the only way she knows how to be assertive: being mean. It’s relatable because it’s a very human downfall.
Season 3: Keep Calm and Flutter On: Being thought of as a fool for being kind.
 |
| "Do you all think I'm a silly, gullible fool?" |
For all you tender-hearted people, this is your moment. All of Fluttershy’s friends think that because she’s so nice she must also be gullible.
 |
| Who covered best? |
No one likes having their intelligence questioned, but it’s made worse when people think because of your most redeeming quality you are less for it.
Fluttershy is very emotionally soft, but why society views that as dumb will always be an agitation for me. I know I get this treatment a lot too for being a kind person.
Season 4: Rainbow Falls: Bearing discomfort to encourage friends.
 |
| Gotta Go Fast! |
Season 4 had so many good Shy-Shy moments; Bats! She caves-in to peer pressure; Filli Vanilli she learns to take baby steps; you get the idea. But I told myself I could only pick 1 episode a season. I found the loophole in my own rules! I have two moments from this episode.
First, Fluttershy’s wiliness to help Rainbow live her dream of competing in the Equestria Games. So many of us have done things simply because it means something to a friend/loved one.
Fluttershy knows she’s not a good athlete and she feels great anxiety performing for crowds, but that’s not gonna stop her. Even after Rainbow ‘can’t’ compete anymore, Fluttershy is willing to face all her struggles to represent Rainbow Dash’s team in the tryouts. She knows what this means to Rainbow Dash and nothing is going to stop Fluttershy from attempting this goal.
Second, early in the episode, Fluttershy was frightened by Pinkie’s assault on her eardrums. Yet, instead of telling Pinkie that, she rephrases her comment so as not to hurt her friend’s feelings. Afterall, Pinkie’s just being supportive, right?
 |
| Be honest, could you have told Pinkie off? |
Season 5: Scare Master: Remembering the little details about friends.
I know this scary tea party seems like a flop, and yes Flutters was just projecting her own fears. But look closer and you notice that Fluttershy knows what bothers her friends on a daily basis. Fluttershy thinks social issues are the scariest, so she picked ones her friends would relate to. Flutters notices all the little things her friends do. She notes Rarity’s displeasure of not being noticed, Pinkie’s sad expressions when friends don’t show, AJ’s reluctance to be a bad host, Twilight’s agitation with the unexpected, Rainbow’s hatred of boredom. Because social issues are 'scary,' Fluttershy has tailored her event to target her friends'.
If you're a detail oriented person unlike me, you can relate to Flutters' uncanny ability to memorize the little things about your friends. I have a friend who does this all the time! She remembers stories I’ve told years ago. Once in the middle of one of my rants I said, “And my sister will have a beach theme in her room." It was one random sentence, but several months later my friend brings me beach-themed items for my sister saying, "I found these the other day and knew your sister would like them." (I know you’re reading this because you’re that kind of supportive friend. Let it be known I appreciate and value your friendship.)
If you relate to this, just know your focus won’t always be noticed, but it makes being friends with you better!
Season 6: Flutter Brutter: Frustration with people struggling with the same problems.
When Fluttershy is trying to get her parents not to act like doormats, I’m quickly reminded of the episode “Putting Your Hoof Down,” only Fluttershy is doing a better job coaching her parents than Iron Will did with her.
What’s relatable here is how Fluttershy feels so peeved that her family suffers from what she does. Her folks have dreams and ambitions, but they don’t know how to be assertive and stop their son from ruining their home. In Zephyr’s case, he has low self-esteem and fears trying just in case he’s a failure. Flutters’ whole family is just like her from season 1.
I’ve already explained I don’t like to look back at Fluttershy’s character because it’s hard, she’s the same. After you've overcome something it can be agitating watching others struggle with it. Kudos to her for facing the uncomfortable feelings and helping her family grow! Anypony else know this feeling?
Season 7: Shadow Play Part 1: Helping others first.
She literally had the easiest object to collect. Walk up, ask for it, go home. Fluttershy chose to help though. She didn’t have to work at all, but Flutters has her priorities right. There’s always time to help and she’s actively looking for opportunities to do so. I don’t know how many of us live like this, placing others before personal objectives, but I do hope a few of us find this relatable or at least will start doing so. I know I like to help others. It feels better than just getting what I need and moving on.
I know there are so many great Flutter Butter Moments!
Fluttershy isn’t just a shy pony. We see ourselves in every achievement she makes despite being shy. I’m glad a character with such a strong anxiety was in this show and that she redefined the way we look at being shy.
So, if you want, give a hardy ‘yay’ if you can relate to the Element of Kindness!
