History WMG / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicFluttershy

She was in the Canterlot gardens for a long period of time and was affected by the aura of chaos magic the statue was giving off. Note that she was the only one of the Mane Six to go irrationally crazy; Twilight didn't cause any trouble, Applejack was just trying to sell her treats, Pinkie Pie was being Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash was trying to get the Wonderbolts' attention, and Rarity only snapped after Prince Blueblood used her as a pony shield against the flying cake.

She was in the Canterlot gardens and was affected by the aura of chaos magic the statue was giving off. Note that she was the only one of the Mane Six to go irrationally crazy; Twilight didn't cause any trouble, Applejack was just trying to sell her treats, Pinkie Pie was being Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash was trying to get the Wonderbolts' attention, and Rarity only snapped after Prince Blueblood used her as a pony shield against the flying cake.

* Well, ''The Cutie Mark Chronicles'' confirms that she was bullied for being a bad flyer, and in ''Party of One'' Spike "confesses" to Pinkie Pie that Fluttershy is afraid of heights. Considering she's a pegasus, that's prime bully material right there, not to mention her lanky legs and PeekABangs made her look different to the others. No wonder she suffers from low self-confidence.

Pre-Cutie Mark, she was a more open, talkative pony, but (possibly elaborating on the OverprotectiveDad theory) she had an overbearing parent or teacher, and/or was bullied as a foal into becoming withdrawn, apologetic, and mostly submissive, unless she's provoked, in which case she'll lash out. Iand several of her friends had to go through the same thing as a child, and I/we see a lot of ourselves in her behavior.

* So she's like [[Literature/{{Twilight}} Jane]]?

We've seen her in contact with basically Equestria's devil (Nightmare Moon) and Super Devil (Discord) without locking up. We've seen her react with the entirely appropriate amount of fear from a Hydra which lets face it is pretty much a dragon just with multiple heads. Sure it can't fly but Fluttershy so often forgets that she can fly that I'm not buying a dragon is more threatening because it can fly. I supose we can argue about breathing fire vs four heads and which is more frightening but it seems unlikely that she'd treat a hydra as a "regular" threat and a dragon as so terrifying that the mere sound of it paralyzed her.

With the former, she was orphaned, and found as an infant by a dragoness with a strong mother instinct, but had to abandon her for her own good, and put the fear of dragons into her so that she wouldn't seek her out. With the latter, she is in fact the child of a dragon mother and a pegasus father, with a similar outcome: to keep Fluttershy from being ostracized by her own kind, her mother put the absolute fear of dragonkind into Fluttershy's psyche, so that she wouldn't seek her out once she reached adulthood. [[spoiler:With a season 3 storyline revolving around [[BalefulPolymorph Fluttershy turning into a dragon herself]],]] the latter could be entirely possible.

[[WMG:Fluttershy ''isn't'' an UpToEleven version of conventionally attractive.]]

!![[center: [-[[WMG/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicManeCharacters Main Index]]\\

[[WMG: Fluttershy is too polite to intrude on the inherent privacy of the owner/pet relationship.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy is a reincarnation/descendant of Commander Hurricane.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy is a descendant of or part Flutter pony.]]

* Well...it'd explain why she looks a bit like Rosedust, and why she had such long legs as a filly. However, she looked more rawboned than dainty back then, so...difficult to say.

[[WMG: Okay then. Scootaloo and ''Fluttershy'' are [[PolarOppositeTwins related]]]]

* All related ponies have similar color schemes...just different tones. Fluttershy is yellow/light pink, Scootaloo is orange/dark pink.

[[WMG: Fluttershy has serious psychological issues but refuses to take her meds.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy actually is the world champion at "Shh."]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy's [[DeathGlare Stare]] is magical in nature.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy wanted to be a dressmaker when she was younger.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy was held back a year at flight school.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy's... episode during "The Best Night Ever" is Twilight Sparkle's fault.]]

Now for the fun part. Let's apply what we learned here to Fluttershy's actions during the Grand Galloping Gala. First, go back a few episodes to A Bird in the Hoof. Fluttershy is trying very hard to gently nurse Princess Celestia's sickly pet bird, Philomena, back to health. However, Philomena proves to be highly uncooperative with Fluttershy. The bird refuses to take its medicine, have some soup, or get some sleep. Fluttershy is quick to move on to other medical techniques whenever her patient makes it very clear that she won't accept whatever technique the pegasus offers. Enter Twilight Sparkle. Upon realizing what's going on, she strongly insists that Fluttershy should stop being a pushover and FORCE the bird to take whatever steps necessary to make its recovery! To demonstrate, Twilight forces Philomena to take the medicine Fluttershy gave up on, trap it in a cage in an attempt to keep it still and more. Twilight's methods are way more aggressive than those of gentle Fluttershy and she can't wrap her head around them… yet.

[[WMG: 'Flutterrage' was a Changeling.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy has a palsy that mostly affects her wings.]]

* I atribute that more of Fluttershy being a "Duck Pony", while she was born a pegasus pony, due her shyness, she almost never left her home (and therefore, almost never exercised her wings, making her quite clumsy in that regard, in contrast with competitive Rainbow Dash, who was far more extroverted and athletic, she already knew how to fly when she entered on the junior flyers academy), and after she discovered the ground she rapidly became more comfortable with it, causing her to depend even less on her wings and more on simply walking (note that apparently she can fly as fast as Twilight can run, and we know Twilight is a pony of the weak nerdy type).

[[WMG: Fluttershy was very sickly when she was young.]]
Because she was so sick, she couldn't go outside very often, so she recieved little socialization from other fillies early in her life. Even when she was healthy enough to start going out, she was still left weak from being sick and bedridden. This explains why she was initially a weak flier when she was young. It's also worth noting that in her story in "The Cutie Mark Chonricles", she is thinner and smaller than any of the other fillies we see. (her legs look particularly thin) Having very little socialization with other fillies, she was scared and nervous, causing her to be so shy. Going to the ground and seeing the creatures gave her motivation to go out more, allowing her to grow stronger and healthier as we see her now.

[[WMG: Fluttershy is a partial reincarnation of {{Medusa}}.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy's special ability isn't being good with animals, but being able to walk on swarms of butterflies.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy isn't the oldest]]
Sure, in Griffon the brush off she said she was one year older than Pinkie, but that still dosen't prove she's the oldest.

[[WMG: Fluttershy has gone Meme InUniverse.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy wasn't just protecting her friends in "Dragonshy"; she was also protecting the dragon.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy is part unicorn.]]

[[WMG: Similarly, Fluttershy is part Earth Pony.]]

** Based on filly!Fluttershy's design, she probably ''is'' supposed to be fairly tall and large-framed as pegasi go. Not really being ''built'' for flight—and being[[spoiler: (at least until more recently)]] neither enough of a jock or an overachiever to overcompensate, or assertive enough to find someone to coach her—could explain why she was such a klutz at it in her youth. And it could also explain her habit of sort of curling in on herself and hiding behind her forelock: She's not ''just'' being a ShrinkingViolet, she's also consciously attempting to ''take up less space''.

[[WMG: Fluttershy was supposed to be an Earth pony originally.]]
Continuation of the WMG above.

[[WMG: Fluttershy knows Judo.]]
Because [[spoiler: even on a willing participant]], how else would she over the shoulder throw a bear? Also this might lead credence to the "Fluttershy is half earth pony" theory.

[[WMG: Fluttershy's ShadowArchetype will be an expy of [[WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures Elmyra Duff.]]]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy has some form of UsefulNotes/AspergersSyndrome.]]

* In the latter seasons, she appears to be too manipulative to be an aspie. However, Season 6 adds information to this which brings the possibility back. In Dungeons and Discord, it's clear he manipulative tendencies are learned, not a part of her nature, which the reverse psychology scene. More importantly, Flutter Brutter shows that her brother is extremely manipulative. Maybe she learned manipulation and many other social skills from her younger brother?
[[WMG: Fluttershy's kindness is actually a veil she wears to hide her true nature.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy's stare is painful for the subject, possibly even to the point of being a form of torture.]]

-->'''Rarity''': Did you use...(scary music plays in background)...''the stare'' on her?\\
'''Fluttershy''': Oh no! I wouldn't! I couldn't! I don't really have any control over when that happens! I-it just happens!

[[WMG: Fluttershy experienced abuse or trauma as a child.]]

* it could also be something innocuous, like having extremely loud parents. Normally, that’s not traumatic, but in fluttershy’s case it could have been what scared her.

[[WMG: At some point during season two Fluttershy will [[PlayingATree be a tree]] in a [[{{Theater}} play]].]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy planned to have Rainbow Dash and Tank together from the very beginning.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy is a faster flier than Rainbow Dash.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy is a {{Physical God}}dess on par with Celestia]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy came from a wealthy (possibly noble) family in Cloudsdale]]

** Would also explain her knowledge of "French coutour" (or however it's spelled)

[[WMG: Fluttershy is left hooved.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy is NOT secretly evil/dominant/violent/psychotic.]]

[[WMG: Evil Fluttershy will return at some point.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy at some point had a traumatic run in with a dragon.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy is a Caustic Critic.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy's actions in "Putting Your Hoof Down" were a delayed reaction to Discord's attempt to break her]]
Think about it, how did Discord try to break her? By telling her everyone thinks she's weak and helpless. What happens in this episode? She realizes the other towns ponies take advantage of her and even her own friends think she's an ExtremeDoormat. She originally accepted it, but now she sees even her friends think its a bad thing. Maybe it wasn't a conscious choice, but some part of her realized that Discord was right and her kindness made her "weak", causing her to turn into Fluttercruel again. This makes her JerkassRealization ''more'' awesome because she overcame what was essentually a Discording ''on her own!''

[[WMG: Fluttershy gender bended into a guy in "Bridle Gossip"]]
Fluttershy gender bended into a guy, which was why she "Didn't want to talk about it" when everyone asked what was different about her. Spike even highlighted it. The way she said dhe "Didn't want to talk about it" would also mean that she also had a her female "parts" replaced with male "parts." The reactions the other five have on their faces is exactly the kind you would also find when you learned that [[UnsettlingGenderReveal the girl before you is now a guy.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy is a Master of Disguise!]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy lives at the edge of the "spooky" Everfree Forest because of her animals.]]
Her house is located right next to No Pony's Land despite being extremely timid and shy. This is likely more for her animals than her, as she can use her Stare to fend off Everfree creatures while allowing her animals to enjoy the benefits of "wilderness". Its unlikely that all her animals would be welcome in Ponyville and feeding them all would be easier if they could feed in the forest.

[[WMG: Fluttershy ''isn't'' an UpToEleven version of conventionally attractive.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy was raised by a, or is part, dragon.]]
With the former, she was orphaned, and found as an infant by a dragoness with a strong mother instinct, but had to abandon her for her own good, and put the fear of dragons into her so that she wouldn't seek her out. With the latter, she is in fact the child of a dragon mother and a pegasus father, with a similar outcome: to keep Fluttershy from being ostracized by her own kind, her mother put the absolute fear of dragonkind into Fluttershy's psyche, so that she wouldn't seek her out once she reached adulthood. [[spoiler: With a season 3 storyline revolving around [[BalefulPolymorph Fluttershy turning into a dragon herself]],]] the latter could be entirely possible.

[[WMG: Fluttershy was trying to stop Discord before she was corrupted.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy is an excellent swimmer.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy is NOT afraid of spiders]]
Or snakes, or bears, or sharks, or hyenas, or Manticores, or any other “scary” creature. However, all of her friends are. There will be a point where Fluttershy introduces some foundling “scary creatures” to the others and they freak out, but Fluttershy won’t understand why.

[[WMG: At some point Fluttershy will inadvertently adopt a changeling]]
Kindness is extremely close to love on the emotional scale, so it seems natural that love-hungry changelings would be attracted to her. The Changeling won’t hurt her, he just sits there and feeds on the Love Fluttershy has for her animals.

[[WMG: Fluttershy's somewhat OOC moment in Magic Duel was the result of being afraid of Trixie.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy [[DisabilityAsAnExcuseForJerkassery uses her shyness to get away with things]].]]
Think about it: In "Dragonshy", she causes avalanches, Applejack is forced to carry her up the mountain herself and she generally holds the group back at every turn and only steps up to the dragon when it almost kills the others. She's just as suspicious and xenophobic towards Zecora as the others in "Bridle Gossip", causes the Parasprite problem in "Swarm of the Century" to get ten times ''worse'' by keeping one, even though she knows how destructive they are. She attacks Rarity's dress in "Suited for Success" with trivial criticisms, gives Rainbow Dash a panic attack in "The Sonic Rainboom", ditches Pinkie Pie and Rarity in the desert in "The Last Round up" along with Rainbow Dash and Twilight (but only Dash gets called out on this). Rarity's reaction after her vicious TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to her and Pinkie in "Putting Your Hoof Down" is to blame Iron Will, not Fluttershy. She tramples Rainbow Dash in "Dragon Quest" and in "Magic Duel" she has to be dragged outside the barrier by her pets to get help. Yes, she is the holder of the Element of Kindness, BUT it has already been shown that just because you hold an element doesn't mean you act it all the time- Pinkie Pie is Laughter but has shown to be capable of being ''incredibly'' depressed and crazy, Rarity is Generosity but she can be selfish at times, Applejack is Honesty but is capable of lying, etc. In fact, half the time the Mane Six's episodes focus of them trying to overcome their personality flaws. Fluttershy might be kind, but she obviously ''does'' have a mean streak, it's just rare for her to get called out on it.

[[WMG: Fluttershy will become a Princess.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy's parents were killed off by a Shadowy monster(which may also be what killed the parents of Applejack, Big Mac and Applebloom).]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy is [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Kyuubey]].]]
Or rather, one where a MagicalGirl (probably Madoka since it seems like something she would do - heck, she made a wish to save a cat [[spoiler:in early Homura timelines]]) wished that Kyuubey had emotions in order to empathize with emotional beings and be a more traditional helpful WeaselMascot for future girls that are contracted. The Powers That Be decided to implement that as becoming Fluttershy, perhaps because this sudden onset of emotion and empathy was unprecedented and wanted supervision in the form of a relative SugarBowl like Equestria (in agreement with Princess Celestia, maybe?) - worst case scenario for the Incubator race is that Kyuubeyshy is no longer useful as an contracting agent and simply cuts ties and make it Celestia's problem. Once Kyuubey was reborn as Fluttershy, she finds that GoodFeelsGood and indulges in it, but doesn't become a GenkiGirl like Pinkie Pie because she's hit with a '''massive''' amount of remorse and guilt over the leonine actions employed in regards to contracting previous Puella Magi that she can now empathize with as well.\\\

- Her taking care of animals acts as a sort of practice for taking good care of Puella Magi, as well as seeing what altruism is like. It also serves as an outlet for her to practice communicating and empathizing with other beings with ponies not readily available at first. Additionally, given that she's liable to outlive the girls she bonds with in the Madokaverse, she's going to be dealing with a lot of loss - Fluttershy would have to learn how to greive without letting it affect her ability to perform her duties.\\

- Her fairly traumatic foalhood is an example of what kind of life Kyuubey's usual leads go through. Something to use empathy for once she returns to contracting duty. An episode like "Hurricane Fluttershy" would also serve as good examples of the despair and hope that for the longest time Kyuubey would just treat as resources.\\

- Rainbow Dash became her first real friend because she represents pretty much everything Kyuubey was not: brash, loud, acting on instinct rather than rationality, seeking immediate gratification, and loyalty to an individual like her (similarities to Sayaka would be in the back of her mind).\\
- Her freaky knowledge of sewing stems from exposure to all the intricate outfits that Puella Magi wear. By extention, being friends with Rarity allows for new insight on how and why Puella Magi end up dressed as they are when they do contract.\\
- Her living near the Everfree and away from most other ponies serves to both maintain secrecy and as a contingency containment plan should the original EldritchAbomination that is Kyuubey resurface; Fluttershy may live in fear of losing herself to an Incubator's nature (whether or not it's still there). Angel Bunny may be in on this as additional security - he is tough and direct because he understands the high stakes involved. It also allows Fluttershy the time and privacy to organize her throughts and feelings.\\

** It's quite apparent that being [[TheIngenue a straight-up ingenue]] is not going to cut it, especially in an Incubator's line of work - if The Kyubeyshy Experiment is to work, Fluttershy would have to become a GuileHeroine almost by default, both to get contracted girls to actually fight (especially if Fluttershy's conscious means she can't hide the truth about the nature of Witches and Soul Gems without obfuscation) as well as very likely fighting against any machinations of regular Incubators. The Incubator Race would very likely test Kyubeyshy by comparing her to a regular Incubator - even if the latter would appear to have an advantage by way of not having empathy as an automatic mental block, who is to say the latter would not attempt any and every method of having Kyubeyshy judged defective, since their whole modus operendi is [[IDidWhatIHadToDo "anything to push back the heat-death of the universe"]]?
** A friendship with Discord would mean Fluttershy might even be able to pick up a couple of tricks of her own to use. For this to work as intended Fluttershy would have to very much remain benevolent (which is why that part of her came first, i.e., her foalhood), perhaps more along the lines of the "Prankster Fluttershy" fanart by [=HowXu=]. If Celestia knows about Japanese Mythology (somehow I think the prospect of being able to {{Retcon}} the origin of the name "Kyubey" from a shortening of "Incubator" to "[[AsianFoxSpirit Kyubii no Kitsune]]" would be too delicious for her to pass up) and/or concedes that changes to the system beyond what is necessary should be avoided (note that even with [[spoiler: Madoka's ascension to Goddesshood the new system is still quite bleak and Magical Girl survival rates aren't much better than before]]), this is likely the least amount of change to the universe that can be done while still utilizing an empathic and sympathetic Incubator.\\\

This all comes to an apex with a crossover into the Madokaverse, involving a dramatic reveal of her true nature to the rest of the Mane Six (perhaps she has to contract one of them out of very dire circumstances?), coming to terms with her guilt, and a looming rapproachment with Homura.

[[WMG: Fluttershy's name doesn't mean what you think]]

[[WMG: "New Fluttershy" was absolutely horrible to Snowflake.]]

[[WMG: The finale of the "Stop The Bats" song is seen through Fluttervision.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps are having/had a relationship.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy is a zoologist.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.]]

While it's known for happening in war veterans, anything that causes an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness or helplessness can cause it, includig bullying. She seems to be getting somewhat better over the course of the show.

[[WMG: Fluttershy had {{Abusive Parents}}.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy knew that something was wrong with the Manticore. She just didn't know what.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy was just born shy.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy will get at least one episode with Pinkie Pie in Season 9.]]

[[WMG: Fluttershy's been hanging around Discord so much that she's able to use chaos magic, if only just.]]
Biggest reason for this is the entirety of Fake It 'Til You Make it: Supposedly, she's moving around Rarity For You at incredible speeds just to keep up her three different shop-pony personas. She also manages to walk out of the shop three separate times, in all of said personas, and catch Rarity off-guard 'every single time' - a feat that's usually reserved for ponies like Pinkie Pie or Discord himself. In addition, Discord regularly makes use of talking to duplicates (which she ends up utilizing for herself in Discordant Harmony). Since she's Fluttershy, though, this ability only makes itself known when she's under extreme stress, as she'd rather not cause problems if she can help it.

** A friendship with Discord would mean Fluttershy might even be able to pick up a couple of tricks of her own to use. For this to work as intended Fluttershy would have to very much remain benevolent (which is why that part of her came first, i.e., her foalhood), perhaps more along the lines of the "Prankster Fluttershy" fanart by [=HowXu=]. If Celestia knows about Japanese Mythology (somehow I think the prospect of being able to {{Retcon}} the origin of the name "Kyubey" from a shortening of "Incubator" to "Kyubii no {{Kitsune}}" would be too delicious for her to pass up) and/or concedes that changes to the system beyond what is necessary should be avoided (note that even with [[spoiler: Madoka's ascension to Goddesshood the new system is still quite bleak and Magical Girl survival rates aren't much better than before]]), this is likely the least amount of change to the universe that can be done while still utilizing an empathic and sympathetic Incubator.\\\

If you have a guess about something else, then

->[[WMG/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicMeta Meta Guesses go here]]
->[[WMG/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicSetting Setting Guesses go here]]
->[[WMG/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicManeCharacters Mane Character Guesses go here]]
->[[WMG/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicSecondaryCharacters Secondary Character Guesses go here]]
->[[WMG/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicRoyalty Royalty Guesses go here]]
->[[WMG/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicVillains Villain Guesses go here]]
->[[WMG/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicMinorCharacters Minor Character Guesses go here]]
->[[WMG/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicFutureStories Future Stories go here]]
->[[WMG/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicComicBookSeries Comic Book Series Guesses go here]]
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->and you can still go back to the [[WMG/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Main WMG Page, here]]

Fluttershy gender bended into a guy, which was why she "Didn't want to talk about it" when everyone asked what was different about her. Spike [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar even highlighted it.]] The way she said dhe "Didn't want to talk about it" would also mean that she also had a her female "parts" replaced with male "parts." The reactions the other five have on their faces is exactly the kind you would also find when you learned that [[UnsettlingGenderReveal the girl before you is now a guy.]]

* So she's like [[{{Twilight}} Jane]]?

-->'''Rarity''': Did you use...(scary music plays in background)...''the stare'' on her?
-->'''Fluttershy''': Oh no! I wouldn't! I couldn't! I don't really have any control over when that happens! I-it just happens!

Their only main role together whatsoever was Buckball Season (from Season 6), but it also started two other ponies – specifically, Rainbow Dash and Applejack. But why not just the two of them this time?