In Defense of Fluttershy's Episodes · 4:37am Feb 17th, 2014
As you all may know, yesterday's episode "Filli Vanilli" was this season's first Fluttershy centered episode. Of course, it was something I enjoyed very much as well as many others. But going through comments on both EQD and this site, I realized that a lot of people are saying how surprised they were that they enjoyed it. And I'm just sitting there thinking, "Surprised? Why? Are you usually not a fan of her episodes?" And then it just hit me. I noticed that a lot of people in the fandom have constantly criticized Fluttershy and her episodes because they don't think she's growing as a character. Yes, a lot of her episodes are about conquering fears, and even I notice the repetition every now and then. However, I find these episodes to be very vital to her character as they add depth, growth and important morals to learn; seeing her grow in future episodes because of that is amazing. Here's the catch: Fluttershy is actually a realistic portrayal of fighting through fears in real life.
To further this claim, I want to use my first fanfiction "Samhainophobia" as an example. Bare with me, I'm going somewhere with this. Now, when I got the idea for this story in the Summer of 2012, I decided to try and actually get inside Fluttershy's head, to see what Nightmare Night was like for her. I was able to accomplish this by reading several psychology blogs and articles that focused on the fear of Halloween. While I was doing my fanfic homework, I discovered a very major factor about fear: Our minds are our own worst enemies.
Fears and phobias are often created through traumatic experiences that we either personally experience or observe at any points of our lives. If the experience has just the right amount of trauma and negativity, then our minds lock them in. When we encounter similar situations like those, our brains release those memories and tell us that we should be afraid—that something bad is going to happen to us. Bottom line: The brain is a very powerful ass weapon.
This fact alone, is what makes fears and phobias so devastating for a lot of people; they can hold you back in life to a point where you miss out on new experiences or self-discoveries. I know a lot of people that share many of Fluttershy's fears and anxieties, and the way they are portrayed on the show are incredibly accurate. I'll admit, I've been acting for TEN YEARS now and I STILL get performance anxiety from time to time.
I think Fluttershy's character and episodes speak as reminders for us that we are greater than our own fears. I'm glad that they still write these episodes, because it makes her character realistic; it's not like we conquer one fear and we're brave. But since Fluttershy is tackling one fear at a time, each fear different, we see her blossom and become an even more amazing character than before. Those who are shy or share her fears can keep relating to her, and learn to grow in their own lives as well.
So I say this to you, Fluttershy. You had amazing performances this weekend, you conquered yet another phobia and hopefully one day we can see you perform onstage with as much confidence as in private. We look forward to seeing more growth from you, Sweetheart.
-Love Dramacolt
P.S. What do you all think of her episodes? I would love to hear your opinions.
Plus, no one is just going to conquer their fears then never deal with them again. it makes to have some of them reoccur.
Exactly! This is why I want to be able to favorite blogs.
Like what Silver Melodies said, some people just don't seem to get how much effort and time it can take to move past fears. 
I did find it a bit odd though the total lack of distress from Fluttershy when she had that super deep voice again.
1843464 She had a lack of distress because she did it willingly. She said she would do ANYTHING to help the animals, even if it meant undergoing drastic changes.
I never mind Fluttershy episodes, but each one feels like we're right back at the start and she hasn't grown at all. When an episode shows her around but doesn't feature her fears, I feel that she's grown. I feel episodes featuring her could be better written to show how her growth from past experiences has changed her, because as we learn to overcome some fears our overall anxiety levels in life decrease so while she'd still be shy and frightened, she shouldn't break down every time anything happened. This particular episode did better than most, as she was more assertive than in the past with her friends at least. It was also more realistic about what could keep her anxiety levels so high for the episode, what with the high social stakes for being in front of many ponies at once and Pinkie's ridiculous little doom speeches (which were pretty funny for the first few times but themselves got a little tired toward the end.)
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I know, and it's a big reason why it was that way, but it still irks me. My problem isn't that she doesn't have some distress, it's that she seems to have none at all, especially later on when she kept wanting to do it again and again, and not just for her animals. (My memory is a bit hazy there).
1843537 Very interesting opinion. However, I think it may all depend on the kind of fear your facing and how severe the symptoms are. In my view, everyone experiences them differently to a certain degree. I know that even for Fluttershy, some of her fears aren't as bad as others.
1843537 I feel you are wrong here. Fluttershy is always growing through something different. It's not back to the start each time. She had to learn how to deal with basic fears, then the fear of rejection, then in this one, she's dealing with stage fright. Each time she is scared ,she is afraid of something new, like Luna, a Dragon, the paparazzi, the crowd, etc... so all in all, I feel like Flutters is making a lot of progress, but it wouldn't be life without having to face the same fear again and again.