...You know, I've had a real crappy day. Just about everything in the damn universe has gone wrong today, and tomorrow's looking no better. So yeah, despite not getting anything down with BUB Chapter 8 today, I'll be writing the last part of this series. Sorry.

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From the moment Fluttershy was introduced, she became one of the most popular (and celebrated) ponies in the fandom. Her first meeting with Twilight was one of the most awkward moments in the entirety of the pilot, and her sheer cuteness created such an indelible mark on the fan base that she quickly skyrocketed in the polls. Even better, however, was that large swaths of the first season was devoted to her. She got to take out dragons, defeat cockatrices, and destroy an entire ballroom, all without losing any of her cuteness.

And then Season 2 happened.

Fluttershy basically faded back into the ether, never to be seen again. Sure, she had a few appearances, but her importance in the series had almost sunken to Applejack levels by the time she finally got some time in the limelight again. Even worse, the writers were getting lazier and lazier with her, although this ties into one of her most important appearances in the first season. While she still ranks highly with a lot of Bronies, she isn't the powerhouse she once was, as other characters have had the chance to shine.

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Fluttershy is a Pegasus, and yet is not at home in the clouds. Rather, she prefers to hang out on the ground, taking care of her animal friends. Indeed, she is capable of communicating with Equestria's non-speaking residents better than anypony else, to the point where she can seemingly understand their language and they hers. Her house is filled with various houses, shelters, pet beds, and other assorted safety places for her cuddly critters. Her years of playing Doctor Dolittle have also given her some experience with veterinary skills, although she seems to be more of a forest ranger or the like than a vet. She also seems willing to give her pets away, although she most likely would want to know they'd be going to a good home before she signed the papers.

Fluttershy is, well, shy. Her voice is always hushed and barely audible, she avoid eye contact with just about everypony, and she seems to prefer the company of her animals over other ponies. All of her friends have tried various schemes to get her to open up more, and while they might meet temporary success, Fluttershy will never fully change. Being a quiet, introverted pony is just who she is, and she's comfortable like that. It doesn't stop her from hanging out with her best friends, nor does it keep her from saving Equestria twice so far.

When it comes to physical prowess, Fluttershy is horribly overshadowed by everypony else in Ponyville. She is not a great runner, her flying skills only scratched adequate after several straight days of intense training, and she is too self-conscious to perform publicly. Despite all this, however, she can reach Rainbow Dash-levels of power when the chips are down. If somepony was tumbling down a cliff, she would jump down after them without reservations, glide them to safety, and then completely forget to do what she just did.

By far her most powerful skill, however, is The Stare. When Fluttershy is especially upset with somepony, or needs to command that something be done, she's capable of turning her eyes into the most dangerous weapons Equestria has ever known. Her powers are so great that she was able to drive a full-grown dragon to tears with just a stare and a stern talking-to, and that's not to mention the time she managed to intimidate a Cockatrice into repenting his evil ways...even while it was turning her to stone. Unfortunately, Fluttershy has no control over when this happens. This is for the best, however; if Fluttershy could master the dark powers of The Stare, not even Discord could match the cruelty of her future reign over Equestria...

Fluttershy is the most motherly of the ponies. She frequently speaks in a smooth, calming tone to her friends, and does her best to make sure they're not feeling too low or in distress. She knows plenty of lullabies for whenever animals or ponies need help getting to sleep, and can give a lecture on misbehavior that would make the most disciplined schoolmarm blush in shame at having no hope of ever reaching her level. Sadly, she also has a tendency to spoil her charges, especially her bunny, Angel. He, in turn, slaps her across the face and throws her out of her own house when she won't make his perfect salad. Even worse, she can also completely blow it when it comes to cheering her friends on, like that time she set Rainbow Dash on the path to ruin by reminding her of her real odds of winning in "Sonic Rainboom"...

Still, Fluttershy has a dark side, and a rather vicious one at that. It might take a lot to do, but if someone truly angers her, she transforms into a living volcano of fury and rage. Such bursts are thankfully brief, but for those brief moments, nothing on Equestria can match the pants-soiling terror in her eyes and voice. Even worse, however, was the time she took assertiveness lessons from Iron Will. By the time she realized how far she had fallen, she had become every bit as big a bully as the colts that teased her as a youth. She was even willing to call Rarity and Pinkie Pie's life goals utterly worthless, and in a world where a pony's talents and ambitions guide their entire lives, that is about as low an insult as anypony can muster. It's a testament to their friendship that anypony was willing to forgive her after that.

And that brings us to the big problem with Fluttershy. All the stuff that I wrote up there? That's really about it. For all her screen time in the first season, she never got a whole lot of development. There's a few reasons why, but the one that bothers me the most is this: every Fluttershy episode is basically the same thing. Something comes along to scare Fluttershy, she fights with her fears, and finally triumphs at the end to great fanfare. "Dragonshy" was about her overcoming her fear of dragons. "Stare Master" was about her inability to handle kids, and thus losing them in the Everfree Forest. "Putting Your Hoof Down?" Assertiveness. "Hurricane Fluttershy?" Public performances. In fact, the only Fluttershy-centric episode that doesn't do this is "A Bird In The Hoof," which was pretty much a "meh" episode. The writers have basically pegged Fluttershy as working for only one kind of story, and feel content to just recycle the same content over and over again.

In fact, the times she shines the best are when she's playing a supporting character. She's hilarious in "Sonic Rainboom," makes a great flying save in "Secret of My Excess," and even outwits some Changelings in "A Canterlot Wedding." I also loved her near-orgasm of joy in "May The Best Pet Win" at the mere idea of Dash wanting a pet, even if I didn't care much for the song itself. And let's not forget how spectacular she was in "Return of Harmony." Not only was she the only pony Discord had to force his brainwashing on, but she was even capable of pulling the entire hot air balloon and catching up Dash in time to save Rarity and Pinkie Pie from falling. All while looking like she was ready to tear Discord's guts out.

She may or may not want to be a tree.

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When it comes to shipping, Fluttershy will almost never be the one initiating the relationship. She's just too shy for that. Naturally, the most common partner for her amongst the Mane 6 is Dash, who's loud enough for two and probably has a schoolfilly crush on her friend. But by far the most vocal ship is FlutterMac. For whatever reason, Big Macintosh and Fluttershy are just perfect for each other. Then again, they are both quiet, gentle souls who are absolutely terrifying when angered, so it makes some sense. But of course, all of this is moot since "Kindness' Reward," the best Fluttershy ship fic ever written, already exists. TrixieShy forever!

Fluttershy's relationship with her friends is simultaneously a means to drag her out of her shell, and to provide herself with somepony to depend on. Her closest friendship, however, is with Rarity, the two having shared a spa day for quite some time since meeting. This friendship, however, came under fire when Photo Finish chose her as a model while also dissing Rarity's dresses to the side. Fluttershy hated the attention and demanding schedule, but was so convinced that she would lose Rarity as a friend if the truth came out that she refused to just tell her. Fortunately, Rarity hated what was happening just as much as she did, and the two finally reconciled after telling each other the truth.

The other interesting relationship is between her and Rainbow Dash. The two have known each other since they were fillies, and yet have two very distinct personalities. When the show began, Dash saw Fluttershy as more of a load than anything else, and during the course of "Dragonshy" spent all her time belittling the Pegasus and calling her weak and a coward. This wasn't without reason, either, as she was consciously slowing the group down because she was too afraid to admit that dragons scared her to her friends. By the end, however, Fluttershy had managed to yell the dragon into submission, thereby saving Equestria. Since then, Rainbow Dash has seen fit to incorporate Fluttershy into other Pegasus activities, becoming an almost-big sister to her in the process.

Fluttershy's only other key relationship of note is Angel Bunny, her...bunny. Despite his name, Angel is a boisterous, brash, rather jerkish brute of a rabbit who will gladly throw his food in his caretaker's face if she upsets him even slightly. Even so, he does have some sense of responsibility for her, and is constantly encouraging her to be more outgoing and assertive. He also assists with bribes and ticket stealing. He's by far the most personable of the pet characters, but also one of the least popular for his genuinely terrible behavior.

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Fluttershy is a character that may have fantastic possibilities, but is weighed down by the very nature of her identity. She's supposed to be the "shy one," so all of her stories revolve around her being shy. She really deserves something more complex than "Oh noes I has the sads but wait I'm all better now!" Hopefully Season 3 will deliver.

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Well...I guess I feel a little better. I'm sorry if you hate this, but I'm just not myself right now. Now to get back to work...well, I guess I can do something else...

Work on Parent's Day? Not sure. Get that Star Trek: TNG crossover off the ground again? Perhaps, but not right now. Finish that final look at the Lunaverse? Only when I'm not in a poor mood. Go outside? It's 104 degrees in the shade. Get drunk and pass out in a pool of my own vomit? Sounds like a night...