Yoo, a really good Fluttershy episode! And my first time drawing Flutters since I got this tablet. In fact, this was tons of fun to draw overall. ✨

🐾 SYNOPSIS 🐾
Taking an injured Angel in to get treated by Dr. Fauna, Fluttershy is shocked to see the poor mare overwhelmed with countless animals. Turns out, all of the animals enjoy the safety of the office and are resistant to leaving it. Feeling guilty that her high praises of Fauna have accidentally lead to her work space becoming cramped, Fluttershy decides to finally make a long-term dream a reality: open an animal sanctuary. Her friends are happy to suggest three professionals to help out, which she’s more than happy to accept. But when each of these ponies have their own set-in-stone opinions, Fluttershy has to figure out how to keep the construction of her sanctuary close to her own values while not jeopardizing its construction.

🐾 IMPRESSIONS AND STUFF 🐾
Woah, who knew Angel was into parkour? He was actually good at it too. Poor little guy hurt himself bad though. I was easy to feel sympathy for him, due to him not being a jerk to Fluttershy and having some amusing little moments while in the vet. Those ducklings really took to him! XD

And I am SO confused on what animals are considered sapient in MLP. I mean, a giraffe was considered a “critter” and was admitted into a vet rather than a hospital. And a deer pranced around in the background, looking decidedly non-sapient. Even though, at least from what little I know of the comics, there is a whole race of sapient deer (though the canon status of that is always in debate, I guess). Argh, my brain hurts a bit…💦

Ooh, Fluttershy really took charge! She quickly realized she was responsible for the recent influx of animals and was determined to fix it so that both Dr. Fauna and the animals were satisfied. Maybe it’s minor and insignificant, but I like that she wasn’t only thinking of the animals and cared that a fellow pony was being inconvenienced. I greatly respect someone who is working for the betterment of both groups and settling on a good compromise, rather than a character that’s willing to put either in jeopardy for the sake of their cause. She comes off as dangerously PETA-like sometimes, so it’s nice to see her actually caring for all parties involved.

It might have been pretty obvious before and I just never thought of it, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Fluttershy wanted to open an animal sanctuary. I always figured she’d want to be a veterinarian, but a sanctuary is very fitting and would still have her caring for them like she always has. I’m loving that each of the girls are slowly but surely accomplishing their life goals. Even Rainbow teared up! I’m so proud for Flutters. ;u;

Eager to help Fluttershy with the making of her sanctuary, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity recommend the expertise of three ponies: Hard Hat, Wrangler, and Dandy Grandeur, respectively. Fluttershy was initially very happy to accept their input, but she remained true to her values and visions. At first, I liked all three of the expert ponies! They were all very pleasant characters who were on-board with helping her out. And I could easily understand that Fluttershy’s concept of the sanctuary rang a bit dissonant to what they knew about construction, animals, and design. Honestly, the episode did a good job in not making these experts out be wrong; just used to going about things differently from the unconventional way Fluttershy had in mind. What drove them straight down was them ignoring their client’s wishes and doing whatever they felt was best. Sorry, but if you agree to do a job like this, you HAVE to follow the customer’s lead and put your own personal preferences aside. All three of them proved how unprofessional they were, especially when Fluttershy justifiably called them out for waving away her instructions. Not to mention the sneaky way they tried to defend their actions. Good riddance I say. :/

The biggest draw of this episode, for me, was the astounding amount of character development Fluttershy displayed. For a long time, she was possibly my least favorite of the Mane 6. Perhaps not hate, but I took a LOT of issues with her character. I could relate with her sensitivity, shyness, and reluctance to confront others. While I got a sadistic pleasure from watching “Putting Your Hoof Down”, it showed her doing a complete 180 in personality when she tried to being more assertive (though I still think it was somewhat understandable). But here, she magnificently proved how much she’s grown in standing up for herself, but without dropping her kind and gentle personality. She truly put her foot down with all three of the ponies who had the nerve to put their own personal opinions over their client, even though she had gently turned down their suggestions beforehand. Even when she was clearly (and rightfully) angry at them for trying to take over her project, she still retained her respectful tone while still getting her points across. Fluttershy successfully stuck to her values throughout the entire episode and did not waver at all – even when her closest friends began pitching their ideas! She’s come such a long way from the total doormat I’ve initially known her to be. It’s like… she’s finally learning that there can be a happy medium in being nice while still holding your own. She took charge and was determined to make her dream a reality, as well as uphold her promise to poor Dr. Fauna. Fluttershy seems to have hit a milestone, and I couldn’t be happier for her. Because of her refusing to fold to others, Sweet Feathers Sanctuary was successfully constructed. And it’s gorgeous.

While the other Mane6 took a backseat, they were highly supportive and respectful of Fluttershy’s plans. She knows she can rely on them to have her best interests at heart, and they proved that once again.

Hey, I didn’t expect for them to bring back Big Daddy McColt! I assumed he’d be one of many characters the show just forgot about after the friendship lesson involving him was done, so I was very happy to see some good ol’ continuity. The lesson about respecting critters has definitely stuck, and he ended up being the perfect choice for getting Fluttershy’s dream realized. He was more than okay with adhering to her blueprints, which shows how accepting and agreeable he is under all that gruffness. I can appreciate hidden depths like that.

Woohoo, we get a bit of focus on Dr. Fauna! She was always a BG pony that caught my eye. She clearly takes her job seriously and doesn’t have the heart to turn away any animal, even though she can tell that most of them weren’t in need of medical attention. It’s really no wonder that her love and care for animals lead to Fluttershy being a regular customer and a good friend of hers. I hope we see more interactions between them, their bond makes a lot of sense!

Fluttershy may have been a wee bit heavy-handed with the moral, but it’s still a good one: keep true to your values and dreams, and don’t let anyone else’s opinions (no matter how good-intentioned they may be) stifle your own vision. Also, you can be kind and respectful while not letting others walk all over you. I think this is “Putting Your Hoof Down” done right, without writing anyone OOC for the sake of driving home the aesop. XD

🐾 FINAL SCORING 🐾
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Another excellent episode! Seriously, Season 7 had got me so happy and excited to tune in for a new episode each week. It’s almost nostalgic how eager I am to see new episodes. =D

MY GOODNESS, THAT FLUTTERSHY DEVELOPMENT IS WONDERFUL. I loved her, and almost teared up a bit at how gracefully she handled herself in an admittedly tough situation. The old Fluttershy would have certainly caved into the pressure from three vocal professionals, but she was having absolutely none of their BS. Her determination was downright inspirational, and I couldn’t be happier with all of it paying off in the end. If you don’t love Fluttershy already, this could definitely be the episode that shows her in a good light.

The morals were well-done. The show could have easily went with the “never listen to professionals” stance, which I heavily disagree with whenever it crops up. Hard Hat, Wrangler, and Dandy all had valid concerns when it came to the construction of the sanctuary, and that shouldn’t be automatically discounted. They’re experts for a reason. What they did wrong was dismissing Fluttershy’s wishes and trying to take over. Some might say there was a missed opportunity for them to learn to be more flexible and accepting of a client’s vision, and I agree on some level. But I think it’s realistic to show that some people are stuck in their ways, and aren’t willing to budge no matter what.

I think the only slight drawback was that this episode could be a bit boring if the Fluttershy development isn’t of particular interest. Admittedly, there was no real tension: she never wavered in her stance and the three hired hands didn’t learn anything. Heck, you could say that Fluttershy herself didn’t actually learn a lesson, or indeed, anything new considering past episodes. But I’d easily watch an episode like this over many of the Season 6 episodes. I’m looking at you “Applejacks’ Day Off”.

All-in-all, a very solid episode. Definitely one of the better slice-of-life plotlines. Again, there’s not a lot of conflict, so it’s not a very exciting story this time around. But still great in marking how far Fluttershy has come, as well as an interesting achieved goal of her opening Sweet Feathers Sanctuary. She’s achieved her long-time dream, and that’s impressive. It’s earned its four stars!