How does Fluttershy earn money?

[TheRedHoodedWraith 52]

I mean, we already know that Rarity and Applejack run their own businesses, Pinkie Pie is the town's party planner and may also work for the cakes part time, Rainbow Dash manages the skies though now she seems to becoming a part of The Wondercolts (which I guess is their version of the airforce), Twilight is a princess and before that she must have been supported by Princess Celestia in order to carry on living in Ponyville, but how does Fluttershy earn her money? And I have seen her with money before (S:2 E:19 Putting Your Hoof Down).

 

I know she looks after animals but I don't quite know if she gets paid for that.

Edited March 27, 2016 by TheRedHoodedWraith

[JeyWiz 1,097]

I'm not entirely sure, but I think I heard one time that she owns a pet shop. Maybe that's how she gets her money. I could be wrong, though.

[colt .45 259]

In "Stare Master" she is shown to have a chicken coop, so she might sell eggs.

[Malinter 3,064]

From what we've seen I think fluttershy herself doesn't really seem to need money as she has small farms to grow food for her animals so she can probably grow enough for herself. In fact, if you think about it, it would seem that Fluttershy apparently possesses all the skills of both a hunter as well as a farmer as she was able to obtain fish for bears.

 

If i had to peg Flutters on what her actual "job" would be. She is probably a vet for the animals that ponies own. 

[Vulcan 3,254]

She has a lot of jobs, 

 

She's been shown to work as a veterinarian 

 

 

animal trainer,

 

 

 

 

and pet store owner

 

in different episodes. 

 

 

 

It is, however, important to note,  that while  she "is" rendering services, exchange of money was never shown and as such there is a possibility that she is doing all of this for free.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Vulcan

[Vennax 58]

Do ponies even have to pay tax for their homes and such? Even if they did Fluttershy is close to a hermit and probably doesn't pay anyways.

 

Maybe she makes money by babysitting animals? It seems quite possible.

 

Maybe she receives benefits from the state?

[Malinter 3,064]

 

It is, however, important to note,  that while  she "is" rendering services, exchange of money was never shown and as such there is a possibility that she is doing all of this for free.

 

Also ponies are open to trade for other things besides bits. Its possible she would do the work for other necessities

[Vulcan 3,254]

Also ponies are open to trade for other things besides bits. Its possible she would do the work for other necessities

 

That's a very good point, 

 

I don't think the trading of necessities occurs commonly in the MLP universe,

 

Now I could be wrong, but the only instances of trading goods occurring in MLP , is in the Trader's exchange...which I'm certain is a festival that occurs only within rainbow falls.   

 

Sidenote: There's a huge chance I'm wrong in this, I'm quite rusty when it comes to older episodes o-o

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

Perhaps she regularly sends out her critter friends to collect any loose bits that might have been dropped by other ponies.

[Deae Rising Shine~ 52,334]

She is a unknown thief. We absolutely saw her famous sneaking skills before

 

 

[sweetolebob18 724]

As Vulcan noted, she runs an animal shelter, vet service, & keeps chickens.  Thus, she probably sells eggs & maybe feathers.  (Ponies probably still use feather pillows + quills for writing)

 

Season 4, Trade Ya! Fluttershy is shown to be a famous animal trainer, Milli Filli Rarity organized a benefit concert for her.  + maybe a studio musician for the Ponytones.  In one of the 1st season episodes (Staremaster ?) she is shown to be a pet groomer.

 

Still, most fan fics show her as the poorest of the Mane 6

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,234]

AS others have said, she seems to be a vet, animal trainer and chicken coop extraordinaire. That would be more than enough to keep her afloat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh and she is most likely a master jewel thief in her spare time.  

[Scrubbed user 3,415]

Oh and she is most likely a master jewel thief in her spare time.  

 

That would explain her sneaking skills.

[LHfunk 422]

She sends the animals to steal while she distracts however it is she's stealing from.

[cmarston1 5,951]

She could get money from being a vet, have a petsitting business, and sell eggs from her chickens.

Or Fluttershy gets money from the government.

[galaxysquid 2,121]

I would assume like others have said, she could have a ton of occupations having to do with animals.  

 

• Breeding animals
• Veterinarian 
• Selling chicken eggs
• Selling animals to other ponies / A petting zoo and or pet shop type thing
• Babysitting other ponies' pets

[AtomicStone 723]

I guess by looking after the other ponies pets perhaps? Can't think of any other way she would earn bits..

[Luminance 2,181]

Out of all the houses in Ponyville, Fluttershy's tree seems pretty nice and expensive! She probably has some good money to upkeep and maintain her home and pets so I'm guessing that she's involve in some grand scheme.   

[PiratePony 8,473]

For each animal she takes care of, she gets a monthly stipend to take care of.

 

Plus Rarity, aka Most Successful Pony With Money To Burn, uses her power of generosity to leave a ton of bits in Fluttershy's Hearths Warming Eve card.

[Vulcan 3,254]

 

 

Still, most fan fics show her as the poorest of the Mane 6

 

There may still be a logical reason for this , after all, I do not think flutters is the type of pony who charges highly for her services.

[Daring_Do 552]

I mean, we already know that Rarity and Applejack run their own businesses, Pinkie Pie is the town's party planner and may also work for the cakes part time, Rainbow Dash manages the skies, Twilight is a princess and before that she must have been supported by Princess Celestia in order to carry on living in Ponyville, but how does Fluttershy earn her money? And I have seen her with money before (S:2 E:19 Putting Your Hoof Down). 

 

I know she looks after animals but I don't quite know if she gets paid for that.

She wasn't *really* ready to move out on her own just yet, so her parents quietly support all her financial needs while she plays with animals. She may or may not actually know about money.

[takai 1,060]

I think that falls into the same category as "Does Twilight's Castle have property tax?", which is the "Don't ask, don't tell" category. 

[AlbaTross 1,581]

I think I'm going to have to weigh in with my headcanon for how the Equestrian economy works, and work backwards to explain how Fluttershy makes money. Firstly, I think most land and housing in Equestria is owned by the crown, with the only exceptions being what super rich families like the Riches own. Think of it as being somewhat similar to modern Russia in our world. In most cases, I don't think there's a true rent system, but rather, ponies offer their services to a given town in exchange for being able to live in their place of residence. Also, ponies generally receive a monthly dividend to live off of, for groceries and such. It is unlikely that Equestria has much in the way of utility costs, as use of electricity seems fairly rare, and I'm sure personal generators are a thing if power is needed.

 

Exceptions are ponies whose services actually generate money, such as being able to sell stuff. Rarity and the Cakes might not actually get a monthly dividend, or maybe far less of one. The Apples might agree to provide some of their apples as a sort of rent in kind type system, since they have a lot more land than the average pony. They might also have to pay some rent too, again because their land is far more valuable than the typical pony's, many of whom don't even have a yard. That would explain how it's possible to "lose the apple farm" if things don't go well.

 

How this is all decided is usually left to the discretion of mayors because they know more about the needs of their towns and citizens than Celestia, who wouldn't have time to go over the needs of every pony in Equestria. I think she's primarily in charge of administrative stuff like that, largely so the other princesses can take on other duties. She does however have the power to decide where to place a pony if she wishes, because it's all technically her land. That explains why she was able to have Twilight put up in the Golden Oak Library (RIP) so quickly.

 

The result is that all the needs of ponies are met across Equestria. There is very little in the way of a homeless problem, because only those who travel between towns and/or don't belong to one won't have their needs met as they wouldn't be registered at any town hall. That also explains why Bab Seed could have an apartment despite being a filly who doesn't have a job. The government of Manehattan probably agreed to put her up somewhere as she attends school and works towards finding her life's calling. And yes, there is less in the way of ponies who take up jobs to make ends meet as they can explore where they fit into their given society, and find their true role. That would also explain why Fluttershy, who probably wouldn't make any money as wild animals don't pay her, can afford a cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville. Her service is befriending animals and keeping them from rampaging through Ponyville. In exchange, she can live in that cottage for free, and receive a bit of money to live on.

[Daring_Do 552]

I think I'm going to have to weigh in with my headcanon for how the Equestrian economy works, and work backwards to explain how Fluttershy makes money. Firstly, I think most land and housing in Equestria is owned by the crown, with the only exceptions being what super rich families like the Riches own. Think of it as being somewhat similar to modern Russia in our world. In most cases, I don't think there's a true rent system, but rather, ponies offer their services to a given town in exchange for being able to live in their place of residence. Also, ponies generally receive a monthly dividend to live off of, for groceries and such. It is unlikely that Equestria has much in the way of utility costs, as use of electricity seems fairly rare, and I'm sure personal generators are a thing if power is needed.

 

Exceptions are ponies whose services actually generate money, such as being able to sell stuff. Rarity and the Cakes might not actually get a monthly dividend, or maybe far less of one. The Apples might agree to provide some of their apples as a sort of rent in kind type system, since they have a lot more land than the average pony. They might also have to pay some rent too, again because their land is far more valuable than the typical pony's, many of whom don't even have a yard. That would explain how it's possible to "lose the apple farm" if things don't go well.

 

How this is all decided is usually left to the discretion of mayors because they know more about the needs of their towns and citizens than Celestia, who wouldn't have time to go over the needs of every pony in Equestria. I think she's primarily in charge of administrative stuff like that, largely so the other princesses can take on other duties. She does however have the power to decide where to place a pony if she wishes, because it's all technically her land. That explains why she was able to have Twilight put up in the Golden Oak Library (RIP) so quickly.

 

The result is that all the needs of ponies are met across Equestria. There is very little in the way of a homeless problem, because only those who travel between towns and/or don't belong to one won't have their needs met as they wouldn't be registered at any town hall. That also explains why Bab Seed could have an apartment despite being a filly who doesn't have a job. The government of Manehattan probably agreed to put her up somewhere as she attends school and works towards finding her life's calling. And yes, there is less in the way of ponies who take up jobs to make ends meet as they can explore where they fit into their given society, and find their true role. That would also explain why Fluttershy, who probably wouldn't make any money as wild animals don't pay her, can afford a cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville. Her service is befriending animals and keeping them from rampaging through Ponyville. In exchange, she can live in that cottage for free, and receive a bit of money to live on.

I think we should draw on the economy of the ancient Roman Kingdom. However that works. I'm no historian.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Daring_Do

[AlbaTross 1,581]

I think we should draw on the economy of the ancient Roman Kingdom. However that works. I'm no historian.

I'm actually unfamiliar with how the economy worked in Ancient Rome. I'll have to look that up. Or if you wouldn't mind, what's the short version of that?