Why doesn't Fluttershy use her wings that much?

[Wingnut 6,733]

Several of you have already mentioned Fluttershy's acrophobia and the fact that her wing strength is considerably less than average.  As ground bound humans, it sounds bizarre to us, but Fluttershy simply doesn't have a great interest in flying.  Her true love in life are the animals and most of them live on the ground.  When a pegasus flaps their wings, it creates a lot of wind and animals naturally finds this to be frightening.  Fluttershy usually refrains from using her wings while she is serving her critter friends.  When she does fly, it is often to be with creatures like birds and butterflies.

 

Fluttershy's big victory in Hurricane Fluttershy was her ability to overcome her crippling lack of confidence, not because she suddenly became a good flyer. 

 

But there was one occasion where she showed PHENOMENAL wingpower. 

 

 

While this animation was exaggerated for comedic effect, I still love this clip because it lays out the best traits of not one but two ponies for all to see.  One, it shows why Twilight Sparkle is a great leader.  Not only is she aware of Fluttershy's deep down courage, she knows just what to say to unleash it.  Two, in a do or die situation, Fluttershy's inner strength is so great she can translate it into increased physical strength.  Both Hurricane Fluttershy and the clip shown here are testaments to one of MLP:FiMs underlying morals.  The most cowardly looking people among us can show great power and bravery in a moment of crisis. 

 

 

Fun Fact: Avatars and signatures don't reflect true fandom, creating endless walls of text discussing the characters you enjoy is

 

Thank you CD, that was the most flattering thing anybody has said about me all day. 

Edited March 17, 2013 by Wingnut

[hawkflame 3,308]

To problems that come to mind when reading this:

 

1) She was born a pegasus granted she doesn't have to love flying however being a pegasus she should know how to fly at least reasonably well (and I'm not talking about when she users her wings to move around her home or what not).

2) She needs to be able to fly in situations other than in dire situations.

 

Do people who are poor runners need to know how to run better?  It's really just a personal choice of hers, and is not a skill that she particularly wishes to develop. 

 

I mean, she seems perfectly happy as is right now and probably feels that it isn't a pressing need.

Edited March 18, 2013 by hawkflame

[Bright Honor 2,414]

Well for starters, she is a weak flier unless she needs to fly well. She is also afraid of heights. And I also think it is influence from originally being designed as an Earth Pony.

[Wingnut 6,733]

 

And I also think it is influence from originally being designed as an Earth Pony.

 

That's also a very good point.  Fluttershy is often called an earth pony in a pegasus body.  I totally forgot about her earth pony roots.  This little paragraph from Fluttershy's MLP Wiki page describes this well.

 

 

Fluttershy's caring nature and appearance is similar to Posey, an Earth pony in the 1980s My Little Pony toy lines and show. Her initial design, published online by Lauren Faust, refers to her as "Posey" as well. Her cutie mark, three pink and cyan butterflies, is similar to that of the G2 pony Sky Skimmer. Fluttershy's name is shared by a previous generation Earth pony, who is a photography enthusiast. 

[AnonymousTheSecond 47]

.....................

Edited August 29, 2017 by AnonymousTheSecond

[Landi 598]

When looking at her character from afar, it definitely looks like she rarely uses her wings. She is not into fast/competitive flight, prefers living and the ground, and has even forgotten her wings at times. Plus, the only other main cast pegasus we compare her to is Rainbow Dash, who has a huge passion for flight.

This being said, if you look into her flight more, you realize that she flies more than we give her credit for. The consensus around the fandom is that Fluttershy rarely ever uses her wings, but that's not really true. She can be seen fluttering or hovering around on many occasions. Not only this, but she is shown to (most of the time) use her wings for convenience and accessibility. She also tends to fly when tending to birds, and talking to Discord (because he is so tall compared to her). If you really pay attention to her flight in the episodes then you can see how much she actually does fly.

As you can see, just because her occupation doesn't require flight, doesn't mean she barley uses her wings. She has them so she may as well use them from time to time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying she flies all the time and is a huge fan of flight. But I doubt she actually dislikes the concept of flight. I think that she actually dislikes the pressure and competitive spirit that can come with flight at times. 

This is just what I have noticed. I think it is an interesting talking point and it makes me wonder: maybe there are more Pegasi like Fluttershy than we think.

 

[Cwanky 17,469]

Why? Well the answer is quite simple. Because Fluttershy chooses not to fly as much and because she doesn’t need to fly.

the great thing about characters like Fluttershy are that they are defined not by what they are, but rather what they do. Her kindness, compassion and understanding define who Fluttershy is, not the fact that she’s a pegasus. And with who Fluttershy is, like many others, she has developed into an exceptional and admirable person.

Flying or not, we can and should respect her accomplishments and breaking out from the norms and expectations pegasi society and others have of her.

[Lucky Bolt 34,937]

She’s not fond of heights and isn’t a strong flyer to begin with, as mentioned in the show. 

[Flutterstep 46,641]

Because the animators are lazy

[TotallyNotNyx 15,563]

Cause it shows how down to Earth and nature-friendly she is 

Edited May 5, 2020 by Princess of Hearts 💛🧡

[luvvva.bxbymiyah 209]

She's pretty much a "delicate" sweetheart, her nature is super "fragile", and her goals aren't necessary to become an agile and fast flyer like an athletic pony. She wants to nurture and care for animals, and live life earthbound. However, she uses her wings when she needs to save her friends if they're in danger. There needs to be an emergency-like situation for her to have the motivation to use her wings. As in "Hurricane Fluttershy", she needed the courage to fly. She saw all the pegasi in the sky clearing the sky, and realized they needed help and Twilight Sparkle was like do it for Cloudsdale.. Do it for Rainbow Dash.. Do it for Yourself. So you see, she just prefers to use her wings only when she wants to. It has nothing to do with her feminineness at all. It's just a matter of personality/how she carries herself. 

[Splashee 28,537]

She's using her wings when she needs to. She's more interested in standing close to the ground. Call it being afraid of flying, but she isn't afraid of flying. She's just more interested in other things.

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

It’s like how Rarity doesn’t use her horn for everything. They just don’t need to use their wings and horns as much. Their wings and horns probably tire out more easily so they need to give them breaks.