I’m not that big of a fan of Hurricane Fluttershy for two things: It was too indulgent to me and I thought the happy ending was a bit forced, especially for a chapter that has a well escalated build-up of the story. Out of all the episodes in season 2, this was one of the three episodes I didn’t enjoy too much.
But it’s not a bad episode.
I think I love much more Putting your hoof down because it shows with clarity and weight the cause and effect of Fluttershy’s actions. And unlike other episodes from later seasons, it wasn’t a choice made out of nowhere, she was just slowly becoming from assertive to agressive during many scenes instead of deciding in one second “ok, let’s screw everypony up”. It has shown a cause and effect in a way that we want to see these characters ok. The music, atmosphere and pacing also really helped. We empathize with Fluttershy and her friends and we root for them.
At the same time, it’s not too dramatic, since Iron Will is a very funny character (he acts like Kuzco from the Emperor film, which makes this episode really enjoyable).
But yeah, Putting your hoof down is one of my favourite 5 episodes in the show and my favourite chapter from season 2. Compared to Hurricane Fluttershy, it’s more mature for a kids show, which I appreciate.