And another thing

I saw this the other day on MLB and had to laugh. Obviously I'm not the only one who thought it....but yes, I definitely thought it when I first saw it in the episode.

It's a little uncharacteristic for Fluttershy, but I'll give the backstory in a moment:

It's from "Putting your hoof down," which is one of my favorite episodes. Not just because of Fluttershy, but the whole story is entertaining. (Also, lots of views of background ponies. And I admit, I still - even though I've seen some of these episodes a dozen times - go "Derpy!" when everyone's favorite background pony makes her appearance. Yes, I say it out loud. I also recite some of the lines along with the characters.)

Anyway - Fluttershy winds up being more of a doormat than usual (Angel Bunny, especially, is pretty mean to her. If he were my pet....well, I'd be going, "You don't want to eat any of the perfectly fine and healthful meals I've prepared? Go hungry, then."). She gets a circular from "Iron Will," a motivational speaker who teaches ponies not to be doormats. (Iron Will is a minotaur who is a bit like a cross between Mr. T. and every motivational speaker ever).

Well, at the program, she learns a few catchphrases ("If somepony tries to block, show them that you rock") and winds up going a little overboard. (it's never really brought out, but I wonder if perhaps part of the "arc" of Season 2 was that each of the Ponies carried within her still a bit of the Discordization - Applejack lied (though she technically claimed not to), Twilight has several freak-outs, Rarity acted a bit selfish...)

In the scene that this .gif file came from, she just pushed another pony out of a (pony pulled) taxi, and is shaking her hoof at him. Out of character, but that's the idea. (It also seems uncharacteristic for Fluttershy to use a taxi....she doesn't seem to live that far from Ponyville, and most of the ponies walk everywhere (or fly, if you're Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy doesn't seem to use flight much as a mode of transportation)

What I really love about the episode is its resolution - first, Fluttershy realizes how awful she has been acting, and locks herself away from the world ("I've become a MONSTER.") But then, Iron Will shows up and demands payment. After some shenanigans involving Pinkie Pie trying to Warner Brothers Switcheroo him into coming back in one day ("half day!' "One day!"), he finally confronts Fluttershy - she needs to pay for the seminar.

Fluttershy says, "No." And she stands her ground.

Iron Will is aghast. Fluttershy goes on to explain: "You said we didn't have to pay if we weren't satisfied. And, well, I wasn't satisfied." (Because, though it's unsaid, she went too far with the assertiveness stuff). And she adds: "No means no."

Ultimately, Iron Will accepts her explanation....and goes away. (Muttering, "No means no....that would make a good catchphrase"). To me, it's another instance of "standing up to a bully without becoming one yourself" which is a theme several episodes have touched on, and it's a good lesson for kids (and for adults).

I may also like it particularly because I've had times in the past when I tried to say "no" to something (usually extra responsibilities) and whoever I was trying to say "no" to wouldn't accept that "no means no" and I would wind up having to come up with seventeen different reasons why I couldn't do what they wanted me to do.....so I wish I had that "Fluttershy magic" of being able to say "no" and having it stick.

I also love the episode because of the Fluttershy/Rarity/Pinkie interactions - they are the main three ponies in the episode. At first Rarity and Pinkie try to show Fluttershy how to get what she wants (Rarity by using an almost icky level of "charm" and Pinkie by, well, being Pinkie). But then, towards the end, they try to get her to come back out of her house after she's declared herself a "monster" (And there are GREAT - really great- reaction shots of them as she stands up to Iron Will. At one point, Rarity reaches over and closes Pinkies mouth, which is hanging open. Once again, a nod to the classic cartoons of the past.)

That was the episode I went home to watch over the noon hour yesterday (Yes, I have it on dvd - but for some reason, I also like to try to catch my favorite episodes when Hub happens to rebroadcast them).