Points of Canon: S611 - Flutter Brutter · 8:04pm Jun 4th, 2016
Remember how we finally saw Shining Armor after Twilight referred to him for months without him ever showing up?
Yeah, that was sarcasm, but maybe it’s not so bad…
Only it kind of is, in that this episode is explicitly dates events into the past.
- This episode once again bypasses Starlight Glimmer entirely yadda yadda. Rainbow Dash is a Wonderbolt already, so at least, all those episodes without Starlight in them can be assumed to be in order relative to each other… Considering that it must have taken Zephyr at least some time to finish his schooling, the ending of this episode would occur a considerable time later.
1. Which is an attitude many human cultures do not share, even if most readers would probably find it normal.
Generally, pegasi are for one reason or another shown without families. A few authors even built complicated theories on how their family life is substantially different from other tribes, but this episode, at least, demonstrates that this is not so. However, the episode seems to insist that pegasus families are big on children moving out and striking out on their own early, as Zephyr is presented as reprehensible and abnormal for doing the reverse.1
- Rainbows are used for cloud territory demarcation, i.e. instead of fencing. Cute and I really wonder just how permanent this sort of thing is.
- Fluttershy is an elder sister to a perfectly mature pegasus, who is actually taller than her, which puts interesting constraints on Mane 6 age ranges.
- Mane therapy is a thing, considering actual schools exist. It is an argument for the idea that manes actually are prehensile, or at least, magic-conductive enough to be made such when required.
- Fluttershy’s parents’ house has numerous walls with pictures of animals on it, not to mention numerous figurines. Considering that her father’s work and hobbies revolve around cloud manufacture and mother is involved with flowers and has a flower cutie mark, they had to have been contributed by Fluttershy herself.
- Heavy furniture has bits of clouds underneath it. PresentPerfect suggested this is to help the furniture stay up, but as we have observed in the previous pegasus-centric episode, normal objects stay up on a pegasus cloud home just fine, so this is probably to reduce the load on the cloud foundation, if anything. Cloud surface just outside the house is hard enough, at least in places, for glass to shatter on it.
- It is possible to keep a cloud in a container without it dissipating for a really extended period.
- Rainbow Dash is so bored, she’s reading a book she’s definitely read before – the one she got in Daring Don’t. On the other hand, she’s doing it in her friends’ parents’ house, so she probably brought the book with her, which means she must go with it fracking everywhere.
- That fireplace with crystals and a cloud in it makes me wonder about its actual usage.
2. Knowing ponies, this is probably because a “peeve” is some kind of monster, and someone having a pet peeve is surely a loathsome person.
“Peeved” is an expletive strong enough to make someone desire that children shouldn’t hear it? That perpendicular linguistic development theory is getting supported harder than I expected.2
3. It’s kind of doubtful that this is her real name, but at least, everyone seems to call her that openly…
4. He does show up at least twice in radically different roles in the comics, but it’s still a bit strange that Pinkie would have his photo in her wallet, big as it is…Pinkie’s wallet contains pictures of Mayor Mare3, Moondancer, Iron Will, Cranky, A.K. Yearling, Snails, Cheese Sandwich, to name but a few. This is the first appearance of a minotaur on screen since forever.4 Notice also that this is a first appearance of a wallet, and it’s the kind of wallet that would make most sense with paper money.
- Both Applejack and Pinkie know Zephyr from a previous “extended stay.” Episode chronology leaves little time for something like that, which which supports the idea that at least some of them knew each other well before Twilight showed up and made their relationship graph a fully completed one.
- The little unicorn filly that is getting tripped by the word “peeve” is probably Dinky, whom fandom typically assigns to be Derpy’s daughter. However, playing the role of her mother today is a pink earth pony with three fold-out fans for her cutie mark.
- Fluttershy’s father works at the weather factory.
5. Unless we’re talking about biological means of such heredity, which would be pretty silly.
Fluttershy’s submissiveness is inherited. Which is perfectly normal,5 until you start wondering why is Zephyr a complete opposite.
- Newspapers are delivered by a pony on foot with the first cries of the rooster.
- Rarity dyes fabrics in-house at least on occasion.
- Someone’s using a Chanel logo in Equestria.
- Yet another appearance of a guitar, or rather, an ukulele, in pony hooves.
- It’s interesting that Zephyr chooses to live in the forest, and not, say, on a cloud right above it.
- Considering that Fluttershy is, well, Fluttershy, no space and Zephyr Breeze is Zephyr Breeze and not “Zephyr Breeze Shy,” Rainbow referring to “Mr. and Mrs. Shy” in the end is patently odd and adds another family of ponies with matching names, who are otherwise a rarity – unless this is some sort of nickname, which I consider to be more likely, myself. Incidentally, this particular family appears to use no tableware beside plates…
- At least some Equestrian vocational schools use an Oxford cap for their graduation ceremonies.
In general? It’s a decent-looking episode, but I don’t like the message it seems to be trying to offer. And I’m saying that as a guy with an advanced degree, and a job that has pretty much nothing to do with that degree.
One other interesting thing to note: Ponies are familiar enough with genetic heredity for it to come up in casual conversation between two non-biologists.
3998468
Well, genetic heredity has been discovered by humans in 19th century, which is a point in history that ponies appear to have passed on almost all counts... Ponies would have some problems applying it to themselves, though, because, as far as I can tell, the number of pigments involved in producing a pony's distinct color is staggering, so the heredity of color is ridiculously complicated.
Fun note: Dinky was actually annoyed by the ear-covering. In the "Seriously, that's not a bad word" kind of way.
3998502
Or is it that she was annoyed by a completely unrelated mare touching her ears? :) Produces a "what are they doing together" question though...
I think the issue wasn't that he was staying there, so much as how obnoxious he was being about it; he was being completely self centred and callus with regards to his parents belongings, and it is implied, if not outright stated, that he would have expected them to serve him hand and foot.
I note that when he went to stay with Fluttershy, he made a big mess and refused to do any sort of work, even when handed jobs by Fluttershy.
To conclude, I feel the issue isn't that he is not independent in his living arrangements, so much as that he is a bone idle lazy bum. And an obnoxious, messy, self centred and destructive bum at that.
I did enjoy the episode; it was far superior to last weeks. But I shan't be too put out if this is the last we see of Zephyr Breeze.
Edit: On a second watch, I noticed that Zephyr directly referenced the fact that the Mane Six had saved Equestria "About a dozen times." This is very rare in a slice of life episode.
As always great points Oliver. This defnitely limits the lower bound of Fluttershy's age, if she has a younger brother old enough to have repeatedly moved back home after giving up on someone. If she was human, I would say that makes Fluttershy at least 25, but as you pointed out, maybe Pegasi are a bit more like birds pushing their young out of the nest as soon as they can fly.
I think Fluttershy was still being farely kind to Zeph towards the end, at least she never tried to get him a job at SWA, that would have ended profoundly badly for him.
In the S6 opener, Twilight's parents were credited as "Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle," so maybe that is some weird form of address you use when you know someone through their child. If I was in Equestria and I met your parents, I suppose I should refer to them as "Mr. and Mrs. Ver."
The one thing I really found annoying about this episode? "Mane therapy." You're a barber or a stylist, stop putting on those damn airs!
"Wallet? You mean my miniature Party Pony Photo album? It also has space for all my business cards!"
3998820
On the Mr. and Mrs. Shy thing, that does have some precedent in my experience. Friends of my older brother would often call my dad Mr. Caleb, which certainly isn't our last name.
3998647
That too, I suppose, but they also cringe when he comes back again after completing schooling.
3998820
SWA? Do you, perchance, mean "Sweet Apple Acres?" Because I've been wondering about that, don't Apples have a constant need for watering stuff?...
3999091
Yeah, with pockets for small change. :)
3999704
It might be a Pavlovian response by this point.
3999704 That's exactly what I mean, I'm tired of typing Sweet Apple Acres all the time. And I agree they have watering needs, but can you imagine the gap between the work output Applejack would demand and the work output Zeph would deliver? That Pegasus is going to get hogtied, tarred and feathered.
4000089
... Sounds like feature box bait waiting to happen.
4000606
The way it's used kinda implies otherwise, but make your own conclusions.
Just realized something on a second viewing that has a fairly significant impact on the canon world: Pegasi can grow plants in the clouds. This means they aren't completely dependent on Earth ponies for food. Yes, it's probably very inefficient and used only for decorative flowers in the normal course of things, but food crops could be grown in Cloudsdale if necessary.
4003097
Notice also that this involves bringing earth to the clouds, rather than, say, hydroponics. (which they could probably make magnitudes more effective, since it mostly involves liquids, which they presumably could manipulate...)
4003203
I thought about that. Perhaps they aren't able to get the right amount of nutrients into the water... or bringing up dirt is just way easier for the casual gardener.
4003281
Actually, looking at the history of hydroponics, while the idea is pretty ancient, (1627!) any significant success only shows up as late as 1929. This is not something a culture living in a fertile environment needs enough to spend no end of time and resources to develop, so it's more likely that they simply never tried. Airlifting enough soil for hobby gardening is not an issue, and there's little doubt they never actually needed self-sufficiency since Equestria united.
There's probably a story in supposing a breakaway community of pegasi who did not join the Equestrian harmony and did develop hydroponics, though...
Even before unification, I suppose it was easier to intimidate/barter/raid for food.
Which brings up an interesting question. Did prehistoric pegasi live in cloud towns, or did they use cloud shelters only for safe places to sleep for the night? Or (considering they wouldn't be protection from predators like griffons) something else? Before agriculture, ponies would need to graze for a good deal of the day... and I'm putting way too much thought into this, aren't I?
4003821
There's no such thing as too much thought, though there is a question of whether ponies evolved naturally at all. :)
Consider the fact that when it comes to grazing, pegasi have a unique advantage of being able to eat tree leaves with no extra effort. Other tribes of ponies have far more difficulties climbing, when pegasi don't have to do that at all.
Good point! No need to evolve super long necks. (Dumb giraffes should have gone with wings instead!
)
As for the evolution question, I found it incredibly interesting to work out a system of forced evolution (selection, actually) in combination with periodic selective breeding. For one thing, it explains the horrifically dangerous threats that ponies seem to take for granted.
Am I missing something? Why would there be little time for it?
4045287
You're missing my rearranged episode chronology, which is a subject for its own series of posts...
Discord's Advocate, reporting in for post-watch analysis!
To play on what you said about the previous episode…
It's Not MoonsⓂ
Someone was clearly going for birds.
3998820 got to it before I did, and I hadn't finished reading the thread.
Speaking of…"Mr. and Mrs. Shy" being ground-based and retreating.
What arey out alking about, they're not…I mean, they flew over AJ and Pinkie on the ground later, so surely it's not… *re-checks*
How did I never notice they were on clouds??? HOW?
Alternate explanation: cloud-jars have special interaction with cloud.
Fluttershy’s father worked at the weather factory. He just retired.
oops I hit post
I wonder where "came by it honestly" came from.
Also? He's the younger sibling. Younger siblings are very different beasts from eldest/only children.
Clouds move by themselves at this particular forest. It spooks ponies.
There are a few, really:
♪Don't let someone walk all over you just because they're family.
♪Don't give up after minor difficulties.
However, this latter is presented as "if you try hard you can do it" which isn't quite the same thing…
♪It's okay to scream no when someone wants to crash at your place for a while.
… still a weird set of messages…
3998647
They did not frame it the way you did, though.
3998820
Her accusation of not holding with anything for more than a few weeks knocks this bound down several years, potentially.