Random Thoughts: Flutter Brutter · 10:43pm Jun 4th, 2016
Warning: Spoilers abound. Proceed with caution.
So! We finally get to see Fluttershy's family. I've been clamoring for this kind of episode for a long time, and I gotta say, it did not disappoint. Got a lot to say about this one, so let's just get right to it.
1. While this isn't exactly how I pictured Fluttershy's parents, it does explain a lot about her upbringing. They had difficulties sticking up for themselves, and the apple didn't fall that far from the tree. Plus, they were probably busy taking care of Fluttershy's moocher of a brother.
2. Mr. Shy's design bears a striking resemblance to Ned Flanders, don't you think? Kinda interesting, considering how many times Fluttershy has been accused of being Flanderized.
3. I personally thought that this was going to turn into a CMC episode any second. Zephyr Breeze was still trying to find his calling, even though he has his Cutie Mark. That sounds like something right up the CMC's alley, doesn't it?
4. Zephyr is a bit of a walking contradiction. He's so egotistical that he just assumes that Rainbow Dash is romantically interested in him, yet he's so afraid of failure that he can't bring himself to actually do something productive. Heck, he puts more effort into maintaining his lazy bum lifestyle than anything that would actually be useful. It's actually kinda amazing to watch.
5. Some ponies apparently consider "peeved" to be a dirty word. The face Dinky gave when that older mare covered her ears sums up my reaction. 
6. Apparently, you can plant flowers in the clouds now. Yeah. That's a thing.
7. I always admired Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's Good Cop/Bad Cop approach to things, but this time, it seems like they're very much on the same page. The strange thing about that is their dynamic still works. 
8. I know Zephyr was meant to be an unpleasant character, but there wasn't a point where I hated him. Sure, he's a sleaze, a bum, and a brat. But when you think about it, his struggle is actually very relatable. I myself felt very adrift and unsure what to do with myself when I graduated college. Granted, I didn't try and weasel my way out of taking responsibility and actually finding something that fit me (at least, not on a conscious level).
9. Zephyr: I'm going to bed.
Rainbow Dash: It's the middle of the day.
Me: Hey, Rainbow "Probably-dropped-out-of-Flight-School-because-you-napped-all-the-time" Dash. The pot called. Kettle says you're black.
10. So. Anyone still think Fluttershy hasn't grown as a character? Or do you think she could've stood up to her brother back in Season 1? Yes, I am feeling very smug about this. Look how much she's grown! I'm so proud of her. 
11. Zephyr, your older sister broke down into tears because ponies teased her about not being a strong flyer. Don't you dare claim she doesn't know what you're going through. Or do you just hear about how she saved Equestria a dozen times and think she's this courageous pony who has never had her hard times? Sheesh.
12. So, Fluttershy's surname is Shy. Even though her name is one word. Y'know, I've long since accepted that surnames don't work in Equestria the same way they do in the real world. This doesn't surprise me.
13. That being said, can we get some actual names for Fluttershy's parents, please? They're just credited as Mr. and Mrs. Shy. Very poor; must try harder. 
So, in conclusion. Let us take a moment to appreciate how far you've come, Flutters.
It may have taken a lot of baby steps, but seeing you get to the point where you can stand up to your brother and get him to shape up just warms my heart. I'll say it again for good measure: I'm very proud of you. 
This is an episode I should really watch, if only to figure out what I need to work it into my headcanon of Flutters being raised by her maternal uncle.
I don't think Rainbow didn't nap on Flight School.
I will agree with you Metool, the episode didn't dissapoint. There were some good cameos (Link for one), and it was nice to see Fluttershy's family for once
3998821 Eh, kinda? I think Lightning Dust's mane is more of a golden color, while Zephyr's is more yellow.
I am still in the adrift mode as we speak. Not in school not in work im just lost lol
My spouse often points out that they don't work the same across tribes, or even clans within tribes, unless Applejack's full name is Applejack Apple. Then there's Twilight Velvet has Twilight Sparkle, but Night Light has Shining Armour which only kind of resembles, but we have the Pies and the Cakes....
My headcanon on names is that for unicorns, they're sort of like reductionist nobility-- Name themes are shared throughout lineages and it's important to have continuity, but they can be vague like Light -> Shining, and it's important enough to keep themes alive that you may see one revived after a few generations if it fell out for whatever reasons. There may be recorded genealogies that can have legal force dating back to before the Windigo migration.
For the _oldest_ earth traditions, like the Confectionary Clans or the Cultivation Clans, the sense is that the name should include some element of the clan, usually but not always, and it's fully matrilineal, in theory. In practice, my headcanon says that the military elements of the Pegasi threw off their own spiritual elements, the Oracles, and sublimated their gifts into practical purposes (which let the windigo in), and then colluded with the Unicorn nobility and arcanists to break the power of the old druidic lineages, shattering the earth pony clans and meaning that the modern traditions of even strong remnants like the Apples or isolated ones like the Pies have been somewhat lost, especially post-migration, so much like unicorns, they may use a lot of contracts for naming, and many modern elements recreate their own by generational fads.
I've been on the fence about Pegasi for a while-- I haven't seen today's yet, just read some posts-- so I'm not sure where to go there, especially since as far as I know, this makes the Shies the only multigenerational pegasi family we've seen?
3998908
Not true. We saw what many speculate to be Rainbow Dash's father during the flashback in Games Ponies Play, and Spitfire's mother, Stormy Flare, was a key player in Rarity Investigates!
I'm pretty sure her surname isn't Shy and that her parents don't have "Shy" anywhere in their names; I think that was just Rainbow's shorthand way of referring to them. Kinda like how the Fonz always said "Mr. C" and "Mrs. C".
3998924 I suppose, though there's no way of knowing that for sure without seeing their actual names. The credits simply list them as Mr. and Mrs. Shy, which is very annoying.
3998926 And yet further supports my theory that the credits typesetter for this season is just listening to the spoken dialogue and going off that, hence "Miss Pommel".
3998923 Point! Though one parent each doesn't help. And I don't think we know Dashie Daddy's name, do we?
My head canon about names is that they're thematic. The actual word doesn't matter, it's the meaning of the word.
Pegasi have bred special epiphytic varieties of all sorts of flowers.
3998827 Zephyr is also a bit greener than Lightning.