Episode followup: Putting Your Hoof Down

Fluttershy has leveled up once again! Remember back in the day when just Twilight Sparkle intimidated her?  It's amazing how much character development these ponies go through.

So lets get it started! After the page break as always. 

I'm going to begin with the background ponies, because this episode was completely filled with all sorts of references.  First off is of course, Lyra.  In a few of the beginning scenes, she can be seen reaching toward her cup, as if she desperately needs hands.  You might assume it's just Lyra being lazy, but then we get this...

Bonbon's saddle bag definitely has Lyra's cutie mark on it.  We can't stop there though!

They seal the deal with yet another Lyra and Bonbon sequence.  They can be seen in the background blabbering away for a good minute or two.  I think half the fun of these episodes each week is just watching the background characters.  This episode in particular seemed to have a full on story going on out there. 

Of course, we can't forget derpy, who totally has a muffin bag clip.  Whoever tossed that on there deserves a medal.  I really hope the recent Derpy drama doesn't stop these at all.  I'm cool with her not having lines, but this was amazing.

Also, no Asparagus =[ 

 And we can't forget the derp eyes.  Our little waldo reference is hopefully here to stay. 

I'm sure these two are a reference to something...

And our new villian/antagonist is.... a minotaur!  Gotta love all these fantasy creatures.  He definitely plays the part.  Not to mention the Mr. T reference.

As for Fluttershy herself, she spent most of the episode rollin with Assertiveshy, but I saw a small amount of Flutterbitch sneak out later on!

And of course, the Flutterhulk reference later on was pretty awesome.   This one in particular is a direct one for one reference.

Obligatory awkward screenshot. 

We also have the return of "that" Rarity.  I'm not too sure if I like it, or dislike it, but she does seem to use it quite a bit!  

We also have...socks. Yes, socks are now canon.  For some unknown reason, they are human socks, but I for one welcome our new Twilight Sparkle in socks overlord.

We were  introduced to goats for the first time this episode.  I'm honestly having a hard time determining their intelligence level, but it's not lookin good...

Equestria in general seems to be much more cutthroat than we used to believe.  I remember talking about it like it was some sort of paradise back in the early days of the fandom.  These merchants are just straight up greedy though.

In the end, Fluttershy solves things with her good old stare power.  Have you seen the Fighting is Magic rendition of this? It's totally not overpowered at all.  This is yet another episode without poor Twilight Sparkle.  I wonder how she is handling the lack of fame these days?

Overall this was definitely a solid one.   It's about time we got something focused on Ponyville's animal lover for season two.   It looks like another is coming up in a few weeks.  They definitely seem to be scheduling each character in bundles this time around. 

And I'll leave you with the best reference of all!  Check that out below.