History Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E19PuttingYourHoofDown

* OldDarkHouse: Fluttershy's home becomes one, complete with boarded up windows and an unseen wolf HowlingToTheNight in the distance.

* PublicDomainSoundtrack: The tune that plays when Fluttershy gets assertive is taken from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X9LvC9WkkQ Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Johannes Brahms.]]

Finally ashamed at how monstrous she's become, Fluttershy boards up her house and hides inside, for fear of hurting anypony else ever again. Concerned about her, Pinkie Pie and Rarity come by, then try to coax her out by saying she doesn't have to be a bully to be assertive. Midway through their discussion, Iron Will and his crew show up as well, to collect Fluttershy's payment for the seminar. Frightened of what he might do to their friend, Rarity and Pinkie stall him, but Fluttershy accidentally gives herself away with [[SneezeOfDoom a sneeze]], whereupon Iron Will threatens to tear her door down (he knocks gently after tearing off the boards) if he doesn't get paid. Fluttershy finally comes out... and tells Iron Will that she ''refuses'' to pay. Calmly but firmly, she explains that he had promised 100% satisfaction... and she's not satisfied with the seminar at all because it drove everypony away from her. Knowing that he can't go back on his word, Iron Will agrees and leaves without a fuss.

--> '''Fluttershy:''' ''Iron Will is '''not''' a monster! HE'S A MINOTAUR!!! (''sees her angry reflection in a puddle'') '''I'm''' the monster...''

* SneezeOfDoom: Pinkie Pie and Rarity try to convince Iron Will that Fluttershy isn't home but she gives herself away by sneezing.

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: After Fluttershy insults her friends and realizes that she's become the monster. Also alluded to when she sees her own reflection in the mirror with Iron Will's horns transposed on top of her head.

* SheWhoFightsMonsters: After Fluttershy insults her friends and realizes that she's become the monster. Also alluded to when she sees her own reflection in the mirror with Iron Will's horns transposed on top of her head.

* LonelyPianoPiece: The Suspiciously Similar Song version of "[[Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977 The Lonely Man]]" accompanies Fluttershy's walk home after she realizes that [[WhatHaveIBecome she's become a monster]].

*** His {{Leitmotif}} is basically a SuspiciouslySimilarSong of "Eye of the Tiger".

** Ponyville as a whole seems to suddenly be filled with inconsiderate pricks, line cutters, and petty extortionists. All of which decide to take advantage of Fluttershy. Yes, it's to help Fluttershy stand up for herself, but they just come out of the blue all of a sudden - and right after the episode with the Smile Song! While the ponies in the market pushed Fluttershy around already, the rest of Ponyville appeared to follow suit '''after''' [[FridgeBrilliance Iron Will's seminar]].

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Angel acts like he's going to vomit when he tries the salad at the start of the episode. Lagomorphs (ie, rabbits) can't vomit.

* BoundAndGagged: When Fluttershy decides to hide in her house, Angel ties her to a chair.

* AwesomeMcCoolName: '''''Iron Will.'''''

* FisherKing: When Fluttershy isolates herself due to realizing her recent horrid behavior, her normally pleasant little cottage becomes completely gloomy: The flowers and foliage disappears, the stream turns to a mud wallow, all the entrances [[UpToEleven including the bird houses and a burrow]] are all boarded up. This all happens in the space of ''a few hours'', even though the cottage looks like it's been abandoned for years.

** Fluttershy temporarily becomes Flutter''bitch'' because she takes the assertiveness training to mean intimidate and anger.

** In a rare case of continuity with background ponies, [[AllThereInTheScript Golden Harvest]]/[[FanNickname Carrot Top]] is seen hanging out with [[FanNickname Noi]] again, her little sister from [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E5SisterhoovesSocial "Sisterhooves Social"]].

* RunningGag: Bon Bon has yet another, different voice. [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E3TheTicketMaster And]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E20GreenIsntYourColor so]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E13HearthsWarmingEve does]] [[AllThereInTheScript Shoeshine]]/[[FanNickname Linky]]!

* ALoadOfBull: Iron Will is a minotaur.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** "New" Fluttershy comes pretty dang close to a common vulgar phrase during one of her rants:
--->'''Fluttershy:''' (''finishing her rant to Pinkie and Rarity'') ...when they are throwing their own lives away on pointless pursuits that ''nopony else gives a flying [[UnusualEuphemism feather]] about''!
** When she jumps in the taxi, she gives a gesture that makes it evident that if she had fingers she'd be FlippingTheBird.

Back home, Fluttershy puts her lessons to good use, to the delight of her friends. But it isn't long before "New Fluttershy" grows more and more aggressive, eventually lashing out at ponies for slights big, small, or imagined. Pinkie Pie and Rarity try to talk some sense into her, but New Fluttershy thinks they just want the push-over "Old Fluttershy" back. She lashes out at them with personal insults, then dismisses their interests as shallow and frivolous, driving them off in tears.

Finally ashamed at how monstrous she's become, Fluttershy boards up her house and hides inside, for fear of hurting anypony else ever again. Concerned about her, Pinkie Pie and Rarity come by, then try to coax her out by saying she doesn't have to be a bully to be assertive. Midway through their discussion, Iron Will and his crew show up as well, to collect Fluttershy's payment for the seminar. Frightened of what he might do to their friend, Rarity and Pinkie stall him, but Fluttershy accidentally gives herself away with [[SneezeOfDoom a sneeze]], whereupon Iron Will threatens to tear her door down (he knocks gently after tearing off the boards) if he doesn't get paid. Fluttershy finally comes out... and tells Iron Will that she ''refuses'' to pay. Calmly but firmly, she explains that he had promised 100% satisfaction... and she's not satisfied with the seminar at all. Unable to argue with that, Iron Will agrees and leaves without a fuss.

* AnAesop: Being assertive and standing up for yourself is good, but you can do so without being an unpleasant jerk.

* LonelyPianoPiece: The Suspiciously Similar Song version of "[[Series/TheIncredibleHulk The Lonely Man]]" accompanies Fluttershy's walk home after she realizes that [[WhatHaveIBecome she's become a monster]].

* HardTruthAesop: There is a very big difference between "increase your sense of self-worth and be assertive" and "[[BullyBrutality be a psychotic bully]]". It takes Fluttershy making her friends (well, [[BreakTheCutie Pinkie]] at least) cry and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone being confronted over that]] for her to figure it out.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Fluttershy turns Flutter''bitch''.

* ExtremeDoormat: Fluttershy in the beginning of the episode lets everypony walk over her. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by both Rarity and Fluttershy.

Fluttershy's having a rough morning. Angel Bunny angrily refuses to eat his breakfast, and insists Fluttershy make a big, fancy salad instead. She goes grocery shopping for the ingredients, only to repeatedly get cut off by other ponies in line. Pinkie Pie and Rarity try to help by teaching her to be assertive, but Fluttershy's attempts to emulate their techniques backfires, and she eventually leaves without the last ingredient -- the cherry on top. She makes the salad anyway, but since it wasn't ''completely'' perfect, Angel throws a tantrum... and throws Fluttershy out the front door!

** Bon Bon shows off her nastiness again along with other ponies and stall-owners, and the "New Fluttershy" becomes one after Iron Will's motivational seminar.
** Angel Bunny is also particularly horrible to Fluttershy, to the point of slapping her when she doesn't make him the right food, and throwing her and his food out of her own cottage when he doesn't get it made the exact way he wanted it.
** In fact, there's a surprising number of them in this episode. Ponyville seems to suddenly be filled with the inconsiderate, line cutters, and petty extortionists (the most egregious being the cherry stall owner who inflates his price when he hears that Fluttershy needs the cherry). Yes, it's to help Fluttershy stand up for herself, but sheesh, they just come out of the blue all of a sudden.

** FLuttershy temporarily becomes Flutter''bitch'' because she takes the assertiveness training to mean intimidate and anger.
** Ponyville as a whole. We don't usually see so many characters trying to take advantage of Fluttershy. Even [[AppealToFlattery Rarity's]] and [[DuckSeasonRabbitSeason Pinkie Pie's]] methods are somewhat jerkish. While the shop owners and Angel took advantage of Fluttershy already, the rest of Ponyville appeared to follow suit '''after''' [[FridgeBrilliance Iron Will's seminar]].

* VolumetricMouth: "Nopony pushes New Fluttershy around! ''NOPONY!!!''"

** Fluttershy took all of Iron Will's advice this way, which is at least part of the problem.

* GrewASpine: Iron Will tries to help Fluttershy do this. It works a little ''too'' well.

** New!Fluttershy, especially in the second phase of her rage.

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Iron Will in the end. He hadn't really done anything to make himself look bad to the ponies in general, and decides to keep it that way.

** Pinkie's "Fashion is her Passion." could be a reference to ''WesternAnimation/{{Bratz}}''.