About the original source URL, the reason is because my upload speed to Derpibooru/Dropbox sucks and imgur seems to compress images, but luckily uploading to Google Photos is quite smooth and it retains original GIF/PNG quality (yay!), but it generates /very/ long links that expires after a few minutes, oh well.
 
I can’t blank out the source URL, so I’ll just put N/A, it’s a self-made upload anyway.

Well somepony needs a sandwich.

@rdibp  
A quick gag that I found distracting, but you’re right that it’s not that important in the context of the episode.
 
@Dreambuyer  
@Soarinjack  
Now this is the sort of discussion I wish we had more of in the fandom.

@Soarinjack  
To be fair, she has grown in terms of being assertive and tough when she needs to be. Just look at the way she gave Rainbow tough love, or the way she helped to stop the Tantabus.

@Dreambuyer  
Heh, while we’re regretting words we didn’t mean… My reply wasn’t meant to be aimed at your personally, but more an exasperated outburst at a trend that’s been part of the fandom since at least S3. A trend I thouroughly dislike. Sorry if I came off too strong, it was never meant to be aimed at you, more the fandom in general. You just happeend to be the final straw. Truely sorry about that.
 
I like debating episodes, and it makes no difference if it’s external or internal., as long as both parties are on the smae page. So let’s continue, if I haven’t put you off entirely by my outburst.
 
Internally, yeah, I could see your idea working, Fluttershy is a respected authority on wild animals, so her reaction would set off the crowd. Though I would question Trixie’s showman guile if she only enlisted Fluttershy in the scheme. ;) Might add a few more extroverted ponies, like Rainbow (Flutter could easily talk her into it) or the Flower Trio (who are known to be drama queens about danger) to build up the atmosphere. As you mention, sincerity isn’t an issue, it’s all about the atmosphere and expectations. Pinkie, you need Pinkie. Just tell her it’s fun, like Nightmare Night, and she’s your mare. ;)
 
Now, allow me to veer off into the extarnal part. I like Fluttershy! She used to be a clear #2 on my best pony list (after Applejack, can’t deny the awesomeness of Treekicker), and she has gradually shifted into a joint second (skirting dangerously close to #3) with Derpy, Luna and Soarin’, mostly because of this. Pilot Flutter was shy and kind, but also impressively courageous, supportive and emphatic. “Stare Master” Flutter was shy. withdrawn and easily overwhelmed, eacept when it came to confronting a freaking cockatrice. A monster that would turn ponies to stone, Flutter just went up and told it off! … When it threatened somepony she cared about. Same with dragons. The freaking monster that would turn every D&D player white with fear, when it just as much as told her friends to get off his lawn, she laid down the Celestia-damn law! But all we seem to get lately (as in S4+) seems to be “Fluttershy is a scaredy pony, like in Dragonshy). And, frankly, it just grates on me. Fluttter deserves so much more characterization than just “the pony who’s easily scared”.
 
So, yeah, not critizing the writer (and I don’t even know yet, who the writer is) for being stupid, just for being… well, lazy. Yeah, I can definitely work this into canon, but I would love to have seen Applejack restraining an irrate Flutter, stopping her to rush the stage to save the poor manticore.

@Soarinjack  
““hurr durr writers is stoooopid””  
Remember when you were able to point out details you didn’t like about an episode, without being mocked and strawmanned into a position you never held? When you could say “great episode, but I really didn’t care for x, because…” and people didn’t twist your words to make their own idea seem more reasonable? Apparently, neither does this fandom…
 
 
You are absolutely correct. I could have easily made my point without using mocking tones and I apologize to anyone I insulted with my poorly considered response. I hope I haven’t muddled the topic too much for me to continue pressing my point. In any magic show if a magician asks you “can I find this card?” you have at least two responses. You can play along and say “no” or you can say “You’d better, I payed $40 for this ticket!”. And I just realized that I’m arguing from within the story and you’re arguing from without. Soooo I’m just wasting every bodies’ time. But my apology absolutely stands and comes from a truly sincere place. Mockery and name calling are exceedingly bad form and only serve to make one look foolish. Don’t do it kids! Uncle Dreambuyer should know better.

Fluttershy is scared of dangerous magic act, not the manticore.

@EndlessWire94  
You’re kinda right, but at least it was just one scene and not an entire episode worth of her ego boasting.
 
Kinda afraid for the next episode now. :S

@Background Pony #9FE1  
That’s an entirely valid headcanon to have, ofcourse Occam would suggest the answer is more along the lines of “the episode needed a reaction shot for pacing reasons, and the writer decided to stick a quick Fluttershy-is-a-scaredy-pony” joke in there for fun to give the character something to do/more screentime.” I’m not attacking any particular writer (but thanks for insinuating I am), I just wish they would give the poor girl more to do/characterization than being scared. Why not have her excited/giddy at seeing a manticore! I mean, she hasn’t seen one since the pilot, and bam, there it is. Having Applejack physically restrain her from rushing the scene would be just as funny.
 
Plus, if the manticore was so well-tamed and behaved that it was in on the trick the whole time, it kinda undermines the dramatic finale of the episode. Trixie isn’t in danger, Starlight isn’t facing any crucial decision and the only thing on the line is Trixie’s dignity. And that already vaporized after the ending scene of “Magic Duel”. ;)
 
 
@Background Pony #9FE1  
““hurr durr writers is stoooopid””  
Remember when you were able to point out details you didn’t like about an episode, without being mocked and strawmanned into a position you never held? When you could say “great episode, but I really didn’t care for x, because…” and people didn’t twist your words to make their own idea seem more reasonable? Apparently, neither does this fandom…

catches her I got you, my dear…..

@rdibp  
Plus, to be fair, Rainbow Dash’s ego is still a bit over-exaggerated.

@rdibp  

 
I agree completely. You’re right it is just a funny background and we shouldn’t take it so seriously. This show is after all mostly comedy.

@Dreambuyer  
Even if it’s just that, it’s still just a little background joke of Fluttershy fainting. I understand some people getting mad over eps like Filli Vanilli for over saturating Fluttershy’s shyness, but this was just a little 3 second innocent moment played for laughs.
 
Sometimes, it feels like some people are just trying too hard to look for flaws in the show.

@Soarinjack
 
@Dreambuyer  

If you guys would mentally account for the facts that Fluttershy has tamed a manticore and that the manticore we see here takes a bow at the end of Trixie’s act you’d realize that a much more interesting narative is taking place here than “hurr durr writers is stoooopid”. It seems pretty clear to me that Fluttershy is doing just what one does at a magic show. Getting into the act. May I even speculate that Trixie enlisted the aid of the local magical creature expert (Fluttershy) when she made this last minute change to her act? Perhaps Flutters was in on it from the beginning and trying to ramp up the tension with her antics?

Maybe she was scared it was gonna be turned into a frog or something.
 
Remember in Magic Duel when she had a cow about animals being floated about by Twi’s magic?

@Background Pony #9FE1  
No, she started to act scared the moment the manticore was revealed.

@Mojo  
>irrelevant  
says rarafag

@Pepsi Twist  
I think she was more scared of the act then the manticore.

@Soarinjack
 
@Background Pony #9E63  

Hey, remember when Fluttershy confidently walked up to an enraged manticore and just nuzzled its paw? When she calmly gave a 3-headed dog the size of a castle belly-rubs? … Yeah, apparently the writer of this episode didn’t either…

@Pepsi Twist  
Yes but in this context she was watching somepony get eaten.

@Pepsi Twist  
Well, this probably isn’t the same one.

Would’ve been a lot better if she somehow helped Trixie get the manticore and keep it tame, plus she’s the only one of the Mane 6 who hasn’t really interacted with Trixie yet. Instead we get Flutterfaint.
 
But then I guess this means Trixie is an animal whisperer too

@Pepsi Twist  
It’s a background joke