Pipp decides to hold a concert to celebrate the seasonal Lumi-bloom in Bridlewood, but Izzy warns of an urban legend known as the Troggles that could cause trouble if they hear singing or any loud noise.
Tropes:
- Arbitrary Skepticism: Pipp refuses to believe the Troggles are anything more than superstition, even though she's personally witnessed the unicorns ignorantly casting ancient spells and lives in a world where magic is real.
- Be Yourself: Blue Belle of The Dreamlands thinks they need to update their sound to appeal to a younger audience, but Sunny convinces them that their classic sounds are what everyone loves about them.
- Blunt "No": How Onyx refuses an invitation to perform at Bridlewoodstock.
- Breather Episode: As with Winter Wishday, the plot has nothing to do with Opaline's machinations, instead focusing on the Mane Five setting up a new concert in Bridlewood. Downplayed in the sense that this special has the Troggles, a dangerous race of creatures, as the main antagonistic force as opposed to the unicorns (accidentally) casting "Frosty Shivers" over and over.
- Call-Back:
- When Ruby Jubilee confesses that she's suffering from a creative block, Pipp and Izzy tell her they know the feeling. The two both suffered creative blocks back in "Izzy Does It".
- The unicorns use their "anti-jinxie" chant from the movie once again.
- Chekhov's Gun: The old unicorn rhyme concerning the Troggles mentions rubies, and the main stage for Bridlewoodstock is covered with them. The precious stones turn out to be the key to defeating the Troggles.
- Dramatic Drop: When a Troggle steals Ruby Jubilee's voice, a unicorn in the crowd lets the fry she has been eating fall out of her mouth.
- Food as Bribe: Grandma Figgy gets Minty to agree to reunite the Dreamlands by offering her a key lime pie.
- Full-Name Ultimatum: Pipp yells "Zephyrina!" when she learns Zipp told Electric Blue they could be the headliners.
- Gone Horribly Right: The construction crew uses industrial-strength glue to attach the decorative rubies to the stage. It adheres so strongly that the ponies can't rip them free to use against the Troggles, and Sunny has to use her alicorn powers to get the job done.
- Intangible Theft: The Troggles are capable of stealing the voice of anyone who makes noise at night.
- Invisibility: The Troggles can become invisible at will.
- Mythology Gag:
- The Dreamlands' old album cover depicts them in the classic G1 art style.
- Ruby Jubilee's name signifies a 40th anniversary. The My Little Pony franchise debuted in 1982, just over 40 years before the release of this special.
- Nobody Here but Us Statues: The members of Electric Blue, the band that Pipp and Zipp try to persuade to come to Bridlewood, pretend to be statues at a fountain in Zephyr Heights in order to get away from reporters and the paparazzi.
- No Ontological Inertia: Banishing the Troggles also releases the voices they stole.
- Not Now, Kiddo: Sparky is the first to notice the Troggles during the festival, but when he tries to warn the others they are too engrossed in Ruby Jubilee's song to notice.
- Our Ghosts Are Different: The Troggles are small spirits with pig-like noses who can steal ponies' voices. They can only be repelled by getting them to feed on rubies.
- Poor Communication Kills: When the Mane 5 try to get Electric Blue, The Dreamlands, and Ruby Jubilee to play at the concert, they end up each promising them to be the headlining act. None of them share this information with each other until shortly before the festival is scheduled to begin, causing them all to panic and fix it, but that just ends up with each performer agreeing to go first instead of last. Though it is downplayed since outside of the scheduling conflict it doesn't actually cause any real problems.
- Pun: Sunny tells Minty (lead singer of the Dreamlands) that she's looking "fresh".
- Putting the Band Back Together: Downplayed; the Dreamlands have long since broken up by the time of this special. While Sunny and Hitch are able to convince them to reunite for the festival easily enough, the group have trouble getting back in synch, and fear that they no longer have what it takes to play in the modern world.
- Shout-Out: Near the end of "Hooves Together" and the entire special, Fretlock flips his guitar upside down and starts to play left-hoofed, as Jimi Hendrix often did.
- Special Guest: Sofia Wylie as the voice of Ruby Jubilee.
- Stating the Simple Solution: When Pipp discovers that all three bands have agreed to open the festival, leaving her without a headliner, Zipp asks why she doesn't just take that slot herself since she's a famous singer in her own right.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Hitch and Zipp, after spending a long time waiting in line for food, finally reach the stand... only for the panicked Pipp to drag them away, needing their help.
