Pipp creates a new hoof polish with a stinky flower, while Sunny and Zipp investigate Equestria's past.
Tropes:
- A Day in the Limelight: This episode has an A-Plot that focuses mainly on Jazz Hooves as she struggles to tell Pipp the truth about her new hooficure treatment.
- Affectionate Nickname:
- Zipp calls Sunny "Suns" during their flight to Bridlewood.
- Jazz calls Pipp "Pipper," "Pippito," and "Pipperoo." This tips Pipp off that something is out of whack, because Jazz has never used any nicknames for her.
- Call-Back:
- Pipp states that her new hoof polish makes hooves shine like the Lumi-Bloom.
- Sunny refers to the destruction of the original lighthouse, which happened back in A New Generation.
- The Cameo: Sugar Moonlight and Sprout make brief appearances among Mane Melody's customers.
- Fame Through Infamy: Though Pipp's new beauty treatment (using a mysterious Bridlewood plant) polishes customers' hooves to a high shine, the fact that it makes said hooves smell awful enough to inspire a viral video challenge is what really starts to drive sales.
- Honesty Aesop: The main focus of the A-Plot is Jazz struggling to tell Pipp, who's gotten used to the smell of the Stinkthistle treatment because of how much time she has spent around it, the truth of just how bad the new hooficure treatment really is even as it spirals out of control more and more.
- Imagine Spot: Pipp has a brief one revolving around her new discovery.
- Invisible Writing: Sunny goes through her dad's old stuff and finds what looks to be a blank map, which reveals some hidden features when Zipp scans it with her visor. Later, when Sunny and Zipp leave it with Hitch, it reacts to Sparky's presence and glows along with his scales.
- It May Help You on Your Quest: A Breezie at the Night Market gives Sunny a heart-shaped ruby locket, telling that it has been waiting for a "special" and "hopeful" pony.
- Noodle Incident: Pipp and Jazz discuss their previous promotion, which involved using ice cream as a face mask.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Pipp figures out that something is wrong when Jazz suddenly addresses her with a string of nicknames, something she's never done before.
- Partially-Concealed-Label Gag: Of an audio variety. Pipp thinks the flower she's found for her hooficure treatment is called "ink thistle." Izzy reveals that it's actually "stink thistle," and that it's the worst-smelling plant in Bridlewood.
- Social Media Before Reason: The ponies who keep getting the Stinkthistle hooficure treatment know that it is too smelly for words, but they put themselves through the torture because it's inspired a new trending online social media challenge called "The Mane Smelody Challenge." If a pony can get through the treatment without their eyes watering, they get to dare a friend to do the same.
- Stating the Simple Solution:
- Sunny stands on Zipp's back to get a box of Argyle's old notes down from a high shelf in the closet. After it and they fall to the floor, Zipp comments that she could have just flown up to the shelf.
- Hitch puts Sparky through a safety drill to see how fast he can get out of the police station, laying down a winding path of traffic cones for him to follow. He just runs straight for the door, knocking down every cone in his path.
- Sweet and Sour Grapes: Once the truth comes out about how stinky the new hoof polish is, there's the problem of what to do with their remaining stock. In comes Izzy with pinkthistle that conveniently neutralizes the smell of stinkthistle.
- Tempting Fate: After finding a piece of an old map, Sunny remarks that the rest isn't going to just fall into their laps. The rest of the map promptly falls down from a high shelf and onto Zipp's head.
- Visible Odor: The Stinkthistle creates a pungent yellow odor that disgusts everypony who smells it — at least until they get used to it, that is.
