- Story by Ted Anderson, Art by Kate Sherron
"Nerves abound when Zephyr Breeze signs up for the All-Equestria Mane Styling Conference! Will he be able to prove to others—and to himself—that he belongs in the styling biz? Or will his fear of failure get the better of him?"
Tropes:
- Affectionate Nickname: Zephyr calls Fluttershy "Flutersis", while Fluttershy calls him "Brother Breeze".
- Birds of a Feather: Zephyr and Pixie Cut quickly bond due to their love of manestyling, and shared experience of doubting their skills.
- The Bus Came Back: Zephyr Breeze returns after his last big role during "Flutter Brutter."
- Crash-Into Hello: Zephyr meets Pixie Cut this way, bumping into her and knocking some papers out of her hoof.
- Face Your Fears: Pixie Cut admits that she is always terrified of performing in front of crowds, but she tells Zephyr that if she doesn't face that fear, she won't ever accomplish anything. This gives Zephyr the courage he needs to step up and perform himself.
- Freak Out: Zephyr falls into this when he finds out he's expected to display his manestyling abilities in front of the crowd and judges.
- Heroic Self-Deprecation: Zephyr. Despite his genuine skill in manestyling, he's terrified that he only thinks he's good, and that he'll be fired from his job at any moment.
- Irony: When Zephyr initially refuses to manestyle on stage, he states that he's rather keep his eyes on what he's doing. He has his eyes closed as he says this, leading to him bumping into Pixie Cut.
- Innocently Insensitive: Silverstream signs Zephyr up to show off his manestyling skills in front of everyone, thinking it will make him feel better. Instead, Zephyr has a Freak Out.
- Noodle Incident: When Zephyr falls into a Freak Out, Fluttershy notes that he acted the same way at Rainbow Dash's eighth birthday party.
- Performance Anxiety: Both Zephyr and Pixie Cut suffer this when performing in front of crowds. Pixie is able to put those feelings aside, and teaches Zephyr to do the same
- Series Continuity Error: Zephyr refers to Fluttershy as his little sister, despite the show (and this issue's own synopsis) noting her as the older sibling.
- Ship Tease: Zephyr and Pixie Cut become very close with each other over a short period of time, with some playful, easy-going interactions.
