Twilight Sparkle, a reclusive student of Princess Celestia, is tasked with supervising a special event in Ponyville and to make five new friends in the process.

The evil Nightmare Moon is free from her imprisonment, vowing to shroud the world in eternal night, and Princess Celestia has gone missing. Twilight and the her friends must find six magic stones called the Elements of Harmony, hidden in the mysterious Everfree Forest.

Twilight receives two tickets from Princess Celestia to the Grand Galloping Gala. All five of her best friends want to go, but she can only choose one.

With her big brother hurt, Applejack volunteers to harvest the apple crop in her family's orchard all by herself. However, she is too prideful and stubborn to accept any help from the other ponies.

Pinkie Pie bonds with Rainbow Dash over their shared love of pranks, but when Rainbow's old friend Gilda the Griffon visits, Pinkie Pie becomes a third wheel, and notices that Gilda has a mean streak.

A new unicorn called "The Great and Powerful" Trixie arrives in Ponyville, claiming to be the greatest magical pony in Equestria. Spike believes Twilight may be the one unicorn to put the arrogant braggart in her place, but she worries that she will lose the respect of her friends if she shows her true potential.

When a thunderstorm forces Applejack and Rarity to seek shelter in her library, they're invited by Twilight Sparkle to have a slumber party. However, their clashing personalities and preferences may make it difficult for them to get along.

Twilight encounters the mysterious zebra Zecora, who occasionally visits Ponyville and is rumored to be a witch. When she and her friends display a range of bizarre symptoms the next day, they begin to wonder whether Zecora put a curse on them. Applejack's little sister, Apple Bloom, ventures into the Everfree Forest to find the truth.

Everypony is making sure things are perfect for an upcoming visit by Princess Celestia to Ponyville, especially Twilight Sparkle, but trouble arises when a swarm of parasprites, adorable insects with ravenous appetites, invades the town.

As winter comes to its scheduled end, Ponyville prepares for the annual cleanup to make way for spring. Twilight Sparkle wants to help, even without her magic (to respect Ponyville's traditions), but she may find it difficult to find her place.

A young pony earns their cutie mark upon discovering their special talent and life's purpose. Apple Bloom's worry about her still-missing cutie mark causes her to try to earn it before a classmate's upcoming "cute-ceañera" party.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash take part in a marathon event known as the Running of the Leaves, in which Dash must compete without the use of her wings. Can they both ensure a clean race without the competition getting the better of them?

Rarity makes dresses for her friends for the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala, but they don't turn out to but what her friends expected. She strains herself catering to their demands, then learns her new dresses will be put on a fashion show.

Twilight learns that Pinkie Pie has an unusual ability to sense happenings in the immediate future, known around Ponyville as "Pinkie Sense." Not willing to accept these predictions are anything but a mere coincidence, Twilight sets out to find the truth behind Pinkie's power.

Rainbow Dash is preparing herself for an upcoming contest, with a day with the famous Wonderbolts as the grand prize, and is sure that an old move she claimed to have pulled off long ago will guarantee her a win. However, she becomes increasingly nervous that she won't succeed.

Fluttershy has great experience with all kinds of animals, but it is an entirely different story when she offers to take care of Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle for the night. Will she be able to keep them out of trouble, and what exactly is "The Stare"?

After entering a talent competition, the Cutie Mark Crusaders believe the event will help them discover what they are meant to do in life. They hope that winning the contest will help them get their cutie marks, if they can keep from ruining each other's work.

To create jewel-encrusted clothing at the request of a famous pony, Rarity decides to find a new lode of gems with Spike's assistance. But when a group of creatures called the Diamond Dogs abduct Rarity and force her to find gems for them, Spike and the other ponies head underground to rescue her. In the end, who will be the one that truly needs saving?

When Rarity meets a famous fashion photographer, she realizes that this is her chance to promote her newest dresses, but her idea backfires when the pony is more interested in Fluttershy, whom Rarity chose to model her dresses. Both tell Twilight they aren't happy about this but don't want the other to know, and she is faced with a dilemma of keeping their secrets.

The ponies separate and are caught in a dispute between a western town's settler-ponies and the native buffalo herd. Both sides have claimed the land as their own, and neither side is standing down. Can they find a way to prevent the inevitable clash?

During a visit from Princess Celestia, Fluttershy sees the Equestrian royal's sick pet bird Philomena. She secrets the poor creature home and tries to take care of it, but finds that the task to be harder than it looks.

Every pony with a cutie mark has a different story to tell about how they earned it. Taking a break from searching for their special talents, the Cutie Mark Crusaders decide to ask Rainbow Dash and the others about their marks, eventually discovering a surprising connection.

Spike meets an owl Twilight befriends to help her with their work. He soon feels threatened over the possibility that it will take his spot as the unicorn's trusted assistant. Driven by jealousy, how far will he go to make sure it doesn't happen?

After a successful birthday party for Gummy, her pet alligator, Pinkie Pie invites her friends for an "After Birthday" party the next day. However, they claim to have other errands to run, declining the invitations. Pinkie Pie grows suspicious and sets out to solve the mystery.

After much anticipation, Canterlot's Grand Galloping Gala has finally begun. As Twilight and her friends take part in the festivities, only one question remains: Is it everything the ponies imagined it to be?