The season's narrative is driven by the , a magical artifact in Twilight's castle that summons the Mane Six to various locations across Equestria to solve "friendship problems".

The season is noted for several high-concept and fan-centric episodes:

: A major secondary theme involves characters reconciling with their pasts. This includes Twilight reconnecting with her old friends in Canterlot and Princess Luna finally forgiving herself for her past as Nightmare Moon.

: The season premiere introduced Starlight Glimmer , a complex antagonist who established a village where everyone gave up their "cutie marks" to achieve a forced, artificial equality.