Life is a garden, beautiful when it blooms. More than time and more than labor, it requires devotion. Rarity and Fluttershy have been growing a garden for years, even if only one of them knows it.
After a long and depressing summer in Baltimare, Rarity returns home. Heartbroken, she looks forward to seeing her dear friend. If anypony can cheer her up, it's Pinkie.
Twilight Sparkle needs to organize Rarity's birthday party, but all her friends seem troubled. As if that wasn't enough, Cadence sends Twilight a mysterious jewel possessing mystical powers... as well as a dark secret.