When the Alicorn Amulet, a cursed relic of unspeakable power, goes missing, Equestria begins to wither and die. The only ponies brave enough to prevent its annihilation are six misfits—a criminal, a malcontent, a reject, an outcast, an exile and a fool—who would have preferred to remain in the background and leave the heroics to someone else.

Professor Dusty Tomes, Equestria's greatest scholar and Twilight Sparkle's childhood hero, arrives in Ponyville on a mission from Princess Celestia. He must study a unique phenomenon: a being whose inexplicable powers may have the potential to benefit Equestria—or even to destroy it. The object of his research? The cheerful, exuberant pony known as Pinkie Pie.

Following a devastating fire at town hall, Twilight asks six of the ponies involved—Octavia, Colgate, Vinyl Scratch, Lyra, Derpy Hooves and an odd pony who insists on being called the Doctor—each to give their version of what happened. These brief tales reveal a strange series of events involving blackmail, muffins, misplaced mail and a bomb with the power to destroy three-quarters of Equestria.