As Twilight Sparkle and her friends get used to her new castle, they find that when they each sit on their respective thrones, they activate a map that shows trouble across Equestria. Traveling to one point, they find a town where all the ponies have the same cutie mark, an equals sign. All of the ponies except Fluttershy suspect something is wrong with the town's creepy smiles and over-the-top joy, particularly after meeting their leader, Starlight Glimmer. Starlight shows that all the ponies living there have given up their cutie marks, leaving them stored in a nearby cave, as by being equal with no special talents, they all can achieve friendship better. Twilight and her friends secretly meet with other ponies who recognize that Starlight's vision for the town is not normal and ask for their help. When the six try to retrieve the cutie marks, they are lured into a trap and Starlight is able to take their marks.