Ah, school. Back when most didn't have to worry about rent, employment, or marriage, and the ultimate failure was losing a championship or failing the exams. Those were the simpler times. But the ponies are as complex as ever.

The recently rechristened Celestia's School for Gifted Equines is opening its doors, for the first time, to non-unicorn students, welcoming talented individuals of all species to prestigious education. It is the opportunity of a lifetime for countless ponies, among them the reclusive, unsociable Dream Catcher, who hopes one day to understand the complexities of the universe. But amidst new circumstances, and new ponies, he will find himself swept up into the ocean of troubles and hopes and dreams that make up the greatest complexities in the universe: equine life.

Welcome to school.