My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - 1x23 - The Cutie Mark Chronicles

    The three younger ponies (Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo) are still trying to get their cutie marks.  They decide that they need to ask Rainbow Dash how she got her mark.  As they try to find her, they run into the rest of the main characters, and hear their stories of how they got their marks.
    I don't care too much for the younger characters, but this episode did a good job of bridging the characters a bit.  We get flashbacks for all of the characters, as well as new locations.  All of this builds characters a whole lot.
    Two characters get shortchanged a little.  Applejack's story isn't especially interesting, and neither is Rarity's, but since we cover six short stories, plus a framing device, having a lackluster story isn't a terrible thing.
    Twilight gets one of the more important stories, since it makes her powers more expressly incredible.  Plus it serves as an origin for Spike.  Pinkie Pie gets one of the most compelling stories, and some of the best animation for the episode.
    It's also a noteworthy episode because the stories tie together really nicely.  It never feels forced.