^ This. Very much this. Though, I must admit, out of the four, I find Season Three the weakest. It definitely had good episodes, but as an entire entity, it was shorter, had fewer good than bad, and had no strong opener or closer (not a big fan of the Crystal Empire here, or Princess Twilight, though I've come to accept the latter over time). 

On the other hand, Season Three had Magic Duel, Keep Calm and Flutter On, Sleepless in Ponyville [i]and[/i] Too Many Pinkie Pies, the last of which is among my very favorite episodes of the series. So maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.