Elements of Harmony

For the articles concerning the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, see Characters#Main characters.

For the episode sharing this name, see Friendship is Magic, part 2.

The Elements of Harmony were six supernatural artifacts representing subjective aspects of harmony. The narration during the prologue of Friendship is Magic, part 1 describes the Elements of Harmony as "the most powerful magic known to ponydom". In Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 2, it is revealed that the Elements of Harmony were found and taken from the Tree of Harmony by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna thousands of years ago. However, doing so had the potential to release the Everfree Forest and destroy Equestria. Each artifact represents an element of friendship and only activates if the wielder possesses the corresponding trait and if all six are used in conjunction.^[1] They have been wielded on rare occasions, particularly during events marked by danger and anarchy as a last resort to restore and enforce the balance of peace and order. However, the effects of their use were generally temporary and non-lethal, usually a form of banishment or imprisonment. They, along with the Tree, were destroyed by King Sombra in The Beginning of the End - Part 1.

Depiction in the series[]

Friendship is Magic, part 1 and part 2[]

The Elements of Harmony are first mentioned in the first episode's prologue. The narrator tells that once upon a time, the sisters Princess Celestia and Princess Luna co-ruled the land of Equestria. The eldest, Princess Celestia, used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn, while Princess Luna brought out the moon at night. But over time, Princess Luna grew resentful of their subjects who played in the day but slept throughout the night. One day, she refused to lower the moon and her bitterness transformed her into Nightmare Moon. She vowed to shroud Equestria in eternal night. Reluctantly, Princess Celestia used the magic of the Elements of Harmony to defeat her sister and banish her permanently in the moon. Only then was Princess Celestia able to restore harmony to Equestria.

Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's pupil, discovers that Nightmare Moon is set to return "on the longest day of the thousandth year", which is in two days' time. She sends a letter to Princess Celestia warning her of Nightmare Moon's return, but the Princess tells her to "stop reading those dusty old books" and sends her to Ponyville to see to the Summer Sun Celebration preparations and to "make some friends". Twilight Sparkle does as she is told and inadvertently befriends five ponies, but is still confused about the Princess's insistence on friendship.

At the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration, Princess Celestia goes missing and Nightmare Moon shows herself, declaring her return. Twilight discovers that the Elements of Harmony, the only source of magic that could possibly defeat Nightmare Moon, are located in the ruins of the "ancient castle of the royal pony sisters" in the Everfree Forest. During the dangerous journey, Twilight's friends each demonstrate a noble quality in the face of adversity, namely, honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, and loyalty. When they reach the castle ruins, they find five stone orbs that are supposedly five of the Elements of Harmony. Nightmare Moon confronts Twilight Sparkle and smashes the orbs.

When all seems lost, Twilight realizes that her friends embody the Elements themselves. As she describes how each friend represented an element, the shattered orbs turn into gem-studded necklaces that link themselves around the ponies' necks. Twilight herself represents the element of magic, which only appears when the other five elements are present. The Elements, wielded by the friends, create a rainbow-colored blast of magic that vanquishes Nightmare Moon and returns her to her original form of Princess Luna. Also, Rarity's tail, which she cut off during their journey, is restored by the Elements.

It should be noted that the Elements of Harmony appear different in the prologue and the scene where the friends use the elements. In the prologue, the gems are red (loyalty), orange (honesty), green (generosity), blue (laughter), pink (kindness), and purple (magic). When the friends use the elements, there is no green gem, a new magenta gem represents magic, the purple gem now represents generosity, and the other gems are unchanged. However, when the Elements appear in the flashbacks in Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1, they are represented by six gems, red (loyalty), orange (honesty), purple (generosity), blue (laughter), pink (kindness), and a sixth magenta gem (magic) in the shape of a six pointed star.

Applejack – honesty[]

Applejack (formerly Princess Luna and later Princess Celestia) possesses the element of honesty. When a mountain ledge the friends are standing on crumbles, Twilight clings onto a ledge and is bewildered when Applejack tells her to let go because she is safe. Twilight trusts her and lets go. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy catch her mid-fall and carry her to safety. The element of honesty is as a gold necklace with an orange apple-shaped gem that looks like the apples in Applejack's cutie mark.

Fluttershy – kindness[]

Fluttershy (originally Princess Celestia) possesses the element of kindness. When the friends encounter an angry manticore, they decide to fight it, but Fluttershy calmly approaches it. She removes a thorn stuck in the manticore's paw, calming the beast. The element of kindness is as a gold necklace with a pink butterfly-shaped gem that looks like the butterflies in Fluttershy's cutie mark.

Pinkie Pie – laughter[]

For the season one song, see Laughter Song.

Pinkie Pie (formerly Princess Luna and later Princess Celestia) possesses the element of laughter. The friends enter a dense forest of trees with scary faces, but Pinkie Pie laughs and makes funny faces at the trees, causing the faces on the trees to vanish in pink smoke with sparkles. She explains that they can conquer their fears just by laughing at them. The element of laughter is a gold necklace with a blue balloon-shaped gem that looks like the balloons in Pinkie's cutie mark.

Rarity – generosity[]

For the season four song, see Generosity (song).

Rarity (originally Princess Celestia) possesses the element of generosity. The friends cannot cross a river because a sea serpent, who is upset about his ruined mustache, is agitating the water. Rarity sympathizes with him and cuts off her own tail to repair his mustache. The grateful sea serpent helps them cross the river. The element of generosity is as a gold necklace with a purple diamond-shaped gem that looks like the diamonds in Rarity's cutie mark. The necklace itself is also similar to Princess Celestia's necklace.

Rainbow Dash – loyalty[]

Rainbow Dash (formerly Princess Luna and later Princess Celestia) possesses the element of loyalty. The ponies encounter a broken rope bridge stretching across a ravine. Rainbow Dash volunteers to fly over and tie the other end of the bridge, but is confronted by a group of dark ponies who call themselves the Shadowbolts. They flatter Rainbow Dash and invite her to join them as their captain, as long as she abandons her friends. Rainbow Dash is tempted, but ultimately declines the Shadowbolts' offer. She ties the bridge, letting the others cross. The element of loyalty is as a gold necklace with a red gem shaped similarly to the thunderbolt in Rainbow Dash's cutie mark.

Twilight Sparkle – magic[]

See also: Twilight Sparkle#Crowns

Twilight Sparkle (originally Princess Celestia) possesses the element of magic. When her friends come to her aid in the castle ruins, she realizes that they are her friends, and a "spark" within her activates the Elements of Harmony.

The element of magic is a gold tiara studded with sapphires and a magenta star-shaped gem reminiscent of Twilight's cutie mark.

In Magical Mystery Cure, the crown is shaped differently after Twilight becomes a princess. It is a lighter shade of gold, no longer has sapphires, and rests horizontally, not vertically, on Twilight's head. The element is also redesigned as well; the shines are on the right, not the left, and the large point of the star faces downward instead of upward.

The Return of Harmony Part 1 and Part 2[]

Princess Celestia tells the Mane Six that long ago, she and her sister used the Elements to turn Discord into stone. She says that she and her sister are no longer connected to the Elements. When she retrieves a box from a chamber that she believes only she can open with her magic, the ponies find that the Elements are missing. Discord hypnotizes the friends into acting contrary to each element they represent. When the Elements are eventually recovered, the friends cannot use the Elements' magic.

When Twilight reads all her old friendship lessons that Princess Celestia send back, she is convinced that she must harness the power of friendship. She casts a memory spell on her friends, restoring their former personalities. The friends, united, turn him to stone with the magic of the Elements and restore Equestria to its normal state.

Keep Calm and Flutter On[]

Under the orders of Princess Celestia, the Mane Six free Discord from his stone prison so they can reform him. As precautionary measures, Celestia casts a spell to protect the Elements from Discord's magic, and the six ponies wear them at all times in case he turns on them. Discord schemes to make Fluttershy remove her Element and never use it against him, which she does willingly as a sign of trust and friendship, ultimately swaying him. As a final precaution, Celestia decides to leave the Elements with Twilight in Ponyville.

Magical Mystery Cure[]

"From one to another, another to one. A mark of one's destiny singled out alone, fulfilled."

— The unfinished spell

"From all of us together, together we are friends. With the marks of our destinies made one, there is magic without end."

— The finished spell

Twilight casts an unfinished spell written by Star Swirl the Bearded that switches her friends' cutie marks and destinies. To revert these changes, the friends use their talents to help each other out, thereby remembering their own destinies and regaining their cutie marks. After all the cutie marks are fixed, Twilight finishes writing the spell that caused it. The elements come alive and zap Twilight to a "dream world", where she encounters Princess Celestia. In Celestia's Ballad, Celestia tells Twilight that the time has come to fulfill her destiny. They return to Ponyville, where Twilight transforms into an Alicorn. Her element, different from the others, then becomes her crown^[2] and she becomes a princess.

My Little Pony Equestria Girls[]

Princess Cadance mentions that Twilight's princess crown is actually her Element of Harmony, even though it looks different. The princess's crown is from then on a lighter shade of gold and is not decorated with oval sapphires. The star-shaped gem is positioned lower. The crown rests horizontally, not vertically, on Twilight's head.

Sunset Shimmer steals the crown – the element of magic – hinting to Twilight that something "happens when you bring an Element of Harmony into an alternate world". She uses it to turn herself into a demonic creature and enslave the inhabitants of the human world, and states that she will bring her army through the portal to conquer Equestria. When Sunset attempts to destroy Twilight, her friends shield her, and the element of magic activates and gives them the power to defeat Sunset Shimmer.

Sunset Shimmer's defeat is similar to Nightmare Moon's in Friendship is Magic, part 2. Both are engulfed by a rainbow-colored tornado that returns them to their original forms, and both show remorse after their transformation.

Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1 and Part 2[]

In the second part of season four's two-part premiere, it is revealed that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna found the Elements of Harmony embedded in a tree called the Tree of Harmony in the Everfree Forest. Each element is embedded in one of the tree's branches, with the element of magic in the tree's center.

The tree and the elements were discovered during the reign of Discord thousands of years before the events of the episode, and were the only means the princesses had of defeating him. According to Celestia, the tree controls and contains all that grows in the Everfree Forest and will continue to do so even without the elements in it.

During the two-parter, it is discovered that the Tree of Harmony has lost all of its magic. Its loss of power allows Discord's plunderseeds to grow into malevolent, vine-like organisms all over the Everfree Forest. At the climax of Part 2, Twilight and her friends give up the Elements of Harmony and return them to the tree, recharging its magic and returning the forest to normal. Afterward, the Tree of Harmony generates a flower containing a locked box.

Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2[]

When the Mane Six open the mysterious chest at the base of the Tree of Harmony, it triggers an outburst of power from the six Element jewels. Initially, violet energy is seen spreading from the central gem of magic and then triggering all the other five elements. Later, after the defeat of Tirek, each element gem shines with power before the chest is launched out of the grotto of the Tree of Harmony to its new location in the foundations of Twilight Sparkle's new castle in Ponyville.

Shadow Play - Part 2[]

In the second part of the season seven finale, the Mane Six take up the Elements of Harmony again and, together with the Pillars of Old Equestria, use their power to banish the Pony of Shadows to limbo after he is accidentally released.

It is revealed that each Element of Harmony is a reflection of a similar element represented by each Pillar:

• Honesty (Applejack) – Strength (Rockhoof)
• Kindness (Fluttershy) – Healing (Mage Meadowbrook)
• Laughter (Pinkie Pie) – Hope (Somnambula)
• Generosity (Rarity) – Beauty (Mistmane)
• Loyalty (Rainbow Dash) – Bravery (Flash Magnus)
• Magic (Twilight Sparkle) – Sorcery (Star Swirl the Bearded)

The Mean 6[]

Queen Chrysalis creates artificial clones of the Mane Six in order to seize control of the Elements of Harmony, rebuild her hive, and destroy Starlight Glimmer. However, the Tree of Harmony recognizes that the clones are fake and destroys them to protect the Elements.

The Beginning of the End - Part 1[]

In the first part of season nine's two-part premiere, the Mane Six use the Elements of Harmony to defeat King Sombra when he resurfaces and reconquers the Crystal Empire. His defeat is revealed to be a ruse, however, and when the Mane Six returns the Elements to the Tree of Harmony, King Sombra destroys it, and the Elements shatter with it.

The Beginning of the End - Part 2[]

The shattered Elements are briefly seen while King Sombra gloats over tricking the Mane Six, with Twilight desperately trying to piece the Element of Honesty back together.

Uprooted[]

During The Place Where We Belong, the shattered remains of the elements of kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty, and honesty are briefly seen.

Other[]

In Luna Eclipsed, Twilight tells Spike that she saw the Elements of Harmony change Princess Luna back to good. Princess Luna herself also says this when she talks to Twilight.

An orb with the same design as the Elements of Harmony's stone orb forms appears in Secret of My Excess among Spike's hoard of objects.

The Elements of Harmony are mentioned again in the season two finale, A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2. After being defeated by Queen Chrysalis, Princess Celestia instructs the six ponies to retrieve the Elements from Canterlot Tower to stop Chrysalis and her changeling army. Despite their efforts, they are unable to accomplish the task, as the changelings have taken hold of all of Canterlot, including the tower the Elements are kept in.

The element of magic is shown during the song Rainbow Rocks in My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks, is mentioned by Twilight in The Cutie Map - Part 2, is shown worn by Twilight in a portrait of the Mane Six and Spike in Castle Sweet Castle, and is shown worn by Twilight in a picture of her, Celestia, and Cranky Doodle Donkey in Slice of Life.

The elements are mentioned in Amending Fences. In The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 2, in an alternate timeline, Nightmare Moon hopes to use Starlight Glimmer's altered version of Star Swirl the Bearded's time travel spell in hopes to find the elements so that she won't ever be stopped. But Twilight assures Nightmare Moon that in the timeline she originally came from, she was defeated by the elements.

In My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Friendship Games, the element of magic appears as a drawing along with Sunset Shimmer's "she-demon" form during CHS Rally Song.

In School Raze - Part 2, the Elements are mentioned by Cozy Glow and S08E01 Unnamed Earth Mare #1, the latter of whom points out when the Young Six are "glowing like the Elements"—in an October 13, 2018 Twitter conversation, Jim Miller, Nicole Dubuc, and Josh Haber were asked, "how significant are the colors the young six glowed when the tree of harmony saved them at the end of part 2?", and Jim Miller replied, "😉"; Nicole Dubuc liked both the question^[3] and Miller's reply.^[4]

In The Ending of the End - Part 2, Twilight notes that she and her friends no longer have the Elements to help them against Tirek, Cozy Glow, or Chrysalis. However, during the final confrontation with the three villains, she realizes that the Elements were merely emblems of the Magic of Friendship, which is unaffected by their loss.

Depiction in My Little Pony: Pony Life[]

The Elements are briefly mentioned by Twilight in a flashback during The Trail Less Trotten. Twilight's Element of Magic is also mentioned in Little Miss Fortune.

Other depictions[]

Official My Little Pony Facebook pages mentioned the Element of Appetite, possessed by Pizza Pie, in posts during 2017: on April 1 (April Fools' Day), "Meet Pinkie Pie’s sister, Pizza Pie!! She possesses the Element of Appetite, so whenever you’re feeling #hangry, you can count on ‘Za to save the day with a delicious slice of pie. #AprilFools";^[5] on July 11, "¡Conoce a la hermana de Pinkie Pie, Pizza Pie! Ella posee el elemento del apetito, por lo que siempre que sientas hambre podrás contar con ella 🍕".^[6] In the My Little Pony guidebook The Elements of Harmony, Lauren Faust comments in an interview on page 80 that she once toyed with the idea of Elements of Discord. When asked on Twitter in mid-December 2016 if Sunset Shimmer is one of the Elements of Harmony, Ishi Rudell replied, "In our world she is the 7th element! ☀️"^[7] later specifying said element to be "empathy".^[8]

IDW comics[]

The Elements of Harmony are mentioned by Larry and Nightmare Rarity in the second story arc and by the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the sixth story arc. In the seventh story arc, Princess Celestia has the Mane 6 use the Elements to assist an alternate universe counterpart of King Sombra. In Issue #19, they're intended to be used to trap the alternate universe versions of Princess Celestia and Luna in crystal, but in Issue #20, the alternate King Sombra uses them to absorb the alternate Celestia and Luna's evil.

In My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Issue #50, part 3 of the Chaos Theory story arc, Princess Celestia, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash attempt to stop Accord—Discord turned into a being of pure order—with the Elements of Harmony, but the magic backfires on them, turning them into Accord's followers. In Issue #75, a flashback shows the Elements being used in conjunction with various other magics to banish Cosmos.

In Issue #92, a second set of Elements is discovered, along with a second Tree of Harmony, within a desert temple in Zecora's homeland of Farasi. These Elements are represented by Zecora and her friends for qualities and virtues they exhibit in the preceding issue. In Issue #100, this set of Elements is referred to as the Elements of History:

• Cactus Rose - generosity
• Marini - honesty
• Dust Devil - kindness
• Medley Brook - laughter
• Crystal - loyalty
• Zecora - magic

In My Little Pony Annual 2021, a third set of Elements is discovered, along with a third Tree of Harmony, deep underground in the Diamond Dog kingdom of Caninia. These Elements are represented by the six royal sisters of Caninia. In Issue #100, this set of Elements is referred to as the Elements of Family:

• Moonbeam Twinkletail - magic
• Ambrosia Muffinbuns - kindness
• Jennino Lanternlight - generosity
• Fiona Floppyears - laughter
• Indiana Embereyes - honesty
• Katherina Proudpaws - loyalty

In My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Issue #97, a fourth set of Elements is discovered, along with a fourth Tree of Harmony, in the underground tunnels of the Abyssinian capital city of Panthera. These Elements are represented by Capper and his friends. In Issue #100, this set of Elements is referred to as the Elements of Purpose:

• Chummer - loyalty
• Capper - generosity
• Molly - laughter
• Admiral Fluffington - kindness
• Max - honesty
• Shadow - magic

In Issue #100, a fifth set of Elements is discovered, along with a fifth Tree of Harmony, in the bird kingdom of Ornithia. These Elements are represented by Captain Celaeno and the Ornithian royal family. Unlike the other sets of Elements, they require three pairs of birds, each duo in love, in order to be activated. In the same issue, this set of Elements is referred to as the Elements of Love:

• King Thaumas - protection
• Queen Ozomene - generosity
• Prince Aello - kindness
• Zephyra - trust
• Ocypete - hope
• Captain Celaeno - perseverance

Another Tree of Harmony is mentioned in Issue #100, with its Elements revealed in Issue #101 as belonging to the Knights of Harmony/Order. Their power revolves around dedication to the wielders' homeland of Cunabula rather than each other. They are the Elements of Patriotism:

• Danu - loyalty
• Ceridwen - equity
• Taranis - pride
• Mannah - acceptance
• Balor - magic
• Morrigan - faith

My Little Pony: The Manga - A Day in the Life of Equestria[]

In vol. 3, Discord warps time to steal the Elements of Harmony from the moment right before they were used to defeat Nightmare Moon in order to scatter them to various alternate dimensions for a scavenger hunt. This produces an alternate timeline in which Nightmare Moon dominates Equestria, forcing the Mane Six to recover their respective elements from their hiding places. Once Nightmare Moon is defeated, the Elements are returned to their proper place in history, but reshapes the timeline from that of Friendship is Magic to that of Pony Life.

Merchandise[]

Twilight Sparkle is sold with her element of magic tiara in the Royal Castle Friends toy set, and the element of magic is in the Equestria Girls Sunset Shimmer & Twilight Sparkle double pack. In Enterplay's cards, trading card series 1 lists Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as the original keepers of elements and attributes an additional Element of Harmony, Love, to Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, and collectible card game^[9] Absolute Discord expansion set card #-1 UR of Nightmare Star shows her throne studded with the six Elements of Harmony.

Gallery[]

Elements of Harmony image gallery

References[]

v • d • e Items Transportation Twinkling Balloon • Friendship Express • Airships Magical objects Elements of Harmony • Crystal Heart • Alicorn Amulet • Crystal Mirror • Chest of Harmony • Cutie Map Miscellaneous Bits • Food and beverage (by episode) • Gems • Inanimate objects • Party cannons