Elements of Harmony

The Elements of Harmony are 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 can only work if wielded by one who possesses the corresponding trait and if all six are used in conjunction. 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 are generally temporary and non-lethal, usually a form of banishment or imprisonment.

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 * —About the Elements of Harmony.

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
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
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
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.