Elements of Harmony
The Elements of Harmony are six magical artifacts representing fundamental virtues of friendship in the television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. Each element embodies a specific virtue: honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, and loyalty. The sixth element, magic, is the catalyst that activates the others when the bearers demonstrate true friendship. The Elements serve as both physical magical artifacts and abstract concepts central to the show's lore and moral framework.
Originally discovered as ancient relics in the Everfree Forest, the Elements initially manifest as ornate jewelry pieces that can be wielded by worthy bearers. However, as the series progresses, it is revealed that the true power of the Elements lies not in their physical forms but in the embodiment of their respective virtues by the main characters : Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie act as the living representations of magic, honesty, generosity, kindness, loyalty, and laughter, respectively.
Appearances
''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' (2010–2019)
The Elements of Harmony are introduced in the series premiere "Friendship Is Magic" as ancient artifacts of legend. Initially depicted in a tapestry and stained glass window, they are described as the "most powerful magic known to ponydom." The Elements are first discovered as physical stone orbs housed in the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest, where they transform into ornate necklaces and a tiara when activated by the protagonists' demonstration of their respective virtues.Throughout the first two seasons, the Elements appear in their physical jewelry forms during major conflicts, including the defeat of Nightmare Moon and the initial confrontation with Discord. However, the artifacts' power is contingent upon the genuine friendship and emotional connection between their bearers; when Discord manipulates the ponies' personalities and severs their friendships in "The Return of Harmony", the physical Elements become powerless.
In the second season finale "A Canterlot Wedding," the Mane Six were going to use them to defeat Queen Chrysalis. Unfortunately, they were captured by the Changelings, forcing Princess Cadence and Shining Armor to defeat them instead.
In the fourth season premiere "Princess Twilight Sparkle", the Elements' magic is transferred to the Tree of Harmony. However, in the season finale "Twilight's Kingdom", the Mane Six were given a new power known as Rainbow Power.
''My Little Pony: Equestria Girls'' (2013–2020)
, a former anthropomorphic unicorn from Equestria who becomes human after traveling through a magic mirror to the human world, is first introduced in Equestria Girls. Originally a student of Princess Celestia before Twilight Sparkle, she drops out of school in search of power and crosses over to the human world, where she becomes a student at Canterlot High School. With a desire for revenge, upon discovering Twilight's coronation in the third season, Sunset returns to the world of Equestria to steal Twilight's Element of Harmony, with the intention of taking it to the human world to mirror chaos and rule Equestria. However, Sunset's plan is thwarted by Twilight and her five friends from the pony universe.In Legend of Everfree, the Mane Six and Sunset Shimmer end up discovering that when Princess Twilight's element was brought to the human world, a large amount of magic was released. However, after much confusion and problems, Twilight and Sunset discover a cave with seven magical crystals that allow each of their friends to gain a different special ability, such as super strength, super speed, and telekinesis. When they connect with these crystals, they end up becoming necklaces, just like the Elements of Harmony. However, Equestria Girls director Ishi Rudell revealed on his Twitter that "In world, Sunset Shimmer is the 7th element! ☀️" later specifying said element to be "empathy".