Elements of Harmony

The Elements of Harmony are six supernatural artifacts which are arguably the most powerful force in Equestria, though the extent and nature of their power are largely unspecified. Each artifact represents an element of friendship and can presumably only work if wielded by one who possesses the corresponding trait, and only if all are used together. They have been wielded on rare occasions, particularly during events marked by pandemonium 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.

Friendship is Magic, part 1 and part 2
The Elements are first mentioned in the first episode's prologue. The narrator tells that once upon a time, the unicorn 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, 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.

The segment showing Elements of Harmony in the prologue has gems colored as follows, clockwise from the top: red, orange, green, blue, pink, and the center gem colored purple. When Twilight Sparkle and her friends use the elements, there is no green gem, and instead there is a magenta-colored gem that is bestowed upon Twilight.

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 inadvertantly 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 Sparkle realizes that her friends embody the Elements themselves. As she names each friend and how they showed their respective Elements in the face of danger, the shattered orbs reform into gem-studded necklaces around the ponies' necks. The sixth Element, Magic, shows itself when the other five elements are present, and is represented by Twilight Sparkle herself. The Elements, wielded by the friends, creates a rainbow-colored blast of power that vanquishes Nightmare Moon and returns her to her original form of Princess Luna.

Applejack – Honesty
Applejack possesses the element of honesty, the first element to be demonstrated during the journey. Twilight Sparkle is hanging onto a cliff's edge and is bewildered when Applejack seriously tells her to let go. Applejack says that if Twilight will trust her and let go, she will be safe. Twilight Sparkle lets go and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy catch her and carry her to safety. The element of honesty manifests as a gold necklace with an orange and green apple-shaped gem, The gem's shape is similar to Applejack's cutie mark. Her element is depicted by an orange gem

Fluttershy – Kindness
Fluttershy possesses the element of kindness. When the friends encounter an angry manticore, they decide to fight it, but Fluttershy intervenes and calmly approaches the beast. She discovers that a thorn stuck in its paw is causing the manticore discomfort. She removes it and calms the beast who then licks her face thankfully and lets the ponies pass. The element of kindness manifests as a gold necklace with a pink butterfly-shaped gem, shaped similarly to her cutie mark. Her element is depicted by a green gem.

Pinkie Pie – Laughter
Pinkie Pie possesses the element of laughter. The friends are frightened by trees with scary faces, but Pinkie Pie just laughs and makes funny faces, causing the faces on the trees to vanish in pink smoke. She explains that they can conquer their fears just by laughing at them. Her element manifests as a gold necklace with a blue balloon-shaped gem that looks similar to her cutie mark. Her element is depicted by a blue gem.

Rarity – Generosity
Rarity possesses the element of generosity. The friends are unable to cross a river because a sea serpent, who is upset about his ruined mustache, is agitating the water. Rarity, who is angered by this "crime against fabulosity," sympathizes with him and cuts off her own tail to repair his mustache. The grateful sea serpent then helps them cross the river. Her element manifests as a gold necklace with a purple diamond-shaped gem, similar to her cutie mark. The necklace itself is also similar to Princess Celestia's necklace. In The Return of Harmony Part 2, it appears to be more of a magenta color in the box that Twilight Sparkle finds it in. Her element is depicted by a pink gem.

Rainbow Dash – Loyalty
Rainbow Dash possesses the element of loyalty. The ponies' progress to the castle is stopped when they see a broken rope bridge. 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 by the allure of becoming part of an elite flying group, but ultimately declines The Shadowbolts' offer and ties the bridge, letting the others cross. Her element manifests as a gold necklace with a red thunderbolt-shaped gem, similar to her cutie mark. Her element is depicted by a red gem.

Twilight Sparkle – Magic
Twilight Sparkle possesses the element of magic, described as the most powerful and elusive element of them all by Discord. Twilight activates the Elements of Harmony through a "spark" within her that ignites upon hearing her friends arrive to her aid. Her element manifests as a gold tiara with a magenta star-shaped gem, similar to her cutie mark. It was originally the purple gem in the opening narration. Her element is depicted by a purple gem.

The Return of Harmony Part 1 and Part 2
Princess Celestia tells Twilight and her friends in The Return of Harmony Part 1 that the Elements were wielded by herself and Princess Luna in order to defeat Discord by turning him in to stone. She says that she and her sister are no longer connected to the Elements. She stores the Elements in what she believes to be a chamber that only she can open with her magic spell, but upon opening it, she discovers the Elements are missing. Discord reveals the whereabouts of the Elements in a riddle, and Twilight and her friends venture on a quest to retrieve them. Discord makes them behave in a manner contrary to the Element they represent, turning each pony into a dull grey. Once they find the Elements, they discover that they are not able to use their magic; the element of loyalty, worn by Spike in place of Rainbow Dash, does not even begin to activate. After the failed attempt, Twilight is about to give up, but then discovers that Celestia has been sending back all her friendship reports. She reads the friendship reports and is convinced of what she must do: harness the power of friendship. She casts a memory spell on her friends, which restores them to their former selves too. They confront Discord again, this time successfully turning him to stone with the magic of the Elements and restoring Equestria, including Ponyville, to its normal state.

Luna Eclipsed
In Luna Eclipsed, Twilight Sparkle tells Spike that she saw the Elements of Harmony change Princess Luna back to good.

Secret of My Excess
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.

A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2
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.

Keep Calm and Flutter On
Another appearance of the Elements of Harmony is in the episode Keep Calm and Flutter On, where Princess Celestia delivers them to the six ponies to free Discord from his stone prison so they can reform him. As precautionary measures, Celestia casts a spell on the Elements that protects them from Discord's magic, and the six ponies wear them for the duration of the episode to use against Discord 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 convincing Discord to reform. As a final precaution, Princess Celestia decides to leave the Elements with Twilight in Ponyville.

Other depictions
Twilight Sparkle is sold with her element of magic tiara in the Royal Castle Friends toy set.

The 2012 trading cards mention a seventh Element of Harmony, Love, which is attributed to Princess Cadance and Shining Armor.

Gallery

 * Elements of Harmony image gallery

Harmonins element Klejnoty Harmonii