Elements of Harmony

The Elements of Harmony are magical artifacts that are used by Twilight Sparkle and her friends to defeat Night Mare Moon at the end of the first storyline of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. They are first mentioned in the prologue of the series' first episode, and later play an important part in the second season's opener, The Return of Harmony.

Pony Legend
According to pony legend, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were the ones that originally discovered the Elements of Harmony. They then combined their powers with the Elements to defeat Discord by casting a spell that would have petrified him for eternity. Celestia was later forced to use the Elements against her own sister, who had become the wicked Night Mare Moon, to imprison her to the moon for a thousand years. In their first appearance, only five of the six elements were known - the sixth element being a complete mystery in Twilight Sparkle's initial research. The last known location of the five elements, as stated by the book Elements of Harmony, was in the ancient castle that is located in the Everfree Forest.

They are represented as five stone orbs when Twilight and her friends first find them. According to a book Twilight reads, when the five are present a spark will cause the sixth element, which turns out to be magic, to be revealed. After the first and second episodes of season one, the Elements of Harmony are not mentioned again until the first two episodes of the second season, where they are used to stop Discord to once again imprisoning him in stone form.

Applejack
Applejack possesses the element of honesty. As Applejack tries to save Twilight Sparkle from hanging over the edge from a long drop, she tells her to let go, much to Twilight's surprise. Applejack says that if Twilight will trust her and let go, she will be safe. Twilight does so, and mid-fall, she is caught by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Her spirit was symbolized by her gold necklace with a citrine shaped like her cutie mark.

Fluttershy
Fluttershy possesses the element of kindness. When the group encounters an angry manticore, they decide to fight it in order to get past it, but Fluttershy intervenes and approaches it calmly. She discovers that a thorn stuck in its paw is causing the manticore discomfort and therefore angering it. She removes it and calms the beast, letting the ponies pass. Her spirit is symbolized by her gold necklace with a pink opal shaped like her cutie mark.

Pinkie Pie
Pinkie Pie possesses the element of laughter. After wandering into a darkened area of the forest, the group is frightened by trees carved with scary faces. However, Pinkie just laughs and makes funny faces, causing the faces on the trees to vanish. She explains that they can conquer their fears simply by laughing at them. Her spirit is symbolized by her gold necklace with a blue topaz shaped like her cutie mark.

Rarity
Rarity possesses the element of generosity. After encountering a flamboyant sea serpent who is upset about his mustache being ruined, Rarity, who is angered by this "crime against fabulousity," sympathizes with him and cuts off part of her own tail so that his mustache can be restored. Her spirit was symbolized by her gold necklace with an amethyst shaped like her cutie mark.

Rainbow Dash
Rainbow Dash possesses the element of loyalty. After the ponies reach the old castle, Rainbow Dash repairs the rope bridge for them to get across. She is confronted by a group of dark ponies who call themselves The Shadowbolts. They ask Rainbow Dash to join them as their captain, which would fulfill her dream of becoming part of an elite flying club, but at the cost of abandoning her friends. Rainbow Dash declines their offer and ties the bridge, letting the others cross. Her spirit is symbolized by her gold necklace with a ruby shaped like her cutie mark.

Twilight Sparkle
Twilight Sparkle possesses the element of magic, which is the most powerful element of them all. After she realizes that she has friends for whom she truly cares, a spark within her ignites upon hearing her new companions arrive to her aid. This causes the five spirits to reveal themselves, which in turn reveals the sixth and final element. Her spirit is symbolized by a gold tiara with a magenta tourmaline shaped like her cutie mark.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna
Princess Celestia tells Twilight and her friends in The Return of Harmony Part 1 that the Elements were originally wielded by herself and Princess Luna and were used to defeat Discord by turning him in to stone. Sometime later, Princess Celestia used all of the elements herself to defeat Princess Luna, who had become Night Mare Moon, and sealed her in the moon. Celestia explains that the Elements are even more powerful in the possession of their current bearers, as by harnessing the magic of their friendship, they are able to unleash the full potential of the Elements. Having been effectively passed on, they are no longer connected to the sisters and are currently incapable of using them.

Trivia
Harmonins element
 * In the legend of Night Mare Moon, the Elements' colors are: (clockwise from the top) red, orange, green, blue, pink, and (in the center) purple. However when Twilight and her friends use the elements the green crystal is replaced with a magenta crystal (used by Twilight) while the colors of the other elements remain the same.
 * The Elements of Harmony resemble the chaos emeralds from the "Sonic the Hedgehog" series.