Abridged Edition
HASBRO and its logo, MY LITTLE PONY and all related characters are trademarks of
Hasbro and are used with permission. ©2013 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.
In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic
sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy
and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book
(other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the
publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Little, Brown and Company
Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Visit our website at lb-kids.com
Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
The Little, Brown name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content)
that are not owned by the publisher.
First e-book edition: December 2013
eISBN (9780316286374)
Book design by Charles Kreloff
Case art by Ross Stewart.
Jacket design by Steve Scott.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Snider, Brandon T.
My little pony : the elements of harmony : friendship is magic : the
official guidebook / by Brandon T. Snider. — First edition.
pages cm.
ISBN 978-0-316-24754-2
1. My little pony, friendship is magic (Television program)—Juvenile
literature. I. Title.
PN1992.77.M87S65 2013
791.45’72—dc23
2013000609
In the magical land of Equestria,
there were two regal sisters who ruled together
and created harmony for all the land.
To do this, the eldest used her Unicorn powers
to raise the sun at dawn.
The younger brought out the moon to begin the night.
Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom
and their subjects, all the different types of ponies.
But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The
ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth
but shunned and slept through her beautiful night.
One fateful day, the younger Unicorn refused to
lower the moon to make way for the dawn.
The elder sister tried to reason with her,
but the bitterness in the young one’s heart had transformed
her into a wicked mare of darkness, Nightmare Moon.
She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night.
Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful
magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony!
Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her
younger sister and banished her permanently in the moon.
The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon, and
harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.
Contents
Abridged Edition
A Few Words of Introduction...
by Jayson Thiessen and Meghan McCarthy
Why My Little Pony?
A foreword by Lauren Faust
1. My Little Ponies
Who’s who among ponies in Equestria, featuring some early preproduction artwork
2. Cutie Mark Crusaders
Meet the youngest ponies and discover the special power of the cutie mark
3. Fellow Equestrians and Animal Friends
A roll call of other Equestrian residents of all shapes and sizes
4. The Dark Side
Meet some characters who aren’t so friendly and read what the creators
have to say about them
5. The Elements of Harmony
A history of the most powerful magic known in Ponyville
6. The Magical World of Equestria
A map of the land and details on the different regions
7. An Interview with Lauren Faust
8. The Musical Pony
Complete song lyrics from the show, plus a few words from the show creators
9. Friendship Fanatics
An overview of the fandom, the appeal for fans of all ages,
and a few words from the show creators
Friendship.
It is something everyone needs in his or her life, but you have to make it happen—plant a seed, nurture it, grow it, maintain it, and keep it alive. Then, if we accept each other wholeheartedly and maintain harmony between us, that friendship is magic!
At least it is according to colorful, pretty ponies in a sparkly world of rainbows and cupcakes.
Somehow, the simple notion of these ponies making friends and being kind, loyal, honest, generous, and fun with one another sparked a huge following of people of all ages and genders around the world. But how did it happen? How did a children’s cartoon geared toward little girls gain such a huge fandom?
This question has been answered many times in different ways, and if you ask me, friendship may be magic in Equestria, but in our world, storytelling is magic.
People love great stories, and I think that’s the key to what makes this cartoon about little ponies so captivating to so many. Storytelling is about emotion: the feelings that the audience has toward the characters, the world, the situation, and the stakes.
This feeling doesn’t come from the story itself; it’s from how the story is told.
That’s where I think My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic stands out. The combination of the writing, voices, design, storyboards, music and sound, animation, and timing—it’s all designed to create a poignant feeling, one that you walk away with and stays with you all day.
A magical feeling.
Like friendship.
—Jayson Thiessen, supervising director
When Lauren Faust first approached me about writing for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, I had been on a bit of a creative hiatus. I had two small children and was still navigating the murky waters of motherhood. After ten years in the entertainment industry, I was trying to figure out which direction to steer my writing career, and, to be honest, I was struggling to find the right path. So when Lauren asked if I’d be interested in writing a few episodes, I jumped at the chance. I knew the show would be good, as I knew how dedicated Lauren was to the project and how important it was for her to create a show that featured strong female protagonists. But what I didn’t realize was how much it was going to challenge me creatively and how satisfied I would be with the end result.
Ask any of the writers why they love working on My Little Pony and they will tell you how refreshing it is to tell stories that really mean something. We all feel like we are working on a project that isn’t just entertaining but contributes something positive to the world. No matter your age or gender, it is important to be reminded every now and then that honesty, generosity, laughter, kindness, loyalty, and friendship are the keys to a happy and fulfilling life. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic seeks to do just that—in a hilarious, music-filled, jaw-droppingly well-animated way.
I feel honored to work on the show an
d humbled by the support we’ve received from fans all over the world. If the show is half as fun for the viewers to watch as it is for us to make, then we are clearly doing something right.
—Meghan McCarthy, story editor
A foreword by Lauren Faust
Rainbows, unicorns, fairy tales, hearts, stars, cupcakes, and, of course, pretty pastel ponies. Many people look at these things and roll their eyes. They can’t imagine there could be anything more to such things beyond what they appear to be. But not little girls. They know something that we do not.
As adults, we observe that girls like these things. We absorb the information that this “frilly pink silliness” resonates with them, but we don’t understand why. So when we interact with them, we try to give girls a slightly polished version of the so-called silliness our outsider eyes think they see. But when we present them with this inadequate interpretation, we sadly risk slowly convincing girls that our shallow representation is what they are actually imagining, and that the ideas in their heads are not as awesome and amazing as they actually are. If we are not careful, they will adopt our dismissive attitude that all this magic is merely “frilly pink silliness.”
To truly understand, we adults must go inside ourselves and remember the time before the grown-ups told us these things were not worthwhile. That child is in there somewhere, and she believes unicorns are noble beasts that bring beauty to the world. She believes magical creatures are lovely and terrifying and the world they live in is one of wonder that has no bounds. She believes fairy dust is a powerful substance—what else in the world can so easily bring you your greatest desires? She believes the smallest, most helpless creatures can be your strongest support group if shown enough love. She believes something as simple as a cupcake can bring
two people together in the bonds of friendship and a giggle is a welcome mat or a warm handshake.
We cannot belittle this. To a little girl…This. Stuff. Is. SERIOUS.
To her, magic is not frivolous and silly; it is huge, and it is glorious. It is real. In her mind, it’s something that not only garners wonder and awe but also respect. She knows magic can give us everything we ever hoped for, if only we give it the reverence it deserves.
If we give little girls a respectful interpretation of the things they like—if we dare to take it as seriously as they do—we will see for ourselves that it’s not so silly at all. We can truly appreciate the merit they see in it. And, amazingly, we can enjoy it ourselves.
That child is in there, in each of us. And it’s not so hard to find her if we just open our minds to magic.
My Little Pony concept
art by Lauren Faust
“Building a
universe is a whole lot of fun,
but sometimes very challenging. In
the early days of [the show] we would
often have big conceptual discussions … ‘do
the ponies sleep in beds or stalls?’ or ‘if there
are no humans in this world, why would anyone
wear a saddle?’”
—Robert Fewkes, Hasbro Studios
“In her show bible, Lauren Faust really mapped out
the characteristics of the six main ponies. As we
wrote, characters developed, as they always do,
but their core characteristics were already
established by Lauren, giving us fantastic
groundwork to build upon.”
—Amy Keating Rogers,
writer
TWILIGHT SPARKLE has a love of
learning unmatched in Equestria.
She is a natural leader, a patient
friend, an obsessive organizer,
and an avid reader. Her home in
Ponyville is above the Golden Oak
Library, where she also serves as
librarian, assisted by Spike and
her pet owl, Owlowiscious. Of
the six Elements of Harmony, she
represents the Element of Magic. As
a young filly in Canterlot, she was
chosen by Princess Celestia to study the highest form of magic as the
princess’s apprentice. Seeing Twilight value knowledge over friends,
the princess sent Twilight to Ponyville to learn the magical properties
of friendship. Because Twilight not only mastered magic but also
created magic of her own through such friendship, she has been
bestowed with wings and the title PRINCESS TWILIGHT.
“In ‘Lesson
Zero,’ Twilight has
a meltdown over a looming
deadline. My husband can attest to
the fact that I have a lot of personal
experience with this.”
— Meghan McCarthy,
story editor
Character concept art
by Lauren Faust
Under orders from Princess Celestia,
SPIKE THE DRAGON joined Twilight
Sparkle in relocating from Canterlot to
Ponyville. Twilight endearingly calls
Spike her “number one assistant” for his
extreme loyalty and ability to recognize
when Twilight needs help. He has an
incurable crush on Rarity, an insatiable
appetite for sparkly
gems, and the
uniquely
comical
ability to messenger letters via his
fiery dragon breath. Spike was found
orphaned as an egg, and his origins
remain a mystery.
“The fact that Spike
sometimes feels like
an outsider is a great place
from which to mine stories.
He’s trying to figure out who he
is. What beyond being Twilight’s
assistant is his role in this world?
I think he really reflects how
everybody feels at some point
in their life.”
— Meghan McCarthy,
story editor
Ponyville library development
art by Dave Dunnet and Martin
Ansolabehere
Giggly, playful, and super girly, it’s not
unusual to find PINKIE PIE prancing
and skipping blissfully through the
streets of Ponyville. The silliest pony
around, Pinkie Pie has a desire to entertain
that makes her the most likely source for
humor. She is a free spirit, often acting on
her whims and following her heart. You
would never guess she grew up on a dreary
rock farm. Eager to amuse her friends and
make everyone happy, Pinkie Pie will find
any excuse to throw a party. She loves
eating sweets and baking them so
much that she is often found at
the Sweet Shoppe in Sugarcube
Corner, where she works,
and lives in the apartment
upstairs.
“In ‘The Last
Roundup,’ Pinkie
had to annoy Applejack by
blabbering on and on. I had come
to that part of the scene and had no
idea what Pinkie was going to say. But
then as I was drifting off to sleep that night,
I was thinking about the fact that Applejack
and Pinkie were in a cherry orchard. Knowing
Pinkie, she would be inspired by the cherries.
Suddenly the words chimi-cherry, cherry-
changa, and chimi-cherry-changa entered
my brain. I jumped out of bed and quickly
wrote those words down before I forgot.
The next day, Pinkie was babbling about
chimi-cherry-changas, pickle barrels,
and kumquats and really getting on
Applejack’s nerves.”
— Amy Keati
ng Rogers,
writer
Character concept art
by Lauren Faust
RAINBOW DASH has one great all-consuming passion in life: to
fly—FAST!!! Anypony who has ever seen this rainbow-haired Pegasus
from Cloudsdale in the air has been in awe of her speed, agility,
and confidence. Even in her youth, Rainbow was a fantastic flier,
achieving what no other Pegasus had before: the Sonic Rainboom—a
rainbow that shot out behind her like a jet stream! When any problem,
big or small, arises, this aspiring Wonderbolt is the first to volunteer to
save the day. Despite the mischief she causes, her friends are happy to
have her around when
danger is a-brewing, as
Rainbow Dash proves
time and time again
that she is a true hero
and a true friend.
“I personally enjoy working with
Rainbow Dash as a character. She’s fun, sassy,
and excellent for using in action scenes!”
—Jim Miller, storyboard supervisor
Character concept art
by Lauren Faust
RARITY could possibly be the most beautiful Unicorn you’ve
ever seen, and she works hard to keep it that way—but she wants
everypony to be beautiful, too! She uses her eye for detail, her
creativity, and her Unicorn powers to find gems and
make things sparkle! Her gorgeous designs are
displayed at Ponyville’s newest fashion salon,
the Carousel Boutique. Rarity sees tremendous
potential in her friends and always offers
them makeovers or beautiful new
clothes of her own design.
Rarity’s generous nature
inspires her to make her
My Little Pony: The Elements of Harmony: Friendship is Magic: The Official Guidebook Page 1
