My Little Pony: The Elements of Harmony: Friendship is Magic: The Official Guidebook
Page 4
Featured in “Stare Master.”
Legend has it that WINDIGOS are
cold winter spirits that are fueled
by hatred and evil. The more hate
that a Windigo absorbs, the colder
the weather becomes. They’re said
to look like transparent, ghostly
horses and can only be vanquished
using the Fire of Friendship.
Featured in “Hearth’s Warming Eve.”
From the depths of the Froggy Bottom Bogg comes
the HYDRA, a four-headed snake creature that
guards the swamp from outsiders. Ponies always
remember to step lightly because one false move
and the hydra may devour them.
Featured in “Feeling Pinkie Keen.”
PARASPRITES may seem sweet and innocent,
but feeding these little insects may cause more
trouble than they’re worth. Their gluttonous
appetites cause them to rapidly multiply, quickly
turning them from pets to pests.
Featured in “Swarm of the Century.”
Ancient myths say that CERBERUS is a giant
three-headed dog charged with the task of
guarding the gates to the nightmare realm
known as Tartarus. This ferocious creature
is responsible for preventing the evil trapped
behind the gates from escaping.
Featured in “It’s About Time.”
Tucked away in the depths of the
Ghastly Gorge is the QUARRAY EEL. The
elongated creature gets quite agitated
when anyone gets too close to a nest and has
been known to try to eat any unwanted visitors.
Featured in “May the Best Pet Win!”
Momma bear URSA MAJOR can
be big trouble if threatened, but a baby URSA
MINOR can be lulled to sleep by a skilled pony.
These two colossal bears have fur patterned
after the glimmering night sky.
Featured in “Boast Busters.”
Everfree Forest
preproduction art
“I thought
it was important to
keep the Elements of Harmony
extremely revered. They began [on
the show] as a myth that no one believed
was true. They were hidden away in castle
ruins in a forbidden forest. When they’re not in
use, they are kept in a vault in a stoic cathedral.
When they are used, they are used quickly and
powerfully, so they don’t suffer the indignity
of just being jewelry to wear. Rather than
defining them, I felt it was important to
keep them mysterious, so it was left to
the viewers’ imaginations just how
powerful they really were.”
—Lauren Faust, show
creator
the Elements of Harmony are six mystical jewels that harness
the power of friendship. Little is known about the enigmatic
Elements, but they’re extremely powerful and can only be used
in unison. Their mysterious origins are tied to Equestria’s distant
past, a time when two Unicorn sisters, Princess Celestia and Princess
Luna, used their magical powers
to rule the lands. Celestia raised
the sun in the morning, and Luna
roused the moon in the evening.
As time went on, Luna grew
frustrated watching ponies play all
day and sleep during the night. She
felt her hard work was going unnoticed, and her seething anger and
jealousy grew until they transformed the otherwise pleasant pony
into the vengeful Nightmare Moon. Using her newfound abilities,
Nightmare Moon plunged
Equestria into darkness.
Thankfully, Princess
Celestia was able to
harness the power of the
Elements of Harmony to
stop her sister and exile her into the moon for all eternity. Balance
had returned to Equestria, but Celestia knew that peace wouldn’t
last forever.
In the present, young
Twilight Sparkle discovered a
dark prophecy that heralded
the return of Nightmare Moon
on the longest day of the
thousandth year. She desperately
contacted Princess Celestia to warn her of the impending danger,
but the princess dismissed Twilight’s concern and insisted she focus
her attention on the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration. Princess
Celestia was convinced that the celebration would yield Twilight
a number of new friends, and it certainly did. During the event,
Twilight Sparkle instantly found five new pony pals: Fluttershy,
Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity,
and Rainbow Dash. It seemed,
at first, that the prophecy
was untrue, until suddenly
Princess Celestia disappeared
and Nightmare Moon once
again brought darkness to
Equestria.
Twilight quickly realized
that there was only one way to
save the day. She and her new
friends had to find and retrieve
the mythical Elements of Harmony from the ancient castle of the royal
pony sisters! They traveled through the dangerous Everfree Forest
and, after a perilous journey, finally arrived at the castle. During
their quest, the new pony friends confronted a myriad of dangers that
brought them closer together
in the process. Upon finding
the Elements, the group was
ambushed by Nightmare Moon,
who seemingly destroyed the
precious stones and doomed
Equestria forever. But Twilight
Sparkle realized that hope wasn’t lost and that her new friends were
the key to defeating Nightmare Moon. They each embodied the
various aspects of the Elements of Harmony, and by working together,
they pooled their power and used it against the vengeful Unicorn.
As Twilight called out the names of her friends, the broken
Elements re-formed into
sparkling new pendants
that gave each of their new
owners a power of friendship!
Applejack represented Honesty,
Fluttershy embodied the spirit
of Kindness, Pinkie Pie brought the group Laughter, Rarity exuded
Generosity, and Rainbow Dash’s strong suit was Loyalty. Twilight
Sparkle embodied the Element of Magic, which only sparked when
all the other Elements were present. Together, the ponies used their
newfound powers to transform Nightmare Moon back into the
benevolent form of Princess
Luna, once again bringing light
to Equestria. With her kingdom
now safe, Princess Celestia
revealed that she knew Twilight
Sparkle would be able to save
the day by harnessing the power
of the Elements. The princess then gave Twilight a special mission
to chronicle the magic of friendship and report on the valuable
lessons she learned. Over time, the Elements of Harmony have been
used sparingly, in times of dire necessity, and never in a harmful
or hurtful way. When
trouble arises, the duty
falls to those six brave
ponies to bring peace
and order to Equestria
once again.
“Who
knows
what lies
beyond the lands we’ve
already shown? Seriously.
Who knows? Not me. Yet.”
—Meghan McCarthy, story editor
“Fans might be curious to know
that there are still parts of
Equestria we have yet to visit
and even discover!”
—Jim Miller, storyboard
supervisor
equestria
The enchanted lands of Equestria have become a beacon of hope and peace for
everypony to look up to, but that wasn’t always the case. The story of Equestria
began in the distant past with three tribes of ponies, each with a unique skill: the
horned Unicorns, the winged Pegasi, and the swift Earth Ponies. Every day, the
Unicorns used their magical gifts to raise the sun in the morning and the moon in
the evening. The Pegasi used their talents to create the weather, which helped the
Earth Ponies use their skills to grow food. It seemed as if the three groups worked
together, but the tribes lived separately from one another and rarely mingled.
They were constantly arguing and demanding special treatment for the use
of their skills.
All that changed on the day a blizzard caused a massive food shortage, and the
three tribes were forced to come together to seek out a new home. They came
upon a previously undiscovered land but began arguing over who had the right
to claim it. Their negative energy began to grow and fueled the power of the evil
creatures known as the Windigos! These ghostly beasts had caused the snowstorm
in the first place, and they fed off the hatred and distrust among the pony tribes.
Realizing that joining forces was their only solution, the three tribes were able to
light the mystical Fire of Friendship, which cleared away the snow and defeated
the Windigos once and for all. The three tribal leaders then decided to work
together in their new home, which would henceforth be known as Equestria.
canterlot
Canterlot is the noble capital of Equestria
and sits high atop a mountain in the middle
of the realm, overlooking the majestic,
sprawling lands. The city is filled with
beautiful golden spires, ivory towers, and
sparkling waterfalls. It’s also home to
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who
live there in the grand royal palace. Princess
Celestia supervises Celestia’s School for
Gifted Unicorns, the place where young
Twilight Sparkle learned to focus her
powerful magic. Each year, Canterlot hosts
the Grand Galloping Gala, and while the
city may be filled with many high-society
ponies, it serves to inspire the inhabitants of
Equestria to come together in times of need.
ponyville
Just down the mountainside from Canterlot
is Ponyville, a small town founded by Earth Ponies and filled with hardworking,
energetic ponies of all kinds. The sense of community is strong throughout town
with businesses like Sugarcube Corner, a sweet shop run by the Cake family,
and Sweet Apple Acres, a farm run by many generations of the Apple family.
Ponyville is also home to Twilight
Sparkle and her bright-eyed friends,
who keep themselves busy in
the town’s bustling marketplace.
Whether they’re reading a book
at the Golden Oak Library or
enjoying the annual Summer Sun
Celebration, the citizens of Ponyville
are a family through and through.
cloudsdale
The whimsical Cloudsdale hovers high in the skies above Equestria and is
populated exclusively by Pegasus ponies, who are the only ponies able to prance
safely among the clouds. The billowing skytown is home to the speedster
pony Rainbow Dash and also houses the weather factory, where the Pegasi
make rainbows, snowflakes, and various other types of weather for the Earth
Ponies below to enjoy. Each year, Cloudsdale plays host to the Best Young Flyer
competition, which is held in the ceremonial Cloudeseum.
everfree forest
On the outskirts of Ponyville lies the mysterious Everfree Forest, a wooded area
filled with bizarre creatures, such as ursas, manticores, and timberwolves. It’s
been said that the forest has an unnatural quality that puzzles the ponies of
Ponyville. Animals are known to take care of themselves, plants grow freely,
and the weather changes without the help of ponies. The forest once hosted
the Elements of Harmony, which were kept in the ancient castle of the royal
pony sisters. The mystical zebra Zecora lives deep within the green, where she
practices her magic in secret.
the crystal empire
The Crystal Empire is an ancient city that appeared on the frosty edge of
Equestria after a thousand-year curse kept it secret. This historic area is set
among an expansive mountain range and is inhabited by shimmering Crystal
ponies. The Crystal Empire is rich with culture and led by Shining Armor and
Princess Cadance, but it wasn’t always.
A thousand years ago, King Sombra,
a Unicorn whose heart was as black
as night, took over the Crystal Empire.
He was ultimately overthrown, turned
to shadow, and banished to the ice of
the arctic north. But not before he was
able to put a curse upon the Empire—a
curse that caused it to vanish into thin
air. Even my knowledge of the Empire
is limited. But what I do know is that
it contains a powerful magic. If the
Empire is filled with hope and love,
those things are reflected across all
of Equestria.
—Princess Celestia
white tail woods
The lush greenery of the White Tail
Woods is part of the annual Running
of the Leaves, where ponies compete
in challenges that include shaking the
leaves off all the trees in the forest.
froggy bottom bogg
Froggy Bottom Bogg is a swampy marshland
located south of Ponyville and is home to the
multiheaded sea serpent known as the hydra.
appleloosa
If you’re looking for horse-drawn
carriage rides and Wild West dances,
then Appleloosa is the place for you!
Saddle on up to the Salt Block saloon,
because this little town on the edge
of the Macintosh Hills has an old-
time flavor. And if there’s trouble in
Appleloosa, a pony can always turn to
the sheriff to help settle any disputes.
manehattan
Many young ponies dream of one day moving to the bright lights of Manehattan,
a bustling island city on the northeastern edge of Equestria. With its large size
and abundance of activity, Manehattan can be a lot for a pony to take in. Many
have made their home there over the
years, including Applejack’s high-
society aunt and uncle, the Oranges,
as well as the young Cutie Mark
Crusader Babs Seed.
Cloudsdale
(above) and Canterlot
development art by Dave
Dunnet and Martin
Ansolabehere
This page, the ruins of t
he Castle of the Two Sisters
in the Everfree Forest. At left, Fluttershy’s cottage,
the Sweet Shoppe and Ponyville. Development
art by Dave Dunnet and Martin Ansolabehere.
Are there any characters in particular that you enjoyed writing more than others?
I found myself getting excited when we would write episodes about Fluttershy. Fear and shyness seem like small things to overcome compared with some of the other ponies’ more tangible challenges, but Fluttershy’s challenges are very relatable. Experiencing fear is a very strong emotion, and, to me, the potential it brings is not just for great storytelling but [also for] great filmmaking. It is one thing to have a character say a feeling she’s experiencing, but to make an audience feel it as well is more challenging. It needs to come across in all aspects of your story: acting, body language, staging, camera moves, timing, and music. Using those elements to get an audience to experience—not just understand—emotion is exciting to me, and I found Fluttershy was the character we could get that out of the most.
Aside from Twilight Sparkle, which character do you think has seen the most growth throughout the run of the show?
To me, that would be Pinkie Pie. She began just as a giggly, silly sort of girl with only a smidgen of a weird streak (breaking the fourth wall, appearing suddenly in unexpected places). There was concern, in the beginning, that Pinkie Pie would be off-putting because I made the mistake of pitching her as “hyper” and “ditzy.” So we focused instead on toning her down and making her a simple “free spirit”
in the first several episodes. But as
everyone got more comfortable
Pinkie Pie concept
art by Lauren Faust
with her, and as everyone saw how much humor we were getting from her, we were able to loosen the reins considerably. By the end of Season One, she was really over-the-top strange and bordering on crazy, with a wacky cartoonish magic all her own.
Were the characters’ cutie mark origins already set in stone, or were you able to create them from scratch? Which one is your favorite? Why?
I had a couple of the ponies’ origins worked out in the development stage. I knew Twilight went to school for magic and had some sort of immense power inside of her that, once it showed itself for the first time, would create her cutie mark. I also planned that filly Rainbow Dash was the only Pegasus in recent history to create a rainbow from speed alone, and that she only ever did it once. All the other ponies’ cutie mark appearances were imagined in the writers’ room when we were planning “The Cutie Mark Chronicles” [episode]. Rainbow Dash’s story is still my favorite, just because it is so exciting and magical, and because of the way it touched all of her friends’ lives.