The Elements of Harmony

the mane six: applejack // rainbow dash // twilight sparkle // pinkie pie // fluttershy // rarityI know I get some criticism for having a children's show as my all-time favourite thing to watch, but bear with me.  Blessings come in odd disguises, and sometimes they come in the guise of techni-coloured ponies.  Lately (and please don't take this as an attempt to garner pity - far from it!) I've been feeling the pinch of my own uniqueness in my personal sphere, which pinch generally manifests itself in the shape of loneliness.  Introvertedly, I failed to notice the profound uniqueness (and subsequent loneliness) of the people around me; having noticed has made the loneliness much easier to bear, but it also helped to readjust my perspective on my own life.  And that is where the ponies came in.


"I wish we could all be ponies," I said miserably."Yes," he admitted; "but even ponies have their problems."Since that was part of my point, I retorted, "Yes, but they always sort them out in twenty minutes."
When Tim or I need something light and sweet, the best thing to do is watch Ponies.  We're all caught up on the show, so naturally the only thing to do was to go back and watch from the very beginning.  Misanthropic - (can I use that word?) - misanthropic, bookish Twilight Sparkle, out to save Equestria from Nightmare Moon (whoever she is) with the six Elements of Harmony (whatever they are and wherever they may be): the last thing she wants to be told by her royal tutor is to make friends.  Ain't nopony got time fo' dat.  Enter five ponies in turn, all irritating Twilight and getting in her way with their kindness, generosity, faithfulness, cheerfulness, and straight-up honesty.  Fine, whatever, they can tag along, but Twilight has the Elements of Harmony to find and the fate of Equestria rests in her hooves.  Then comes the climax: when her magical spark seems to be a dud and the Elements remain lifeless, and Nightmare Moon has seized the day, enter the five ponies whose friendship (although at first unwanted) is genuinely appreciated by Twilight in her moment of need - and the spark of magic is ignited.  With the living manifestations of the five Elements - honesty, loyalty, laughter, kindness, and generosity - the magic created in their newfound friendship is powerful enough to defeat Nightmare Moon.

I cried when Twilight Sparkle heard her friends coming to save her.

Yes, I know, I'm a sentimental sucker, but I realized that those six ponies, all extremely different and all having vastly different strengths, created a bond that nothing could break.  It was the strength of their cumulative virtues, bound by friendship, which defined them, not separated them, and made a very powerful magic which is not relegated to the techni-colour screen. They are all strong characters (yes, even Fluttershy), but instead of letting their strengths and their differences separate them, as ponies alone and aloof (now there's a sentence I never thought I would construct), they came together and became stronger.  And that was something I needed to see: that in skill and strength and difference, there need not always be loneliness.  Instead, there can be harmony.

and this is why I watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic