Elements of Harmony at Edmonton Expo
In her excitement, her wing accidentally brushed a precious, fragile goblet precariously perched on the edge of a shelf – sending it crashing to the stone floor of Castle Expo.
Bloodied, embarrassed and 30 gold coins short, the sad little Pegasus flew back to Equestria – along the way catching a glimpse of Discord. He was chuckling to himself. Obviously another one of his pranks! Poor Rainbow Dash.
Her friends helped her feel better. Applejack, who embodies honesty, told Rainbow she did the right thing in paying for the broken goblet. “One must take responsibility for one’s actions!” As the spirit of kindness, Fluttershy consoled her friend and bound her wounds. Pinkie Pie, being the spirit of laughter, made light of the situation with a breezy, “Watch those wings, Dashy!” To represent generosity came Rarity, who gave Rainbow Dash more gold coins to buy more merch. These Ponies couldn’t get enough.
And finally we have Twilight Sparkle, representing the most intangible yet one of the most important virtues of Ponyville: magic. Because Friendship is Magic – and we’re all friends at the Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo.
Princess Celestia
The resurrection of My Little Pony fandom is no mystery. Its fans, the Bronies, have embraced the six “Elements of Harmony” almost like zodiac signs to help them through their lives. The six little Ponies felt right at home here, though there seemed to be less of their kind than before. Are Bronies waning? The friends walked (and flew) among hordes of Anime characters, superheroes, supervillains, various monsters, fighters, wizards, clerics, thieves and characters from such popular animated shows as Gravity Falls and Steven Universe. Everypony imaginable – but they all appreciated seeing some real Ponies in their midst. They’ve been around a long time, and only their recent incarnation, through the TV show and its associated branding, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, have they made their way into pop culture fandom. Expo-goers shouted, “Hey, Rainbow Dash!” and, “Look, it’s Fluttershy, or maybe it’s Rarity!” People ask politely to take photographs. It’s the virtue of good manners at play here, with signs reminding fans, “Costumes do not equal consent.” No touching.
Twilight Sparkle ran into Princess Big Mac – a grown man (as was Discord) resplendent in a red evening gown, wings on his back, a uni-horn atop his – her – head. “I like your hair,” she said. Twilight was too shy to respond. Princess Big Mac is an alicorn. Some say such Ponies are just being greedy, that they want it both ways, the power of flight plus the power of magic, with which you can fly anyway. Don’t forget that magic built Equestria, for lack of opposable thumbs. Perhaps it is the spirit of generosity at work. Later came a special audience with Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria. “I like your hair,” said Fluttershy.
Which Pony embodies the spirit of spending vast amounts of money? They all do. At least the Expo gives you free merch bags. It didn’t take long for all the Ponies’ gold coins to disappear, as if by magic, which of course it was.
It was a special weekend. The Ponies and their new Brony friends fit right in with all the proud nerds, geeks, outcasts and misfits celebrating Halloween and Christmas at the same time. Most of all, this place is about acceptance. You can be or do what you want without fear of being judged – as long as you follow the Elements of Harmony.
Rules to live by.
