spoiler What happened to "All of Equestria will suffer"?

[ggg-2 3,553]

In Shadow Play, Twilight says without the Elements of Harmony, all of Equestria will suffer. In season 9, the Elements and the Tree of Harmony itself are destroyed and barely anything happens. What happened?

[Megas 27,697]

In S9, Discord says they don’t need the Elements because they *are* the elements

[Misty Shadow 7,909]

Part of Twilight's story arc in Season 9 was realizing that they didn't need the Elements because "the Elements were just symbols". That's a quote from her speech in the final special episode, which was a big part of the show's finale. 

[Twilight Luna 31,406]

That always confused me. If they were just symbols, then why did they have power? Celestia and Luna used them to turn Discord to stone. Also, returning the elements to the tree repowered it so that it would repell Discord’s plunder seeds.

[Jedishy 3,548]

On 2/12/2020 at 3:26 PM, Twilight Luna said:

That always confused me. If they were just symbols, then why did they have power? Celestia and Luna used them to turn Discord to stone. Also, returning the elements to the tree repowered it so that it would repell Discord’s plunder seeds.

Think of it this way. Is a vampire repelled by the cross itself or the faith of the person holding it? If the person realized that it was the faith that did it then would they need the cross? Symbols have all the power we put into them. By season 9 they realize that the true power of these concepts lives in those who embody them. That is why the student 6 could tap into them partly. Because they too embody them. Once that is fully realized then the magic can work on its own with the need for the focus points of the elements themselves 

[Will Guide 21,360]

On 2/17/2020 at 2:22 AM, Jedishy said:

Think of it this way. Is a vampire repelled by the cross itself or the faith of the person holding it? If the person realized that it was the faith that did it then would they need the cross? Symbols have all the power we put into them. By season 9 they realize that the true power of these concepts lives in those who embody them. That is why the student 6 could tap into them partly. Because they too embody them. Once that is fully realized then the magic can work on its own with the need for the focus points of the elements themselves 

Exactly. Couldn't have said it better myself

[Dark Qiviut 22,433]

For nearly the entire series, the citizens of Equestria assumed that specific ponies must perfectly embody the Elements. The Tree of Harmony not only gave the Elements of Harmony the energy to thrive, but keep the forces of evil at bay as well. If the Tree dies, Equestria risks being on the brink of collapse.

Starting in Season 8, things changed. Instead of merely ponies embodying the Elements, the Young Six represented very similar values, but didn’t perfectly pin any of them down to one. Each of them carried an Elemental mix. S9 forever changed the trajectory, and that was a big arc for the Mane Six: how to spread and embody the Magic of Friendship without the tangible shield. By being “just symbols,” the show reminds us that folks in and out of Equestria represent the Elements without them physically being there.

[ExplosionMare 18,065]

On 2/12/2020 at 4:54 PM, Megas said:

In S9, Discord says they don’t need the Elements because they *are* the elements

Like how Twilight said in the pilot that her and her friends were spirits of the EoH. Guess she forgot about that 

[TheSupremeLeaderOfChaos 1,206]

1 hour ago, ExplosionMare said:

Like how Twilight said in the pilot that her and her friends were spirits of the EoH. Guess she forgot about that 

Yet another parallel between the first season and the last! Gotta love it. I hadn't noticed that one. But you're so right! It took quite a long time and plenty of adventures for them to realize the full truth of that statement. 

[Sepul-Coloratura 762]

The mid life crisis of a franchise happened.

[heavens-champion 1,905]

On 2/26/2020 at 1:09 AM, Sepul-Coloratura said:

The mid life crisis of a franchise happened.

What does that even mean?