@landbeforetimelover:
I know they're still special and it's not like I like Applejack any less because she doesn't wield a little device anymore. But Applejack is the Element of Honesty. It's part of her character that they've built up all these years. And now that's just gone? I know she can still be honest, but it's just not the same. That essential aspect of her character and the show is now gone. Like I said, I'm fine if they can go get the Element's when they need them and use them temporarily, but the ponies are no longer Elements. That made them stand out from the regular run of the mill ponies. It's not like they got the Elements later down the road or something. They got them the very first episode!
I think you have it backwards.
Applejack wasn't honest because she was the Element of Honesty. She was chosen to become the Element of Honesty because it was a deeply rooted part of her character, and the same goes for the others. They're not "just friends" now and that special something isn't gone. That special something that set them apart from other ponies was always a part of them and that's why they were able to become to the Elements, not the other way around. And the grandness of their friendship was ALL them. Neither the elements of their friendship nor has any essential part of the show been removed.
And they all shared a special connection because of the Elements. I'm sure they'll still be friends, and the Elements don't define their friendship. But they're no longer connected by that. They're just "friends." Sorry but that kinda takes an essential aspect of the show away. And it was for no reason that we can see (yet).
No, they were connected before they found the Elements and became their wearers. The show has done much to reinforce that through the years. They formed this bond when they, together, stepped up to right the wrong that Nightmare Moon was doing.
Return of Harmony showed us that without the strong bonds that keep these six share, the Elements are completely and utterly powerless and it is NOT the Elements that make their friendship special. Their special friendship is what empowers the Elements, not the other way around. If anything, the Elements are reliant on the integrity of their bearers.
If you feel that in order for these six poneis and their friendship to be special and set apart from others that they need a set of magical gems, then I think you've been at least partially missing the point.
And there was a reason for it to happen. Heroes have to make sacrifices for the greater good sometimes, and sometimes that means giving up what supposedly made you special to begin with.
