Elements of the Past

by overlord-flinx

Rating: everyone
Tags: Other, Adventure, Tragedy, Queen Chrysalis, Discord, Princess Celestia, Sad, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5845

The Elements of Harmony, a tale from a millennia tales; of might and magic; of loss and friends.

The Elements of Harmony, a tale from a millennia of tongues and texts. A tale of might and magic; of the tests of time and bonds. A tale of the epic of the past of they, and those who wielded them through struggle, friendship... and tragedy.
All know the current tale that has been told by Princess Celestia, but only she and her sister are the remaining holders of the original story. Of the casting of three, the death of one, and the pain of the one who bore the weight of it all.

Story image provided by Ziom05 of DeviantART.

Published 2012-04-17 23:14:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-02-27 19:35:04 UTC

Chapter 1: Elements

"The Elements of Harmony", a begotten tale from a millennia of whispering tongues and vapid texts. A tale of might and magic; of the tendrils of time vibrating and rattling. Of masons forging with tools crafted by higher beings to bore heirlooms of immense power. A tale of—

"Star Swirl! Enough of thy prattling!" a booming voice shot through the elder pony's ear, ending his personal monolog.

"A tale that a hostile princess has intended to curtail…" the elderly pony grumbled with a hoof going to adjust his pointed hat with a celestial design.

Beside the yellow coated stallion garbed in an olden robe with bells imbedded on the hems, was a tall, elegant mare with a dark coat and a sleek mane composed of celestial bodies dancing within it. They both delivered displeased frowns at one another but continued down the hedge guarded road they ventured down. Time passed with only chirps from the Canterlot fauna to complement the two ponies' rhythmic steps along side each other.

Star Swirl, or Star Swirl the Bearded as the scholars and unicorn trainees called him, was a stout comparison in regards to the royal company he was keeping down this path. Princess Luna, the Princess of the Night, was rarely ever out and about when her sister's glory had illuminated the skies, but duties had called her to be present and awake at this hour. In spite of that, she had decided to place the shade of an umbrella over her head so as not to let the light grace her dark body.

"…We should not have yelled at thee…" Luna said with a softer but still echoing voice.

Star Swirl, though not as old as the sisters that ruled the land of Equestria, was beyond his years in understanding and reasoning compared to the rest of the denizens. The youth of his life was spent, not studying magic, but creating new paths through it. Because of his understanding, he shirked out a half-hoped grin at the royal mare. "'Tis alright, your majesty. One would not expect you to hold high aptitude at this hour. Truly, a being of the night is not particularly—"

Once more, this time with a swat of her shoed hoof, the princess cut in. "Star Swirl, we have no time for thy rambles. Verily I tell thee, it would be most imprudent of we to delay our rendezvous with our summoner."

He understood completely, but that didn't stop Star Swirl from giving a disgruntled huff. "'Rambles'? 'Prattling'? Age has done little to hone your respect, princess," Star Swirl told Luna.

"Thy blind honesty will surely weigh thee down, wizard," Luna said in a quip.

And so the silence fell back onto their path, save the chirps of birds and rustles of the hedge walling the path. Butting heads as they may have been, they both inwardly were very pleased with each other's company. It was fortune that the two of them had run into one another on the way to the castle; because when they thought about it, they each could've been a lot worse when compared to who they could've run into.

They seemed to have come across the same thought, seeing as they had both begun to smile. "…Star Swirl?" Luna broke the silence after her nerves had been shaken by the thought, "These 'Elements of Harmony' thy mentioned… Celestia speaks of it often. Pray tell what do they serve purpose in?" Luna was many things, but a studier wasn't one of them.

It was common knowledge among Canterlot scholars what the elements were; but the princesses had little need of this knowledge given their advance years. At least, this was Luna's philosophy. "As I said –or better what I was going to say before you cut in on my monolog- they are five powerful treasures that are embodiments of five fundamental traits for –obviously- harmony."

"Ancient relics? We are as old as this very land. What could possibly outstretch us?" Luna questioned skeptically.

"Do you doubt me?" Star Swirl asked; voicing as if it were unthinkable.

"Age has tolled on thy mind, wizard…"

The elder pony nearly exploded at that comment. She was far older than him… but he knew better than to snap at the Princess of the Night. Instead, he was prepared with a counter. "Celestia believes this all to be in truth; do you doubt her?"

Luna narrowed her eyes, furious at the notion. Low as her voice would go, she muttered from under her shade, "We would never distrust sister. If she thinks it holds truth, it surely must hold truth…"
"True devotion… always admirable from you, Luna." It was a small compliment, but they both knew the gravity of those words to Luna.
"Enough of your prying, wizard," Luna marked, for once her voice slipping out of any escalated or diminished leveling, "Ye spoke of 'fundamental traits'?"

Not one to miss a beat on a chance to lecture, Star Swirl reared himself to give his piece. "Harmony is said to be born from five fundamental forces: honesty that echoes through the ages; loyalty that can never be broken; kindness which flows over the lands; generosity with endless depth; and laughter charms all that hear. It was said that there was a sixth… but it was concluded as an old pony's tale," Star Swirl explained.

"Verily… five elements born from honesty, laughter, loyalty, kindness, and generosity are far too concrete to be viewed as lore; but a sixth is just madness…" Luna pointed out sarcastically but still smiled down at her cloaked friend.

"Say what you will, princess," ignoring her, he continued on, "but the depth of what these powers could do can revolutionize magic itself. Perhaps they could aid fillies and colts master scrolls of magic in minutes instead of years. The possibilities are endless. Think with me for a moment, perhaps--"

Luna paid Star Swirl only a partial listen as he went back into a lengthy explanation; his words could very well be truth, but it did not affect her. No; all that mattered at this moment was getting to her sister, meet with the rest of the assembly, then go back to her room so she could sink back into rest.

It wasn't too much of a burden for her to be out in the morning, but the morning light meant many painful things to her. And one of them lived in this garden…

Chapter 2: Existence

Twists and turns; petrified ponies encrusted with overgrowth of untended vines littering those very twists and endless turns; an eerie feel surrounding the elegant majesty of the Canterlot Castle. But why? A dark, looming hedge maze entangled around the overcast of the castle’s base; but why? No pony knew, no pony understood; why would the princess construct such an eerie attraction beside their mighty palace. It was simple when one would really think about it… It was irrational.

Not a pony would set foot inside that cursed maze this early in the day, so the single resident within the twisting hedge walls made no attempt to cloak itself. Its hodgepodge of four limbs moved slowly against the soft tufts of the grass below. Rarely did he ever get peace outside of his own lair, so the time to relish in what little he had now was short. With a whip if a crimson tail, it cocked its awkward head. “…Why am I walking?” he questioned himself in a hushed tone.

With a sharp snap of his neck he frowned as if looking at himself. “To be fair,” holding a lion paw up, he gestured around him, “You’re in a maze, so you have to walk out… flying or magic would be cheating.”

Snapping back to his original spot, he groaned. “Fair? How dull…” but he knew ‘he’ was right so he made no other objections against himself as he ventured down the winding path.

Abominable flaps of his awkward wings along with the soft presses of his feet to the grassy turf became the only noise that existed in the dismal maze. Gradually, his yellow and red eyes began to droop limply, growing tired of this dull act of venturing through a maze. Drooping lazier, duller, and gradually by each passing second. But, as he took in an overdrawn sigh into his slacked muzzle, his flapped cow ear twitched at a sudden sound.

Chatter. Chatter in the maze no less. Chatter from the other side of the wall more so. In a slithering manner, his long body whizzed down the path faster so as to hook his long head around the end of the wall, peering his eyes hungrily to where this noise came from. His teeth showed into a crooked smile as the sight came to him; two little earth ponies standing by one of the many statues placed throughout the maze. “I swear the exit was right here!” one of them said, her voice betraying what calm she was trying to show.

“Come on! If we don’t hurry, it’ll find us!” the other started to panic.

“You believe that pony tale? Princess Celestia’s guards only made up that story to keep fillies and colts from coming in… there’s no such thing as a draconequus.”

That crooked smile across the beast’s face grew wider as he held in a chuckle, pinching his leg with the talons of his other arm to stifle it. “B-But—“

“But nothing. Now let’s hurry… this place gives me the—“ just then, a sharp snap echoed through the hedges.

Both of the ponies turned to the origin of the sound behind them, only to see the statue of the mare behind them had started to rattle about. Both of the ponies grew stiff while the statue only grew more animated, the overgrowth that had settled onto the curves of the statue snapping off as if chains off of a captured beast. Slowly, the statue began to move its stone limbs and move from off of its pedestal, causing the dirt floor beneath the two ponies to rumble ever-so. The two only looked up at the animated statue, into its empty eyes as it crouched down to their level, leaning in with the sound of stone scraping against stone. “…Boo…” it said with a stiffly moving mouth in a boomingly low voice.

The air became filled with the sharp scream of the two ponies as they turned tail and dashed in the opposite direction, ignoring the hedge wall completely and just cutting rough swabs through the obstacles for the quickest way out of the horrifying maze. If the two had stayed for just another moment, they would have heard the escalated cackling of the draconequus that inhabited the maze.

Discord, a name dubbed onto him by the first to ever meet him, Princess Celestia. A fitting name for a draconequus; meshes of different beasts blended into one seamless construct. He alone lived within the confines of that twisting maze; shielding his appearance from prying eyes. However, it wasn’t by his choice, but a courtesy done onto him by princess Celestia. Many feared the idea of such a monstrosity; of an abomination.

Discord reviled in his laughter while he began to float into the air and closer to the living statue. Resting his lion elbow on the head of the statue, he wiped a tear away from his eye. “Ponies. Always good for a laugh… oh,” looking down the path, he noticed the rips through the hedge that the two ponies had made, seeing the open field outside of the maze through the gashes, “Would you look at that? Seems we have an exit,” he commented to the statue, “…Well I’d love to stay, you seem like an interesting pony, granite a little hardheaded, but either way I’m expected at the castle; Celestia wanted…” tapping his fist against the head, he chuckled once more.

In a quick slithering speed, Discord scurried himself through the new passage, brushing his lengthy body against the leaves and broken twigs. In moments, he had found himself on the outskirts of one the outer hedge’s walls. Around him were the shapes of more elegant statues then the ones that were scattered about within the twisting labyrinth. Unlike the ones that he usually found around him, these statues were carved from marble and had been cut clean of the overgrowth that decorated the maze statues.

After a short look, Discord picked himself up onto his two hind legs with a shift of his scaly red tail. “And I thought it would take longer to get out…” quickly, his attention was lost from the statues in favor of the massive castle out to the side of him; more so what he saw moving towards the castle.

Guests to the castle were not foreign in any means of the word; Celestia would have many parties and assemblies. But what interested Discord about the sight was how unnatural it looked. How often could one say they saw a wizard with bells on his cloak walking besides an alicorn hiding beneath the cast of an umbrella?

Chapter 3: Expectation

Five elements. Five elements placed before her. They seemed so simple. Each so much more dull than the gems that studded her royal apparel. Could they not be them? No. There was no mistaking them. Their each defined color, the surge of emotions just looking at them, the gold crests they were placed within; they had to be them.

Many of the Canterlot citizens were left in confusion at the spectacle they had witnessed after princess Celestia had finished her duty of raising the sun. Some claimed that guards had rushed to her and alerted her of some incoming crisis; others say they witnessed a phoenix coming to her with a message between its talons. In a manner of speaking, they were all right as well as wrong. The princess had been informed of the findings of one of her confidants by the words of her guards minutes before her trusted Philomeena had come to her with said findings.

Haste was not wasted as she left her subjects and cloistered herself within her chamber in the castle tower. There, Princess Celestia, the herald of the sun and ruler of Equestria alongside her sister, had taken time to study these relics before her personal council had assembled. Though she had brought the sun up mere moments ago, her chamber was casted into darkness except for the warm flicker of dying fireplace and the soft embers off of Philomeena's preened feathers with the lights dancing across the lavender curtains that banished the suns light out from the chamber.

Her eyes crossed between each gem carefully, subconsciously hoping for some sort of reasoning to become clear to her. "…Philomeena?" the phoenix picked its head up from behind the thin bars around it and gave the princess a crooked look, "What would they have me do?" Philomeena cooed softly, "I haven't a clue of how these are assigned… Perhaps this was in ill preparations. They will be here soon, and I have nothing to tell them…" with a soft creek, Philomeena pushed her cage door open and hopped out onto the desk that Celestia had placed the elements on.

The princess looked at her bird curiously, watching it peck at one of the gems –the green one in particular- and pushing closer to Celestia. Giving a warm smile, Celestia offered one of her front legs to Philomeena to perch herself on, which she had quickly taken to. "Yes, perhaps you're right," she laughed softly, rubbing a cheek gently against her bird's small, warm face, "the texts say that only through true expression do the elements produce their full power. At the very least I can offer the elements to my friends and see what becomes of it…" Philomeena chirped before fluttering herself back into her cage, seemingly happy at the change in her master's mood, "It doesn't pay to mention as well that with Star Swirl's input, we will surely figure out the way to use them… We will be able to do so much good Philomeena."

Her nerves had all been lost for the time being, but she still felt there was work to be done. She trusted that with Star Swirl's help, they could find a way to obtain a use for these relics, but it would irresponsible to have called for a meeting and have nothing the show for it other then the source material; not to mention rather embarrassing. It was her choice to summon them out from whatever it was they were doing; even though she was sure Discord wasn't consumed in anything too important judging by the two screams she heard not two minutes ago from the hedge maze. But Star Swirl on the other hoof most definitely was in the middle of a lecture or conjuring up a new spell that would revolutionize the world of magic… again. And Luna, her dear, precious little sister had most likely been woken from her nocturnal rest to attend this summoning.

Celestia could see it now, Luna groggily stepping out into the morning light from her chamber tower and making the 'agonizing' venture between there and her sister's chambers. Along the way, she would most likely cross Star Swirl or Discord, assuming the latter had filled himself on the fun of terrorizing the ponyfolk that absently ventured into his domain. If it had been Star Swirl, the two would've been bickering for a ways over Star Swirl's 'prattling' on a subject that Luna 'didn't need to know'. With those three surely on the way, that left but one more to finish their assembly.

The princess was sure she would come in late, it suited her much better. A dramatic entrance was much more her style over being prompt. But, these were her finds, so a little slack would not be out of the question if she wanted to come in late to the meeting this time.

That left only one more matter left to her care; something to offer the lot of her assembly. Once more, Celestia's attention fell onto the phoenix held up in the golden cage. "Have any ideas, Philomeena?" she jokingly asked, "It would be in pretty bad taste if all I have to show is somebody else's findings…" Philomeena gave the princess another cocked look, as if asking a question, "…No, no, I know I don't need to provide them with anything more then this; but I would just feel rather empty hoofed if I showed up with work that isn't mine alone."

At this, Philomeena pushed her cage door open once more and hopped back onto the face of the desk. Celestia watched carefully, mildly interested in what her pet had to offer. For a short while, Philomeena seemed to search over the desk, stopping suddenly as her eyes set onto a piece of curled parchment. Philomeena plucked the piece up between her sharp, beak and brought it up to Celestia's eyes. The princess looked at the piece curiously; it had no writing on it at all.

Celestia gave Philomeena a confused look, but it was quickly replaced with excitement when she saw Philomeena pluck one of her feathers out from her lush plumage and placed it beside a small glass of ink lying on the table. "A wonderful idea, Philomeena," Celestia complimented, taking the discarded feather into the clutch of her golden magic and gave the parchment a light spread on the table with another glimmer of her magic, "I will construct a list… Marvelous idea." Philomeena gave her wings a light flutter before perching herself back within her cage, shutting her eyes and dimming the dim ember of her wings.

The last sound that graced Philomeena's small ears was the vigorous scribing of a diligent princess; just like any night before. Though the two could never speak directly to one another, Celestia and Philomeena shared an unspoken tongue with one another. That's how Philomeena knew her master would be fine over the next few hours.

She knew; Celestia had always been at one of her most calm states when compiling a list of plans…

Chapter 4: Equinox

Three different groups with one goal in mind. The vast hall of Canterlot castle was now well surrounded by royal guards that had been put under oath that they would say not a word of what they saw or heard in the area of the hall. For now, Celestia sat in her throne, waiting for her company to arrive. Outstretched before her with a golden hue of sparkling magic was a list she drew up and Philomeena perched on the head of the chair. This day had been a long time coming, and it served now as the time to lay out the plans. As Celestia reviewed her list with a scanning eye, she heard the entry hall door open with a loud groan. Out from the entry hall came her trusted adviser, Star Swirl, and her loyal sister, Luna; who she noticed was furling up an umbrella as the doors closed behind the pair. "Timely as ever I see," Celestia called across the room while her two companions halted themselves halfway through the room.

"When such a time our sister calls upon us, we shall act with haste on that call," Luna took to both her front knees and bowed before her sister with grace.

Star Swirl on the other-hand tipped his head in a subtle bow before speaking in response to Celestia. "The matter came to me as pressing. I would bow, but my knees are not as they were some long years ago..." both he and Celestia chuckled at the after thought.

The list moved out to the side of Celestia so as to clear the path before she moved down the walkway leading to her guests. Not for a moment did Luna break her kowtow to her sister until she could see that her sister was standing just before her. Luna adjusted herself and met the other two with a board expression. "We would not have anything rushed, nay. Though we would hath been sure that the rest of our lot would be as timely as we..."

"Worry not, younger sister of mine," Celestia's hoof pressed down on Luna's star-sprinkled mane and stroked it a bit, "You are aware that our mutual allies tend to value a more... dramatic entry."

At that comment, Philomeena flapped off into the air as Celestia's throne began to shudder. The three looked over to the throne while Philomeena descended and watched from above on the safe hold of a pillar's top. From side to side, the throne continued to only become more and more erratic. At first, the three looked mildly surprised, but those looks quickly drew to looks of dull interest until Celestia voiced their collective thought. "Discord. Stop playing with my chair..." right when the name was uttered, the throne concluded its movement and fell silent.

The group watched as a snaking body began to coil around the back of the throne, followed by mixes of four different kinds of limbs clutching against it. Over the head of the throne, Discord's mixed-up face rolled up with a cheesy grin. "Awww, you knew?" he disappeared suddenly, only for him to appear next to Celestia on all four of his limbs.

"We will not expect thee when thy choice in 'surprises' alter greatly..." Luna stated, drawing a raspberry from Discord's long tongue, "This leaves but one of our cavalcade amiss."

"I'm sure she's on her way..." Celestia assured her displeased sister.

Once she said that, the door leading to the hall opened and the group all looked; aside from Discord who disappeared just as suddenly as before to take shelter behind one of the pillars within the hall. They all sighed a bit as they saw a guard walk in and had the door close behind him. He moved between Star Swirl and Luna to meet with Celestia, offering her a quick salute. "Your majesty. I come baring horrible news..."

Celestia's brows dropped a bit as she looked at the guard. "I'm listening..."

"We have been given word that a pony carrying a mark of your excellency's was found maimed as well as robbed on the road leading up from the outer lands of the kingdom..." Celestia's heart dropped finally and her breath caught. "The body was found beyond any sort of recognition... I am very sorry, your highness."

Celestia breathed deeply, her face twisting with distraught over this idea, ever fiber of her wanting to scream. But before she could say anything, Star Swirl spoke up. "Excuse me, sir?"

The guard turned to look at the old pony with the same respect he offered Celestia. "Yes, Adviser Star Swirl?"

"Your story is tragic... But it is a lie," both Luna and Celestia looked at Star Swirl shocked while the guard remained the same.

"A lie, Adviser Star Swirl?" the guard repeated flatly.

Star Swirl nodded with a little huff. He looked between the two princesses, asking them in silence to let him go on. Reluctance stung through both of their eyes, but once Celestia nodded, Luna followed close behind. "Yes... You see, for one matter, no living creature could have hoped to lay waste to our comrade... Much less on a simple road with no tactical vantage points."

"Is that so?" the guard's tone remained low and calm as he replied, "Please, is there anything more wrong with what I said?"

"Yes... Our friend isn't a pony..."

The guard began to look around the room, his eyes growing sharp along with a wicked smirk. When he spoke, his voice was crackling to the sound of a female tune. "Observant as always, Star Swirl..." the guard was engulfed in a flowering green flame, which made the two princesses have a mixed reaction of relief and disdain.

As the fire cleared, what stood in the guard's place was now a slender black mare with a flowing green mare that had an ending hue of blue. The mare's green eyes looked between the three, seeing that all three were less than happy with her. "I only jest you three!" she cackled, her voice a bit smoother than that of her mid-transformation. "The four of us are here... No sign of amalgamation abomination though." In answer to her words, Discord flashed out behind her, towering over her with the length of his own body.

"Cute, Chrysalis... But only I get to play the harsh jokes around here. Find your own shtick..." Discord mumbled while folding his paw over his talon.

"Regardless..." Celestia called for their attention after settling her own mind and still racing heart.

The four formed into an orderly line before Celestia, offering her nothing but their undivided attention. Within that castle hall stood perhaps the five strongest beings in all the world of that date. A master of all magical arts; a shapeshifter; a lord of chaos; and two sisters that could bend nature to their will. Rare were they all called together at once, and even more rare did they act on their call at once. A secret pact among them; a pact not between allies, but between friends.

"On this day, I have asked you all to come before me for a grave matter that Chrysalis has brought to me... I won't go into the details of why I know, or the relations it has to me; but these gems she has found are very important... An importance that can only be shared between the most trusted of beings. A stallion once told me about these, and showed me what they can do... And I know that between the five of us, we can do wonderful things. We can bring Harmony."

Chapter 5: Equality

"Elements of Harmony?" Discord tried to hold down an upchuck as he uttered those poison-filled words.

"That seems to be what the ones who locked them away called them..." the changeling queen, Chrysalis, moved out to the center of the lot and presented an old chest to them all, "When I located them, Celestia showed a great interest in me bringing them to her. I for one am not a fan of trinkets, so I would have gladly gave them over to her."

When Chrysalis said that, the box moved from her with a crisp golden hue of magic clasping it and bringing it towards Celestia. The front clasp of the box clipped open while it was still held to the air, allowing the case to crack open and reveal five dust covered objects. "The Elements of Harmony--" Celestia shot Discord an observing look, noting his attempt to not hurl once more before continuing, "--are great artefacts of omnipotent power and possibilities. I recall some point in my youth when I first saw these elements used to do amazing things..." Celestia took a moment to breath in on the musky artefacts, memories flowing into her, "But... They can only be used by the five who perfectly embody the elements themselves."

"What happens when somepony tries to use the Elements without compatibility?" Chrysalis mused the thought aloud.

Already since the box was shown, Star Swirl had been itching to spout out his knowledge, now presented a chance. "Compatibility is vital. Should compatibility not be achieved, the elements would reject the host and dwindle to no use. Or, in more drastic cases, the abused element could provide a negative charge and inflict damage onto the abuser... At time, with a permanent outcome."

The news Star Swirl shared did not sit well with the group as the pure forces Celestia had been projecting it as beforehand. Luna, however broke the concern of the group as she stood firm and slammed a hoof to the castle floor. "Doest thy own lot recant our sister's word? Blasphemy!" Luna's voice trailed a harsh echo as her tone grew to a thundering shout, "Our sister would nay present to us granted power lest we possessed right to wield!" The trio of Discord, Chrysalis, and Star Swirl gave Luna a nod while they each put attention to their blow ears. Luna's tone thus dropped to her more casual address and looked to her sister, "Proceed."

"Thank you, Luna. And she's absolutely right. I wouldn't bring these to you unless I was sure you all could match them and handle them..." While Luna presented a prideful smile at her sister's praise, Celestia put the case down to the floor and started grabbing one of the elements with her magic to clean it off against her coat. "If you'd all be kind enough, come to me when I call your name so I can give you one of the elements." The group nodded agreement and waited each their turn in the vast throne room.

Celestia cleaned the first off, leaving a smudge of brown against her white coat before examining the gem in the center. The shape of the charm may have changed since it had yet to bind to a new handler, but the mark of the center was unmistakeable. "Star Swirl," the old wizard moved to meet Celestia, standing a great deal shorter than his princess even with his hat on, "This is the element of Honesty. I think it belongs to no pony better than you. I have always been able to rely on your facts, calculations, and fair judgement on any situation; positive or negative to me. You are impartial, blunt, and trustworthy. Will you accept this element?"

Star Swirl's own magical grasp exchanged with Celestia's as he brought the element closer to his eyes to examine it. His head bowed once as he made a smile behind his bushy beard. "With honor, I accept..." he moved back to the rest of the group, getting quick looks from the others as they tried to see what the element looked like.

Wiping off the next, Celestia looked the cleaned trinket over to distinguish it. After a moment, memories of a dashing stallion came to her and the warmest of smiles arose from her. "Luna," Luna spared no hesitation to present herself to her sister, "This is the element of Loyalty. I am sure you don't remember our past encounter with these, but know that loyalty is rightfully yours. Beside me my whole life, not only as a sister, but also as a friend, partner, and leader. There has been not a moment in my life where I have had to question your motives or reasoning. You have always done what you have done for me, our friends, our subjects, and for our greater good. Will you accept this element?"

Luna took hold of the element and bowed away from her sister with a grace befitting herself. "We do swear to uphold thy wishes, sister of ours..."

Celestia slid the next one out and cleaned the grime from it, almost instantly feeling a bit joyful when she looked to the cleaned surface. "Discord," the mixed monster slithered across the floor before standing tall over Celestia, purposely going to his toes to gain a few more inches, ""This is the element of Laughter. I... I needn't even explain to you why it is yours. You are beyond the most hilarious and entertaining creature I have ever known. Your entire being revolves around joy and humor. That alone leaves you as the sole heir to this one element. Will you accept it?"

The element was snatched out from the air into Discord's paw, quickly going to one of his eyes to look it over. "Ohhhh. Laughter? I can get behind that..."

As she watched Discord return to his spot, she readied the last element she was to give away. The one element left she was to give had already been freshly cleaned as the first one out of the box. Celestia took a long look at it, her mind clouded by time, but the memory still so vivid. "Chrysalis," the changeling queen moved towards Celestia, though Celestia never looked away from the element, "This is the element of Generosity. To me...? This element means so very much. It represents giving, sacrificing, and nobility. An element truly befitting a being who would give anything to see what was right done. Will you accept it, Chrysalis? I can think of no other who is more giving than you."

The element was slowly taken into a green glow and brought closer to Chrysalis. "Generosity...? Very well, I will take your word on that."

"That leaves me with the final element: Kindness." Celestia drew the final object out and gave it a nice cleaning before looking at it closely.

Each of the five elements twinkled in the hold's grip, both magical and physical. For the first time in a great many years, the Elements of Harmony were released from binding and were in control of rightful given handlers.