Background and Lore

There are many magics in the world, but they all pale in comparison to the magic of the Elements of Harmony.

First used by Morrigan the Great, they have become associated the Mage Queens in general, being used by them to protect and defend their people from danger. On the day of their coronation, the Queens would swear by the Elements to protect and serve their people, making them somewhat akin to holy objects.

Interestingly, they have only been ever used as a sort of last resort. Whether it's the God's divine will, the Queen's wish or the Elements own nature, they mostly act in a pacifist way: hardly ever outright destroying it's enemies so much as purifying them of dark magic, banishing them or sealing them away.

There are six Elements in total: Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty and Magic. The first five can be attributed to the values honored and prized by society: they are traits people should have; guidelines on how to behave no matter what species they were. But the most powerful and mysterious one, Magic, has confounded scholars and mages for ages.

Physical magic is not something everyone posses after all, so how can it apply to them? What most stumped them was how Magic seemed to be placed in the center of the Elements: it seemed to combine aspects of all the other Elements. The Elements powered it and it, in turn, powered the other Elements. It is perhaps because of it's confusing nature that the name of it has been lost for centuries.

Recent events, however, have shown where past scholars have gone wrong. Perhaps it is not regular magic at all, but a special type of magic unlike anything else. Something everyone can access, not matter what. The Magic of Friendship. (Not to be confused with the magic of love.)

What is most peculiar is that the Elements appear to have a will of their own. Despite commonly being attributed to the Mage Queens, the Elements have only chosen a few of them to be able to use them. Intense study of old records have shown that not even those Queens knew what was going to happen when they were about to use the Elements. While the Queen can call upon their power, it is the Elements themselves that decide what to do or who to wield them. As though they had their own spirits. This phenomenon can probably explain the Pillars being able to wield them so long ago, why they vanished for so long and how they have chosen their latest vessels.

The origin of the Elements is also shrouded in mystery. The official story is that Queen Morrigan searched the forest around her home and came back with the Elements. But where did she get them? Where did they come from? Did she find them herself or did the Gods give them to her? The only clue that can be attributed to their origin are ancient drawings and descriptions of a crystal tree with jewels in each of it's branches, with the center jewel bearing a strong resemblance to the Element of Magic. Any attempts of gathering more information or searches for this strange tree have proven to be in vain.

What we do know is that the Elements appear to be in safe hands with their current wielders and Equestria, and the world, can look forward to a bright future.