"Wait, you're the Element of Magic?" Twilight said suddenly.
Luna tilted her head as she turned to her friend. "Is that so hard to believe?"
"Well, no... I just... I guess I always thought that Princess Celestia was the Element of Magic."
Luna chuckled a little. "Yes, I suppose, that does make sense. She was your mentor."
"Well, it's not just that. I mean, Celestia was the one your father put in charge, right?"
"Yes, Father gave her greater authority than I. However, I do not see the connection, Twilight Sparkle. Why would that make her the Element of Magic?"
Twilight shifted uncomfortably, looking at her hooves. "Well the Element of Magic is the most powerful, right? It doesn't make much sense for your father to give you the most powerful Element if you weren't the one in charge."
Twilight glanced up at Luna, who was looking at her incredulously. Then Luna suddenly burst into laughter.
"I'm surprised at you, Twilight Sparkle," Luna said between chuckles. "Did you never ask my sister about the nature of the Elements?"
"Well, no," said Twilight uncomfortably. "I figured she would tell me when she was ready."
"And you never did any research on them yourself?" Luna asked, eyebrow cocked, still smiling.
Twilight glared up at her old friend. "The Elements of Harmony were lost for nearly a thousand years. Most of the surviving literature on them is based on myths and hearsay. Not even Starswirl the Bearded knew much about them!"
Luna chuckled again and shook her head. "I suppose you are right, Twilight Sparkle. I suppose if my sister has not been very forthcoming, you would have very few recourses.
"The Elements cannot be 'given' or 'placed' on anypony. They are... Difficult to explain, I suppose. They seek out ponies that exemplify them."
Twilight knitted her brow and said, "I'm not sure I understand, Princess."
Luna pressed her lips together for a moment. "Take your friend Applejack. She is honest, no?"
"Of course she is. She's the Element of Honesty!"
"But are you not also honest?"
"Well, yes."
"Then why were you not chosen to bear the Element of Honesty?"
Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but stopped herself. She realized that she didn't have an answer to the Princess's question. She closed her mouth and looked down at her hooves, pondering for a moment. "I guess," she said slowly, "it's because that's part of who she is."
"Exactly. Much like you and magic. Magic is part of who you are, it is one of the things that defines you. That is why you were chosen to bear the Element of Magic. It was much the same with me."
Twilight nodded before looking back up at Luna. "But Celestia is so powerful. I've seen her do things that I'd never dream of. I mean, she raises the sun every day! With power like that, why isn't she the Element of Magic?"
Luna grinned wryly and shook her head. "Twilight Sparkle, methinks that you are giving my sister too much credit. Celestia is powerful, yes, but she never could compete with me in terms of raw strength. Magic always was a special talent of mine, and I was obsessed with it. I spent aeons and ages ferreting out the smallest secrets of the arcane, perfecting my art. Between my raw talent and my devotion to the art, I was the clear choice to bear the Element of Magic."
Twilight frowned. "I don't know, Princess. I'm still having trouble imagining anyone more powerful than Princess Celestia."
The princess smirked a little and said, "Allow me to put it in perspective for you, Twilight Sparkle. When I became Nightmare Moon and shrouded the world in eternal night, my sister had to gather all six of the Elements before she could confront me. Even then, our battle lasted for days and our magics rocked the world to the very core. Forests were leveled and seas were blasted into vapor. The great city of Atlantis was sunk beneath the ocean. The mountain range that Canterlot rests on was created during our struggle. We split the continents and blasted mountains out of existence. In some places we gouged the planet so deeply that its very lifeblood spilled forth, scorching all that it touched. In the end, 'Tia was only barely able to defeat me."
Do you still think that my Father was wrong to place the Element of Magic upon me?"
Twilight, wide eyed, quickly shook her head back and forth.