//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 (How do the Elements work?) 
// Story: On the Elements of Harmony: Known Facts and Theories 
// by Dreamscape 
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How do the Elements of Harmony Work?



As mentioned before the Elements of Harmony only seem to work when their wielder either has a great understanding or is the embodiment of the Element they wield, this connection seems to produce power within the Element. Although each Element holds great power the only time this power can be released is when first, the Elements are with their correct wielder and second, all Elements must be active and in close vicinity to one another. Another key observation that has been recorded is that the Elements will only work when there is a strong bond of friendship and companionship between each wielder. If this bond is disturbed or has never existed, the power of the Elements will cease. This is a direct correlation to the Element of Magic, many assume that this Element stands for the magic that Unicorns are able to wield. Magic actually comes in many forms and is vital for nearly everything in our lives. Our Grand Scholar tells us that friendship is one of magic's many forms. Although this is not fully what the Element of Magic represents, friendship is vital to the function of the Elements. There has never been a recorded case where either a single Element or any amount less than six was able to produce any power at all. It seems as though the Elements only will only work when all are together, along with their wielders. It is unknown what would happen if one of the wielders were to pass. From our knowledge it seems as if the Elements would be rendered inactive until the next destined wielder was able to possess the "widowed" Element.

When commencing an action, each of the five Elements releases its unique form of power. What these unique powers are is uncertain as it seems impossible for the Elements to function alone. The five Elements' powers are then transferred to the Element of Magic where they begin to combine with its power and one another. During this time the high power creates a disturbance in the air around it, creating what feels and looks like wind. The combined powers can either be released as a beam directed at the evil which it is targeting or a burst for an entire area. This released power creates lighting similar to that of a Rainbow. This effect occurs because each of the powers which have combined, but still contain their own unique form of energy which produces unique forms of light. This combination of powers is able to non-lethally stop any foe and bring harmony back to chaotic situations. As long as this power is released it is believed that it is unstoppable and can defeat or stop anything, this statement has proven true so far.

Another unknown is what this power is and where it is produced. As was previously stated the power could be purely magical or highly advanced technology within the Elements themselves. This technological or magical power can somehow only be activated by its rightful wielder. If so, this would have to be magic far more powerful than even that of the Princesses or technology greater than any we know of or can even think of. If the elements are technological, it is unknown what form of power source would be able to keep them running for thousands of years. Another flaw in the technology theory is that something technological is not able to create such a deep connection between Element and Wielder. A flaw in the magic theory is that although magic comes in many shapes and forms the power produced by the Elements is like no other magic ever witnessed or described. Something very unusual has been observed when the elements "activate". The wielders eyes begin to glow white and their bodies begin to levitate above the ground beneath them. Wielders have reported that at this point they drift into a state of unconsciousness and reemerge once the power is released. This situation could just be an effect of the energy and power coursing through their bodies, but another theory states that the Elements are powered by the wielders themselves, creating this phenomena. This theory tells us that the Elements are a conduit for the true power which lies within the wielders. The loss of color in the eyes, levitation and unconsciousness are factors of these conduits extracting power from the wielders. This power which comes from the wielders is said to be the essence of the elemental spirit that the wielder represents. If this essence does exist it is far beyond anything we understand. It could be something spiritual or magical but is more powerful than anything we know of. This theory better explains why the Elements have such a great connection to their wielders. It is unknown though, exactly what makes this extraction possible.

Every one of these theories has its flaws but a more recent theory, combining these theories into one, virtually takes away every doubt. This theory states that the elements are in fact unknown and ancient pieces of technology. This technology is powered by the essence of the user. The essence in this case is magical. This power is produced only when the magical bond between wielder and Element which is magically produced either at birth or the time of gaining a cutie mark and the magical bond of friendship between wielders are pure. This magically powered technology is then able to extract the essence of the wielders spirit and turn it into power. Each spirit harmoniously combines as one and this creates an unstoppable force of all that is good. This combination theory has the least flaws and is the most reputable by far. Two things not explained by this theory though, is how and where these strange relics were produced and how were the princesses able to use them in the past. If there is a deep connection of spirit and element the princesses could not have been able to wield them, unless they represent all spirits. Even without the elements the wielders seem to express greater abilities than the average citizen and this seems to be due to the fact of the spirit within them. If the previous statement about the princesses is true and spirits of harmony are as strong as this theory states then this could explain the great and unusually strong powers and magical abilities of the princesses.