"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.