Though their discovery precedes the banishments of Nightmare Moon, Prince Melody and even King Sombra, the true history and nature of the Elements of Harmony remain a mystery to scholars all over Equestria and beyond. Even amongst the intellectual elite of Canterlot, the topic is cause for heated discussion still today. The following article will outline a more popular theory, one that has proven its plausibility throughout the course of history – but has not yet been proven right.
The most basic and at the same time most complex conundrum a student of the Elements will face is their impossible inner duality. Not only are they forces of nature and pillars of the world, but also their own spirits, deities that reign over the boundless wells of power they embody. They are the blood flowing through the veins of the earth and the heart that is pumping it, the principles of purity and the foremost paragons thereof. According to some scholars, they are also the matter from which the world is build – and the hands that built it. Principles, forces, symbols, spirits, keepers, makers, watchers and elements they are all at once and it is not surprising that so many researches fail to understand how this is even possible.
To put it simply, every Element of Harmony is made of two parts: the first is the energy of which it is made, its essence so to speak. Vast beyond imagination, these essences are raw power, streams of Harmony flowing through the world, keeping it from falling apart – without them, Equestria would perish. They are the source of all magic and with it the source of every higher race on the planet, for magic flows through all of them. Despite their belated discovery they have always been and always will be, like the wind and rain. All beings are connected through them; all beings affect them and are affected by them through their acts, both good and evil. Of this there can be no doubt.
The second part of an Element is its Spirit, its mind. This particular facet has proven to be much more elusive than the first, and for the longest time its sheer existence was nothing but a theory. The Spirits are the entities granting the Elements consciousness and will, turning them from forces of nature into actual individuals – and these individuals act on their own agendas. It is currently unknown if the Spirits have a greater vision of the world, or if they act through minor acts of friendship alone. Throughout history, their influence on Equestria has always been subtle, if present at all. With two exceptions.
Two times did the Spirits of Harmony make themselves known to the world, first through their champions, the alicorns. As we all know however, these champions failed them, so they turned away from them, hurt and disappointed, knowing that not even the purest of mortals could ever represent them.
A thousand years later, the time had come to set things right. Proving that their will to act had not left them, the Spirits returned to Equestria to stop the reawakened Nightmare Moon once and for all. Showing their ability to learn from past mistakes, they chose avatars instead of champions this time – the six young women we know today. These girls are truly harmony incarnate, not mere ambassadors but the elemental spirits themselves.
On a final note: after the events of Discord’s second uprising, it has become quite clear that while the Elements themselves are completely immune to his corrupting touch, their Spirits are not. The brief existence of the Spirits of Disharmony – however horrible it was – has allowed for a deeper glimpse into their true selves and should not be ignored. In the following passages, the reader may find that few things describe the Elements better than their exact counterparts.
Honesty
The Element of Honesty, primarily associated with the earth walker race, embodies the virtues of strength, truth, endurance and integrity. Considered the most pragmatic, down-to-earth piece of the six, it is also commonly linked to the more primal virtues: hard-earned respect, love for one’s family and the delight of an exercised body. The earth walker’s uncanny resilience is a result of Honesty’s magic flowing through them – many of them can work for days without rest or sleep and move objects ten times their own weight. Its Spirit favours honest workers, from smiths and miners to farmers and crafters; generally speaking, those who pour their sweat and tears into what they do for others.
Its counterpart is the Spirit of Dishonesty, embodying the image of a lying, careless parasite. Without any shred of dignity to it, a being afflicted by Dishonesty will lie and deceive in the most despicable of ways in order to achieve their own goals, no matter how trivial. It cares for no one but itself, but – if confronted with this – will brazenly deny it nonetheless. It is the perfect sycophant.
Laughter
The three races of Equestria are all defined through two Elements primarily. The second patron of the earth walkers is Laughter, the principle of joy. Observed to bear a strange resemblance to the disharmonious spirit Discord, it stands for a world view unlimited by the burdens of reality: its chosen ones are often found disregarding the very laws of nature, effortlessly playing the universe for a fool. In contrary to Discord however, it is an altruistic concept, seeking to share its own bliss with those around it instead of drawing it from them. The earth walker’s famous joviality, their ability to make quick friends with anyone and to never miss a chance for celebration or a good meal most likely stems from it. The Element favours both the joyful and the sly: mummers, artists, actors and musicians used to revere it just like cooks or bakers but also tricksters, magicians and fortune tellers – not thieves however, as theirs is the work of disharmony.
Corrupted, its soul is known as the Spirit of Sorrow, a pitiful thing that does not know joy and does not which others to. To it, the very idea of being cheerful is never justified. Feeling happy is a wrong done to reality, and the Spirit will actively work to set such a wrong to right. A person that is touched by the Element of Sorrow sees enemies everywhere and is more than ready to lash out at them pre-emptively. It suffers just for the sake of suffering, feeling the same pity for itself that it will inspire in anyone who is so unfortunate as to cross its path.
Kindness
The pegasi display their magical capabilities in a more obvious way than the earth walkers do. Their impossibly delicate form is a result of their connection to the Element of Kindness: a pegasus can dance on a blanket of freshly fallen snow without leaving tracks and walk on clouds like solid ground. Amongst all races, Kindness, as opposed to the Element of Laughter, is especially fond of those who wish to prevent sorrow instead of spreading joy: therapists and healers, nurses, veterinaries, diplomats and peacemakers. It praises the virtues of mercy and understanding, and helpfulness to the point of self-abandonment. He who gives away everything for the harmed is its champion; its Spirit will ever smile on those who mend the wounds of the world.
Its disharmonious opposite is the Spirit of Cruelty. This evil creature longs for self-fulfilment and amusement alone, two things it can achieve only through the suffering of others. The archetype of sadism, Cruelty wilfully harms those around it. From mean little pranks to full-fledged death traps, it will stop at nothing to feel the joy of making others suffer.
Loyalty
Competitive, brash and wilful, the Element of Loyalty rewards courage and ambition – if put to right use. Sportsmen and soldiers most famously follow its lead by using their strength and energy to protect their loved ones, but daring adventurers and explorers are also dear to it. Being true to Loyalty means to put one’s own restless advance before everything else, everything but the well-being of one’s friends. The Element is storm and stress and thus very much befitting the pegasus race. It has graced them with unparalleled speed and with wings powerful enough to cause a veritable hurricane with a single beat… and also gifted quite a few of them with reckless bravery, or so some would say.
Its counter Element is the Spirit of Disloyalty, much more fitting its name than Loyalty itself is. Selfish beyond all measure, it cares not one bit for the welfare of anyone else. Helping a friend in need would never cross its mind; while it will gladly accept the assistance of others, it will turn tail and run as soon as its own strength is needed. The Spirit is a faithless traitor and a useless coward, with no honour to speak of and no integrity at all. Its entire existence is utterly without purpose.
Generosity
The Element of Generosity’s single core value is in fact just that: generosity. Where other Elements have a plethora of virtues attached to them, this one represents the will to share, and the will to share alone. Much more interesting is the fact that, being the only Element directly and undeniably linked to mundane possessions, Generosity encircles quite a few characteristical traits as well. Champions of the fair element all display an extremely fine-tuned appreciation for beauty and culture. They prefer to surround themselves with objects that are exquisite in their nature and pleasing to the eye – all in all, they are in love with worldly riches. This might seem a vice, but is in truth required for the Element to take full blossom: only when the possession of something is truly appreciated can giving it away be considered an act of Generosity. It is the will to share that which is dearest to one’s own heart that makes the Element proud. Being as it is, Generosity smiles upon professions that value elegance and beauty: jewellers, models, gardeners, tailors and merchants all bask in its blessings. It is said that the unicorns owe their natural grace and heightened senses to the influence of this Element… just like their highly refined, often even snobbish attitude.
Opposed to Generosity stands the Spirit of Greed, identical to its counterpart in terms of materialist attitude, but nothing like it in its will to share its precious possessions. Hoarding is the typical behaviour of individuals struck by the Spirit, often to the point of starvation. A being consumed by greed will rather die watching over their accumulated riches than to risk leaving them alone for just a second; extreme paranoia is another symptom of the chaotic Element, as the afflicted will see the same hunger for wealth in the eyes of everyone around them.
Magic
First among equals, the Element of Magic is the most crucial, the most elusive and the most potent of them all. Whereas the lesser Elements each represent a certain harmonious virtue, Magic stands for the essence of harmony as it truly is. Only with the Five all present and coupled with a spark of understanding will it ever reveal itself: enlightenment, peace and serenity are granted to those worthy of its attention. Though primarily linked to the unicorn race and their arcane prowess, the Element of Magic flows through every being, every river, every last little stone in the field. It resembles an ascended state of the mind, born from the union a spotless heart and an open eye. It is the reward, so to speak, for absolute dedication to harmony. As such, those restlessly seeking for knowledge and wisdom will always be among its favoured: scholars, monks, teachers and librarians, priests, hermits and of course wizards. Few have ever caught a glimpse of what the highest element truly is – but to have done so means to know perfection.
But the brightest light casts the darkest shadow. Just as Magic incorporates the clearest and highest state of spiritual salvation, its counterpart, the Spirit of Desolation, is the epitome of absolute emptiness. Simply speaking, it represents a state wherein the soul inside an individual has died. Desolation is stasis, trauma, absolute lethargy. It nurses despair so dark, so completely forlorn that the afflicted is like to cease any action at all – their agony saps them of even the tiniest bits of strength they might have. Just laying eyes upon the lacrimal spirit can rend the beholder apart with pity… and then with suffocating sorrow, caused by the realization that nothing on earth could ever ease such misery. Touched by Desolation, there is no hope left to have.