It would be cool if the Cosmic council were the original wielders.

Enlong's idea is also the way I see it.

@Applelight: I actually think it would be interesting if Luna had the element of magic. There isn't much basis for it, but I've been kicking around fanfic ideas in my head, and one of them involves the revelation that Luna is actually more naturally adept at magic than Celestia is; Celestia is only more powerful because of her experience.

The cosmic council idea is interesting, but again, headcanon messes it up; I like to think that each nation has their own element-style artifact. Equestria has the Elements of Harmony, The Crystal Empire has the Crystal Heart, the Griffons would have something else, the Zebras have something else, etc.

My (admittedly unsure) breakdown of Celestia and Luna would go something like this:

Celestia:

• Loyalty: Definitely. She's much more reliable than Luna is.
• Kindness: Not that Luna isn't kind, but I think Celestia is far more prone to taking other ponies' feelings into account, whereas Luna is rather blunt.
• Laughter: This is kind of a tough one, but I think it fits Celestia better than Luna, given that Luna has difficulty figuring out what other ponies enjoy.

Luna:

• Magic: Like I said above, no real basis, I just think it's an interesting idea.
• Generosity: Again, this is largely headcanon, but part of my theory as to why she went evil in the first place is that she went to a lot of trouble trying to make the night enjoyable only for it to go unappreciated. The fact that her generosity was spurned is part of what triggered her transformation.
• Honesty: She strikes me as a more blunt, tell-it-like-it-is type of person than Celestia.

edited 12th Dec '12 10:22:02 AM by JapaneseTeeth

@ JT

Wow, that's actually a very new way to show it. I like it!

Yeah, it's one of those things where I was trying to come up with a story and I just sort of stumbled over it. I was literally going something like "what if Twilight also studied under Luna and holy crap what if it turns out Luna is even better at it? I surprised myself with that one. I really want to develop the idea now, although I doubt I have time to write it.

I agree, but for a 3/3 split, I see it the same way as JT.

EDIT: If Luna gets only one, I'd give he generosity.

edited 12th Dec '12 10:40:11 AM by Sereg

You know, with Cadence turning out to be not actually that old and not being Celestia's and Luna's secret long-lost sibling, I can maintain my WMG of there being a third alicorn sister that controlled the stars before she disappeared, leaving the stars under Luna's jurisdiction.

And also that said sister is Twilight's real identity, only she has amnesia.

Okay, so not really serious WMG so much as AU headcanon.

Cadance's age is a matter of debate.

But Lauren said that Celestia and Luna don't have siblings (though they do have more distant relatives).

Like I said, AU headcanon.

OR

I reject your Word of God-Empress and substitute my own!

There no reason to believe all alicorns are like Celestia and Luna - they may have just 'won the lottery.'

Faust has also said anything that doesn't show up in the show proper may be subject to change.

@JT: Huh, that's kind of a neat idea about the artifact type thing. I sort of had something similar in my fanon, at least insofar as a collection of artifacts, though I don't posit the elements as Equestria-specific. The title of the Equestrian artifact would go to The Wings of the Sun and Moon.

I'd kinda like to see more artifacts, come to think of t, at least for world-building purposes. So far we've got the Elements, the Alicorn's Amulet(I'm not convinced we saw the full extend of it. I think a less-talented caster might actually be more effective because they don't know what can and can't be done, and therefore they can use the amulet for things Trixie would never have tried), and The Crystal Heart... has there been anything else?

There was also the mirror pool.

Mmm... not sure if I'd count that as an artifact, but I suppose that's fair enough.

We'd have to take a look at Magic Duel's shop scene and try to come up with what would each of the other artifacts in there do.

Ah yes. From "The Adventures of Twight Sparkle: Mass-murderer."

I've always had my Elements lined up as Luna getting Magic, Loyalty and Generosity (when she became Nightmare Moon she betrayed Loyalty and Generosity freeing them up to be used by Celestia, since she both only had five of the Elements and was only one pony she couldn't use them to their full ability) while Celestia had Laughter, Kindness and Honesty. Honesty was kinda just the spare for me.

I know that Lauren's word isn't canon, but I trust her word more than fan guesses.

As for alicorns, I know that some think that they're all alike. I thinktaht there are two types of alicorns. Full alicorns like Luna and Celestia and demi-alicorns like Cadance. Determined by how many of their parents were alicorns.

I do think that each race has it's own members on the Cosmic Council though. Chrysalis and Discord are members, for example. I also like the idea of Grogar and Tirek being (probbly former) members. The ponies have the alicorns, the cjangelings have hive monarchs like Chrysalis, then you get the golden-hooved cattle, the white elephants, the precious woolen sheep, the draconequii, etc.

personally, I see it as

Celestia-Laughter, we know she loves a good prank; Magic, self-explanatory; Kindness, Luna is kind to but strikes me as more of the blunt matter of fact, don't spare there feeling type as well.

Luna-Generosity, as with JT, ponies not accepting her gifts was one reason for her to turn; Honesty, again she seems lik the very blunt, look reality in the face and don't sugar coat it type, Loyalty-Not sure why but I just fits, turning into NMM twisted all three of her elements.

It's basically just the shop from League of Legends/Dota2.

And yeah agree with Sereg on Luna and Celestia being a different type of Alicorn then Cadance. My headcannon is the Sisters are a perfect blend of all three tribes, while Cadance is just a unicorn with a genetic mutation that gives her wings and few pegasus traits.

Celestia:

• Kindness: This is really evident with her personality. She is a very sweet and kind individual.
• Laughter: Celesita also has a bit more of a sense of humor than Luna, and relishes a good joke, but to go with the other definition of the Element, she does what she does to spread joy.
• Honesty: The last two Elements are difficult to place, but Celestia seems to place a strong emphasis on striving to do the right thing.

Luna:

• Magic: One thought I like is that Luna's use of the elements was sort of twisted during her fall. If Magic is an element that represents faith in one's friends, then Luna lost her connection to the element when she fell deep into her despair and lost faith in her subjects and her sister. However, from what we've seen of her, she values peoples' trust and love, when she is normal.
• Generosity: Another aspect that sort of led to her fall. She puts a lot of time and effort into raising the moon and creating a beautiful night. Part of her fall is because she believed that nopony appreciated what she did for them. She began to feel that she deserved more in return for what she generously gave her subjects.
• Loyalty: She lost her faith in ties of loyalty, and... okay, again, this one is hard to place.

However, I like the idea that Celestia was able to take up the remaining three elements because it was something she had to do. As the ruler, she had an obligation, one of loyalty to her subjects, to defeat Nightmare Moon. She selflessly did it, even though I'm sure it tore at her heart. And in the end, she never lost her faith that Luna could be returned to normal.

edited 12th Dec '12 11:31:51 AM by Enlong

Mutation, huh?

So, does that make Shiny Colossus?

Well, we know that Cadance isn't anything quite that simple, considering that she's the Crystal Princess and all. We'll probably learn more about that later, though, so I'm not going to make any guesses.

@Story Even then, it still has potential. We know what those things can do in the hands of void abominations, great commanders and archmages, against similarly powerful opponents, but we have no idea what'd they do in the hooves of Mr. average pegasus in the middle of Canterlot.

edited 12th Dec '12 11:34:37 AM by Lopiny