Actually, I have this whole big headcanon backstory worked out for Celestia and Luna's usage of the Elements for my fic, so I'm a little biased in this discussion, to say the least.

They were made by Tonka, obviously.

Hey Moe, what about Megan in your fic? (I hope she have abusive pony owner).

I don't really want a canon explanation for the Elements. I've always had the philosophy that some things are better left unexplained.

Besides, this headcanon stuff is really interesting.

@Kegi I figured it was some kind of dimension hopping deity who leaves behind methods for mortals to defeat evil wherever he visits

@Lurker: Eh. I developed an entire mythology for the equestrian universe, including the afterlife, the source of souls and magic, and what is basically tiers of divinity, as well as a political structure build around said mythology for TCYB. I'm just as biased as you.

He sends them into universes ahead of him, then appears and plays the bad guy. He wants to see which universes can actually produce the level of harmony required to 'defeat' him.

edited 6th Jun '12 2:10:02 PM by kegisak

see, I don't have years worth of headcanon floating around in my head. That automatically makes my thoughts of lesser merit...

New re-written chapters of Through The Eyes Of Another Pony incoming this week.

I have developed headcanon for one my fanfics idea, but notings about Elements. I prefer to learn what show creators show us.

@kegi Well, no. Though I did figure that he knew he was going to become evil or corrupted at some point, so wanted to give every universe he could find a weapon with which they could repel him.

I have similar biases. I assume that the elements were created as Ginger does. And that they're older than Celestia. Not sure who created them though.

When I had to choose a fanon explanation for the Elements' origin in my fic, I also went with them being manufactured (although something carefully researched and crafted, with more time required to realize a fraction of their power and even longer than that to realize their true potential, rather than ancient technology).

The elements are six ponies who fought and defeated some ancient evil but died in the process. Their will to protect Equestria was so strong that they became the elements so they could help future ponies.

... I'm assuming that's a typo, and you meant "I hope she doesn't have an abusive pony owner"

Actually I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with Megan, because I haven't had to think in-depth about Dream Valley yet. I'm thinking that either she's owned by Firefly, or else she's not a pet—because of her accomplishments in Dream Valley she may be considered a "special" human and for that reason completely above the whole pet/not-a-pet issue.

I'm working on Chapter Four of "Surprise Days" right now. This one's either gonna concern a witch who sacrifices ponies to demons for power or else a baby Discord, and why Pinkie Pie hates Surprise. I'm strongly leaning towards the latter one.

@Ginger What? You really need to stop with the persecution complex.

In any case, I don't think that even Celestia and Luna know where the Elements came from. Celestia said that she and Luna "discovered" them to defeat Discord the first time, so it's unlikely that they were around for their creation.

that's the thing, you don't need extensive knowledge(or headcanon) of any particular verse for this kinda discussion. You just need extensive knowledge of the genre, in this case fantasy.

and my extensive knowledge of fantasy works tells me to agree with lurker on this. The elements can defeat(for any given definition of defeat) anything, so long as it actually needs defeating for the cause of peace and harmony. You try abusing them, and they're gonna stop working.

edited 6th Jun '12 2:16:43 PM by Blissey1

I figure the elements were created by Clover The Clever after she discovered the Magic Of Friendship.

@Ginger that sound like Alchemist from Robot Monkeys.

@Moe, no , that wasn't typo.

Shit. Do I write or do I watch the fifty minute interview with John De Lancie?

I'm a big fan of corruption and such, hence why one of my fic ideas revolved around the concept that Celestia was letting certain ultra powerful beings go in order to toughen the mane cast up and affect the elements in certain ways so that when the time came, and she was possessed in some way, that she could be stopped

@Death Cloud... so you want Megan to have an abusive pony owner? WHY?!

Lurker: But to have discovered them doesn't have to mean they were found lying on the ground (or in a chest in a dungeon, etc.). It could also be taken as a scientific discovery made through experimentation.

@Moe I hate her. Hate her alot. To point I want something bad happen to her even if she don't deserve it in universe.

Honestly, I think the biggest point of contention that there is to have with the Elements is whether or not Celestia and Luna actually did wield multiple Elements at once, or if they had other bearers with them, each of them only wielding one Element as the Mane 6 do.

My headcanon is that the Elements can't double up on a bearer, but that leaves the identities of the other four bearers a mystery, and raises the question of why they aren't recorded on the stained glass windows in Canterlot along with Celestia and Luna for their accomplishments, which I also have worked out for my story.

@Kuroi And that's why it's all up to interpretation.

edited 6th Jun '12 2:22:45 PM by PerpetualLurker