"You might think that the original Six came before me, seeing as how Sol had control over the sun much as I do today. However, Twilight, before I explain just why that's not entirely true, what do you know about how the Elements of Harmony work?" Celestia asked.

"Err...they activate when worn by their respective Bearers, and when all of the Bearers focus on a true example of their element that they have done in the past. When activated, they proceed to conjure a really bright rainbow of Magic that cleanses the Disharmony from whatever is being targeted at the time. They appear to have a short cooldown of only two hours," Twilight said, launching into lecture mode.

"That is correct. Do you know what exactly that "really bright rainbow" is, though?" Celestia pressed, watching for any sign of realization on her student's face.

"...I'm sorry, Celestia, I'm afraid I don't understand..."

"Twilight, the Elements of Harmony are the six pieces of the Rainbow of Light. Surely you know about the most powerful ancient artifact ever to exist?"

"I can't say that I do."

"Oh, I really need to look at what they're putting into modern history books," Celestia said, her expression darkening.

"Princess..."

"The Six Alicorns of legend each represented one of the six fundamental aspects of Harmony, Twilight. Magnus represented Magic, Sol represented Kindness, Stellar represented Honesty, Cosmo represented Loyalty, Titus represented Generosity and Gaea represented Laughter. Each of the Six had their own unique personality, but their personalities combined created the basic idea of Harmony. When the Rainbow of Light was lost, it fragmented into six shards that embedded themselves within the Six Alicorns. They became the purest aspects of their respective Element, as well as the commander of their worldly elements. When Dream Valley was lost to a time vortex ages ago, the bearers of the Elements had long since gone on to become their elements in their entirety. They abandoned their worldly powers to become one with the Rainbow. As a result, the Elements of Harmony took on the form of stones in which their souls were sealed. When you use your Element, you are essentially asking Magnus himself for permission to use the power of the Rainbow. That is why you have to focus on a time in which the Magic of Friendship has helped you."

"So you're saying that the souls of the original Six are trapped in the Elements of Harmony's worldly forms?"

"That is correct."

"...Should we be trying to free them?"

"Their souls are bonded to the Elements now. It is Magically impossible to cleanse the gems of their souls, because the souls aren't actually in the gems. Their souls are now the Elements themselves, in a sense."

"Oh." Twilight was silent after that, a look of concentration adorning her face. Celestia took that as an opportunity to continue with her tale.

"It was from the Rainbow of Light that the Elements were born, and it was from the Six that the Rainbow of Light was split, but who gave rise to the Six, you may ask? As a matter of fact, it was me -- before I had a conscience, before I had morals, back when I was a purely Magical construct. I didn't create the Six like I did Luna, with my own lifeforce, but rather, I created them using Magic from various places. The reason they were Alicorns is because I was one, and I didn't yet know what the other species looked like. I modeled them after myself."

"Wait, princess, I have another question..." Twilight began, seeming hesitant.

"Yes, my faithful student?"

"Where did Cadence come from? And Sombra, for that matter?"

"Sombra was a mere unicorn who tried to harvest the power of the Alicorns to do his bidding. The Alicorn Magic corrupted him, for, as a regular pony, his body was never meant to contain such raw power. He became stronger at the cost of his sanity and willpower. All he wanted was to rule, so the Magic made the only thing on his mind 'ruling.' As for Cadence, well...her story is a bit different."

"Different how, princess?" Twilight asked.

"I think I should save that story for the ne-" Celestia began.

"I swear, if you say "the next chapter," I'm going to call in Discord to 'help' you."

"...You're deviant, do you know that?"

Next Chapter: 5: The Crystal Empire Estimated time remaining: 16 Minutes