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So, I've always had a weird thought about the Elements of Harmony. Think about the six: honesty, loyalty, generosity, kindness, laughter, and magic. See a problem with this? Four of the elements represent ideals. Honesty, kindness, generosity, and loyalty. The other two don't really fit into the scheme. Laughter isn't an ideal and magic is just...another thing altogether. So why is it like this? I have a theory. In season 1, episode 2, Twilight ignites the "spark", to revive the elements and distribute them among her new friends. I say "distribute" because, surprise!, Twilight determined what the elements represent.

Wait, what? That's right. When Celestia and Luna used the powers of the elements to defeat Discord, the fandom discussed which elements each of the princesses own. But this means that each one had three elements. And back then, they didn't have the image of each pony's cutie mark. It couldn't. Because it didn't foretell a thousand years from now that those six ponies would end up holding the elements. The elements didn't represent those ideals at the time. This is further supported in season four when we learn that elements belonged to a magical tree. The tree used the power of the elements to keep the evil of the Everfree Forest at bay. The tree itself does not represent those six "ideals", It's just a magic tree.

Celestia never even knew who would bear the elements. In fact, I don't think she even realized that the Mane 6 was necessary to acquire the elements. They're not called the "Elements of Friendship" after all. Celestia said it herself. She sent Twilight to Ponyville to make friends, nothing more. So then, is friendship related to the elements? Couldn't be. Not when Celestia and Luna wielded the elements in the past. They were more Elements of Family back then.

So where do the elements come from, in regards to what they represent? The one who releases and controls them. Twilight had barely known these ponies. She used a single, vague experience with each of them to determine what they most represented. This is why Applejack and Rainbow Dash's elements are constantly debated. Dash is more honest (brutally honest anyway), and Applejack is more loyal. She's all about helping others, and making sure the town doesn't collapse in on itself. She goes so far as to enter a rodeo with the sole intent to fix town hall, instead of giving Granny Smith that new hip. Rainbow Dash has lied plenty in the past, though it's usually elaborate lies about faking being sick or injured. But she is usually the one to point out what others are thinking, even at the expense of anypony else. So, when Twilight was figuring out what each pony was, she mixed those two up because she thought Applejack was honest, and Rainbow Dash was loyal.

With Pinkie Pie, all she saw was a song and dance number from the party pony. So her first thought was "hey, laughter" even though it doesn't fit into the scheme of each element being an ideal. Twilight screwed up again. Later in season one, we see Pinkie stare death in the face as she gets threatened by Gilda and doesn't blink an eye. Pinkie's element shouldn't have been laughter, but bravery. She took a long trip to Yakyakistan and faced many dangers along they way. She had no trouble jumping from one moving cart to another in The Last Roundup.

Fluttershy is...well, she's kindness. Twilight didn't screw that one up. Rarity can be generosity, even though she rarely exhibits it. But that ends us with Twilight herself. Magic? Ultimately, this was Twilight's decision to make. And although I'm leaning toward the fact that magic is always one of the elements, because it very much is magical, I think Twilight screwed up here again when she didn't choose a relevant ideal for herself. So what is she? I don't know. She's definitely off her rocker. But what positive ideal does Twilight represent?