Headcanon Corner: Dark Magic FAQ · 4:32pm Apr 26th, 2014
Warning: Spoilers from the latest episode, Inspiration Manifestation, abound. Proceed with caution.
Dark magic has always been a part of the show, ever since the arrival of Nightmare Moon. It hasn't been seen all that much, but when it has, it's easy to recognize. We've seen it in Nightmare Moon; King Sombra; the Alicorn Amulet; the tome in this episode (since it was never given a name, I'm just gonna call it Tom II). Even Celestia and Twilight have utilized it. But beyond being called "dark magic" and being used for sinister objectives, it's never really been properly defined, has it? If you run someone through with a sword, the sword doesn't go on trial. So what exactly is dark magic, as defined in Equestria? I'll attempt to answer that today with this little FAQ.
Q. What separates dark magic from regular magic?
A. Magic, as used by unicorns and alicorns, is the act of making something you want to happen happen. However, regular magic is restricted by rules. You can't cast whatever spell you want unless you know the proper procedure off the top of your head.
Dark magic waives that restriction, but it comes at the price of the wielder's sanity. If used sparingly, it's not that big a deal. But just like with any addiction, it can become all-consuming.
Q. Why does Princess Celestia have access to dark magic?
A. Celestia confiscated all dark magical tomes from Sombra after his defeat and hid them away so that nopony else could use them. She knows some of the spells herself, but she tries not to use them for obvious reasons.
Q. Does dark magic have restrictions?
A. Yes. Dark enchantments have certain locks that maintain said enchantment's hold on the wielder. Break the lock, and the enchantment is dispelled. Also, counter-spells and artifacts such as the Crystal Heart are specifically designed to repel dark magic.
Q. Is alicorn magic dark magic?
A. There are enchantments that are far too powerful and dangerous for any old unicorn to perform (such as the enchantment that created the Alicorn Amulet). But by in large, no. Alicorn magic and dark magic are not synonymous.
Q. Is changeling magic dark magic?
A. Changelings can learn dark magic if they so choose, but the magic they wield is not dark magic in and of itself.
Q. Can Ahuizotl use dark magic?
A. He can't cast it himself, but he knows enough about it to utilize dark artifacts such as the Rings of Scorcherro.
Q. Does Discord use dark magic?
A. No. Discord uses chaos magic, which just does whatever it wants. Yes, whatever it wants, not whatever he wants. After all, it wouldn't be chaos if someone had control over it, now would it?
Q. Is dark magic restricted to unicorns and alicorns?
A. Not at all. Does it have to be?
Q. According to the comics, Nightmare Moon and Nightmare Rarity's magic came from the Nightmare Forces. Is this where all dark magic in Equestria comes from?
A. No. That's a ridiculous notion. Ponies are very capable of hubris without outside interference. Just look at King Sombra.
That's all the questions I can think of. Feel free to post your own, and I'll try my best to answer them. Or, you're more than welcome to tell me your own theories on the subject.
I actually have a headcanon for this. Alicorn magic draws upon all three of the different pony's magics, drawing from greek classical four.
Earth Ponies embody the element of earth.
Pegasus ponies embody the element of air.
Unicorns embody the element of fire.
Alicorns then embody the three different types of ponies and represent water - a symbolism I think is not misplaced due to the strong imagery of flowing manes in both Celestia and Luna. They could also embody the fifth element of aether and the (only seen in comics) sea ponies embody water.
Then alicorn magic would be a fusion of the three magics, allowing them access to powers that are truly breathtaking in scope and potential - either good or ill, depending on the intent and resulting in things like the Alicorn Amulet.
Perhaps that amulet is itself a royal crest worn by Luna as she was corrupted by the Nightmare and thus holds an essence of that part of her; madness, malevolence, and power.
I kinda compare dark magic to the dark side of the Force from Star Wars. The way I understand it, those who turn to the dark side are driven by strong desire: Sidious wanted power, Dooku wanted to bring order to a "lawless" galaxy, and Vader wanted to save his wife. Obviously, the desire doesn't have to be evil or even selfish, but it has to be strong enough to override the person's sensibility and morality. The person must also be riddled with negative emotions, like fear or anger; the stronger the emotion, the more powerful their dark power becomes, and the more difficult it is to turn away.
Dark magic, then, is born pretty much the same way. When a magic user has a strong desire and lets that desire consume them, their magic becomes corrupted into dark magic. And much like the dark side, their negative emotions will allow that influence to stay longer than is advisable.
Dark magic coming from artifacts, such as the Alicorn Amulet and the... Necronomicon ex Mentis (give me a break, I don't have a lot to work with), are created to give the wielder more power by taking advantage of and enhancing any negative emotions within them (e.g. Trixie's anger at Twilight, Rarity's grief over the puppet stage).
2049626 It's an interesting theory, although I might have to dispute that last part. We've never seen Luna wear the Alicorn Amulet at any point in the show or the comics. Unless the Alicorn Amulet is tied to the Pony of Shadows (which I doubt), I don't think Luna and the amulet are connected.
Personally, I think the Alicorn Amulet was forged by King Sombra, or at the very least, he commissioned its creation. It had to be the work of a unicorn with a great amount of hubris, thinking that they could tap into an alicorn's power with one simple magical charm.
2049677 There might be some truth to that. Almost every time we've seen dark magic being used, it has been tied with an emotion corresponding to the Seven Deadly Sins. It has been used by Sombra to amass power (greed), it has been used by Twilight in a fit of frustration and by Trixie as an instrument of revenge (wrath), and it has been used by Rarity to change the world into what she thinks is fabulous (pride).
However, I don't think this is a prerequisite to using dark magic per se. But using it without those emotions fueling the fire is rather difficult.
2049696
Yeah, that last part was just kinda tossed in there, honestly. A function of a mind wired like an IT technician's worst nightmare wiring closet.
So do you define alicorn magic as any magic that just takes more power than a unicorn can use, whether dark or not? So the alicorn magic Twilight used in the season four premier was both dark and alicorn magic?
I have to disagree with this. While Discord might sometimes let his magic run free and do what it wants, a lot of what we've seen him do has clearly been intentional. For example, removing the mane six's wings and horns and everything he did to discord them in his first appearance. Unless that was a different type of magic he was using.
This also might be related to what you think Discord is. If he's just a powerful chaosmancer (is that even a thing?), then it would make sense for the exact effects of his magic to be out of his control. If, however, you see him as being something more like the embodiment or personification of chaos itself, then whatever he wants would be naturally be chaotic and what the chaos magic itself wants. Personally, I lean more towards the latter.
2051504
This is more or less the case. I figured since Twilight used dark magic in Princess Twilight Sparkle and it was referred to as alicorn magic, people were confused.
As for Discord, it's true that some of his spells have intention and direction. But if he creates something using his magic (like Tom, for example), it could very well just wander off and do its own thing. Even a personification of chaos can't control chaos. Otherwise, it's not really chaos.