On Pretty Magical Ponies (Pony Magic Theory, Part 2) · 10:51pm Mar 8th, 2016
"That Starlight must be pretty magical..." -- Pinke Pie
art by YHuussii
Thank you, everypony and brony for your wonderful birthday wishes, both here and elsewhere. 
Today, I wanted to give the next part of my musings on the nature of pony magic. Last time, I focused on my ideas for earth pony magic, laying a foundation for how I will be looking at them in this blog.
As we know, some ponies are simply more magical than others. How we differentiate a "pretty magical" unicorn from an average one is fairly obvious. However, the show has given us ample evidence that there are "pretty magical" pegasi and earth ponies as well.
But when comparing the inherent magic of ponies, we cannot just use a scale of raw power. To craft a unified view of pony magic, I believe we need (at least) a two-axis scale. I propose the following:
While simplistic, we can effectively view the inherent magic of every pony in the show through the dual scales of how powerful the pony's raw magical talent is and how normal for their type that pony's magic manifests. The "Normal" and "Common" ends of the scales are where most background ponies fall.
The Mane Six offer us examples of each of the four archtypes that this chart creates. Let's take a look at the Mane Six as they apply to this chart, in order of pony breed.
art by mysticalpha
Unicorns are the easiest to classify, at least on a scale of raw magical talent. Unicorns have a variety of spells that relate to their special talents. A unicorn's raw magical talent is evident in the variety and power of those spells.
pre-Alicorn
Twilight Sparkle
Twilight Sparkle obviously sits at the top end of the raw talent scale. She started out with dozens of spells, and soon seemed to have a spell for just about every situation. If she didn't, she could easily learn one, either from books and scrolls, or from other ponies. She casually learned to duplicate Rarity's special gem-finding spell, for example.
However, for all of Twilight's raw power and magical expertise, her spellcasting falls exactly into what ponies expect a unicorn to be able to do. Twilight Sparkle thus represents an extreme of the "Powerful - Classic" archtype.
We are looking at Twilight Sparkle before she became an alicorn. As mentioned in the first part of Pony Magic Theory, I view alicorns as possessing the magic of all three normal pony breeds. As an alicorn, Twilight Sparkle doesn't necessarily possess the same level of raw talent in earth pony or pegasi magic as she does in unicorn magic. It is only fitting that the unicorn side of her magical prowess would be more pronounced considering she was born a unicorn.
On the more average end of the Raw Talent scale, we have...
Rarity
Rarity represents the "Average - Classic" archtype when it comes to her inherent magic. She has a small but impressive collection of spells, from the illusions she cast while putting on the private fashion show for Hoity Toity to the repair spell that she used to fix a taxi wagon wheel. Between her magic and her incredible artisanal skills, Rarity reasonably believes she can restore tapestries that have been left rotting and exposed to the elements for a thousand years. But despite her repertoire, none of her spells are particularly powerful. And unlike Twilight Sparkle, her magical abilities have never been the focus of her character or skillset. In fact, her magic is so downplayed that we sometimes forget what she is magically capable of.
While Rarity may fall into the "Average - Classic" archtype, being on the lower half of the Raw Talent scale, I believe she ranks notably higher on it than your average background pony. Both unicorn members of the Mane Six fall squarely in the "Common" arena for magical manifestation.
Next, we have an iconic example of what the "Powerful - Classic" archtype looks like when applied to pegasi.
Rainbow Dash
Rainbow Dash is pretty much the pegasi equivalent of Twilight Sparkle. The sonic rainboom is the obvious example of her raw talent -- as a young filly, she proved herself capable of a legendary flying feat. The existence of the legend tells us that there had been at least one pegasus who had pulled it off before. But that was so long ago that by Rainbow Dash's childhood the sonic rainboom was considered an old mare's tale. By the end of the second season, Rainbow Dash has reached the point where she can pull off a sonic rainboom while accelerating upwards.
But the breadth of what Rainbow Dash has proven she can accomplish is equally as impressive. Her feats of speed and agility are insane, even when on the ground. Her weather magic has included creating precision tornados. And then, of course, there is this. She can dive-bomb, with extra emphasis on the word "bomb", creating an explosion that begs to be compared to a tactical mini-nuke... without causing herself the slightest bit of harm.
The magic of pegasi normally manifests in feats of flying and weather manipulation. Just being able to fly at all requires an amount of pegasus magic, as we learned when Tirek stole that power from them. Basic flight and cloud walking are the pegasus equivalent of unicorn telekinesis. The amazing feats that Rainbow Dash is capable of all fit into or are extensions of the expected manifestations of pegasi magic, but taken to extremes. So far, we have only seen one pegasus who is potentially a match for her raw talent, and that is Lightning Dust.
In diametric contrast, we also have...
Fluttershy
While Fluttershy has on rare and special occasions shown bursts of magical flight (most notably when chasing a discorded Rainbow Dash while hauling the others in a balloon), everyone recognizes that she is an extraordinarily weak flier. But this isn't because she bottoms out the raw talent scale.
Yes, Fluttershy's level of raw talent is definitely on the "normal" side of the scale, but it also has a high esoteric manifestation. Her magic allows her to communicate with animals, which is very much outside the norm for pegasi... or, from what we have seen, any breed of pony. And that is certainly not the only exceptional ability she possesses. Fluttershy fits the "Average - Esoteric" archtype.
Ponies whose magic manifests esoterically are capable of strange and possibly unique feats. Their abilities defy the natural range of capabilities, either for their breed or for ponies as a whole. They are the sort of abilities that cause other ponies to ask "how did you do that?"
And this brings us to earth ponies.
Applejack
While Applejack has shown herself to be the strongest of Mane Six (at least when it comes to using her hind legs), and has the durability to faceplant from a multi-story fall repeatedly without significant harm, it seems fairly clear that she has the least amount of raw magical talent of any of the Mane Six. Which is not to say that she has none...
...obviously. But between the subtle nature of earth pony magic and a level of raw talent that is normally reserved for background ponies, the times when we see any evidence of her inherent magic are few and far between. At the corner of the "Average - Classic" archtype, Applejack is the most normal of the Mane Six.
In perfect contrast, her earth pony counterpart is very much not.
Pinkie Pie
Most "unicorn master race" arguments that I have seen rely on the flaw of dismissing Pinkie Pie. But when you actually consider her to be a valid representation of what pony magic can do, it radically adjusts our perception. Pinkie Pie is the epitome of the "Powerful - Esoteric" archtype.
In raw talent, I would consider her absolutely a match for Rainbow Dash and (pre-alicorn) Twilight Sparkle. In fact, we have seen her match Rainbow Dash for speed when she was trying to, and she is capable of effective teleportation when she is not. Pinkie Pie pretty much ignores the laws of time and space whenever it suits her; it would be foolish to try to list everything we have seen Pinkie Pie do. Yet as we have seen from Cheese Sandwich, another character whose abilities manifest high on the "rare" end of the scale, even Pinkie Sense isn't really unique. All her abilities come from exceptionally powerful earth pony magic that manifests in a way that is vastly outside the earth pony norm.
Since earth pony magic seems to be subtle and talent-oriented, and the example of powerful earth pony magic that we are given from the Mane Six is also an example of the most extreme esoteric pony magic, it is natural to wonder what an earth pony who fits into the "Powerful - Classic" archtype might look like. Fortunately, the show provides us with...
Maud Pie
Frankly, I suspect the entire Pie family might fall into the high end of the raw talent scale. Heck, the entire family eats rocks. But Maud Pie's special talent -- rock related, of course -- allows her feats that show just how capable the magic of earth ponies can be. For example, this:
Yes, Maud Pie just threw a boulder at least a mile, probably several. And what's more, she wasn't even trying to win. She threw it that far casually. Is Maud Pie really that devastatingly strong? Not always. This is clearly an example of her earth pony magic at work -- subtle and talent-focused. Maud Pie is really that devastatingly strong when it comes to rocks.
Of course, the example that most people think of with Maud Pie is her iconic destruction of falling boulders. The fact that she can jackhammer through solid stone with her hooves would be impressive enough alone. But a lot of people seem to miss the other astounding feat she performs simultaneously. In part, because that feat isn't exactly clear. What we see is that Maud Pie saves Pinkie before any of the Mane Six can even properly react. Even Rainbow Dash isn't able to whisk Pinkie Pie to safety first. There are two ways that the scene where Maud Pie saves Pinkie Pie could be read: either what we see Maud Pie do is happening in real time, or it isn't.
If it isn't, then what we witness happens in an accelerating bullet time. Maud Pie races through the obstacle course in the blink of an eye, showing a level of speed and agility that we normally reserve for Rainbow Dash. This interpretation has the benefit of explaining why the rest of the Mane Six don't do anything to save Pinkie without making them look suddenly incompetent for the sake of plot. But is Maud Pie really as fast and agile as Rainbow Dash? The circumstances were related to her special talent, so her magic was able to enhance her accordingly -- when it comes to an avalanche, Maud Pie is as fast and agile as she needs to be.
The alternate possibility is that it all happened in real time, and the Mane Six were simply frozen in shock and horror. However, not only does Maud Pie reach the rock before it hits Pinkie, in order to drill through it the way she does, she apparently slows the fall of the rock through the power of her will alone. In a talent-related situation, gravity takes a back seat to a powerful earth pony's magic.
I have no doubt that, given the right circumstances, Maud Pie could go full Toph.
art by Neodusk
As both of our Mane Six unicorns have abilities that fall squarely into the "classic" category, this does lead us to wonder what an "esoteric" manifestation of unicorn magic might look like.
I think it might look a little like...
Starlight Glimmer
Yes, Starlight Glimmer is "pretty magical". But I don't believe she is actually more powerful than Twilight Sparkle. Rather, she was able to match Twilight because her magic manifests in a mildly esoteric manner. She is capable of using her magic to permanently remove and store Cutie Marks, which is something unicorn magic isn't supposed to be able to do. She one-upped Twilight's become-an-alicorn feat of "creating new magic" by altering the spell of the most powerful unicorn in history to effectively remove its limitations and tie its casting intrinsically to herself.
Still, she casts spells like any other unicorn. She still falls into the "Powerful - Classic" archtype... but she's closer to the center than any of the Mane Six.
art by mysticalpha
Added a little bit more at the end after posting. My apologies to the readers who viewed this while that edit was still ongoing.
3798233 Good thing I waited.
I'd really like to see Rainbow Dash race more ponies around Equestria. I personally love seeing the mane six being pushed a bit more to see what they can do, like when Twilight had a magic duel with Trixie.
That's why Pinkie Pie can do all those things! It's because of her rock diet. Should have known.
I'm actually wondering just how powerful Starlight's magic is since she was able to go hoof to hoof with Twilight. Honestly, I bet their battle could have gone on a lot longer had they not ripped the map. Like you said, she also managed to re-write one of the most powerful spells to do what she wanted.
Very interesting blog Kkat and happy birthday/ belated birthday as I had no idea.
Now I want to know where on the chart you'd place the various feats of alicorn magic we've seen.
I quite like this continuum. It makes a lot of sense. That said, one thing to note with Rarity is that while her raw output isn't much above the norm, her capacity for fine manipulation is incredible. While Twilight struggled to move a bunch of critters in an aerial performance in Season 3, Rarity had self-propelled orbits of objects circling her in Season 1.
(As for an example of a Normal-Esoteric unicorn, there's always Party Favor, whose balloon talents were good enough to impress Pinkie.)
interesting annalists, and one I will have to consider when balancing my characters.
A thought, how would Ghouls fall into this?
Wait it was your cakeday? I'm sorry I missed it! We'll have to throw an "I'm sorry I missed your birthday party" party!
That was quite educational! I am very much enjoying these blog posts. I can see them bein very useful for writing.
Are "artesianal skills" and "Tirak" typos? Tea-rack, heh.
"show bursts" works if the two words work as a noun.
Nice blog, those images add nicely to the pacing.
I like how directly this implies that rock-eating is a talent.
Real time interpretation: great highlight on Maud's exploit. I took it as happening in real time, myself.
Hmm. Starlight Glimmer did something that Twilight recognized as happening, but couldn't figure out. Much like Pinkie Pie did before, but on purpose. I don't believe Starlight Glimmer is more powerful, but she is more daring and resourceful. She took profit of Twilight's fear of being involved, (and helpless) in something bad happening.
Starlight Glimmer 'won' because she rolled up her sleeves and played dirty. But she 'lost' because Twilight's beliefs held better than her own desire to force things through. Starlight did trap Twilight in an unknown spell, but she had initiative, and cut Twilight away from her library. Also, Starlight Glimmer didn't use the spell to change her own past, so I doubt she could safely do much actual change, if any. Definite touch of psychological warfare, though: t'was an interesting duel.
Nice presentation. Good, good. And belated birthday wishes?
Good thing we get to see more of Maud soon. Come what may, the make or break Season of 6.
3798233 This was a very thought provoking piece. Having that diagram and scale helped. It would be nice to see the icons of each character on that scale. That could generate a good discussion. I had to look up the word "esoteric" to better understand how you were using it.
Also, I uploaded an analysis video to YouTube explaining the real world science behind Unicorn magic the same day you posted the 1st part of your Headcannon about Earth Ponies. It is titled, The Science of Unicorn Magic. I would like your thoughts on what you think.
I think my headcannon is relevant to this discussion. I want to ask permission, before I just "Insert the video" in this comment
Magic = Energy
Unicorn Magic = Electro-magnetiic energy?
That's pretty vaild. But you forgot to add alicorn Twilight. Or it's just no use to prove the point.
This article kicks butt!
These theories of yours are great! It all seems very well thought out, and reasonable in the context of the show. Using these as a base guide from now on whenever I look at how magical a pony is.
I think King Sombra could fit into the "Powerfull - Esoteric" archtype. He's obviously powerfull, and obviously a unicorn, but his magic is unlike anything any other unicorn in the show can cast.
Another good read. I hope you don't mind if I incorporate this, or at least shades of this, in my story?
3804543 Unless you consider the Siege of the Crystal Empire to be canon
3804543 Actually, both Princess Celestia and Twilight have casted similar spells (and Cadence if you count the growing crystals thing. Huh, now that I think of it, do all rulers of the Crystal Empire have the ability to grow crystals?). Yes it's a much more limited form, or perhaps more accurately, partial forms of what he did.
3798281 Cadence and Luna I'd put as powerful-esoteric and Twilight and Celestia as powerful-classic. Love and dream spells? Pretty rare if you ask me. Also, did you see the speeds Cadence pulled off while flying (albeit, Shining Armor DID throw her) that was some pretty powerful pegasus magic that almost reaches Rainbows. The most "special" spell(s) Celestia have pulled off are the "dark" and "light" spells she once used to show Twilight. Twilight, too, has only used them once (Both being in "Return of the Crystal Empire "). Of course, this is only how I see it.
3806254 Celestia, Luna and Cadence don't really count since they are alicorns :D
3806312 Twilight is an alicorn, and before you say she used to be a unicorn, Cadence used to be a pegasus.
This is very much how I had thought of the magic inherent in the races, although I had never thought of adding esoteric as a category. I thought all magic was directly tied to talent, and for the most part it was true. However Pinkie had always caused trouble for my theory. This clears it all up and makes sense.
Excellent analysis, that seems like a solid continuum to use.
Once one views the earth ponies feats of Maud and Pinkie as canon, it's hard to say that earth ponies aren't magical.
Thank you for saying "screw pinkie doesn't count" As I've stated else where including your previous blog on pony magic Pinkie is clearly doing things outside of the norms in a chaotic fashion and why she is actually so open to the idea of discord being around when they first introduce him, but his mean nature before his reform and during the time he is tricked by Terik shows the clash between their personalities and thus how their magic would flow by adding on the point of an Order/chaos good/evil chart commonly used we see discord and pinkie are very much each other's half on the chaos side though with MLP the good/evil character classifications falls more as Discordant/Harmonic balance point as discord while being shown to initially being a villain really isn't evil just discordant as his name obviously says, where we could scale discord as Discordant Chaos pinkie would fall under Harmonic Chaos, we see the same counter part on the orderly side to with Luna and her other half, as Luna herself is Harmonic Order, while Nightmare Moon would be Discordant Order with the simple case that Luna working to keep the day night cycle intact while Nightmare Moon wants to remove the cycle and look the world Into a permanent state that leaves half the world as day while the other half night, while both sides getting the pleasure of night lasting forever even if perception from not moving as fast around the world as the sun or moon with their respective rising and setting giving the illusion that one ends and the other begins when neither actually end they just move to different points with the change of time.