Magic, everyone! MAGIC! · 9:13pm Dec 6th, 2012
We have blogs? I never noticed. In any case, I'm going to explore the complex concept of Unicorn Magic. It has long been wondered how magic works (Since each and every universe has their own interpretation), but let me share my thoughts with you.
The Basics
Let us begin by taking a look at Twilight's soapbox explanation of magic, from Feeling Pinkie Keen: "Magic is something you study and practice. It only happens when you decide to do it, and it's meant to make something specific that you choose to happen, happen." That may seem like a whole lot of "No, duh" moments, but it does in fact tell us two very important things: One, that magic takes both study and practice (Likely an equal mix of the two); and Two, that in order for magic to be magic, you have to be in complete control of it. The latter can be extended to say that a failed spell is magic, whereas a spell that did something other than what it was supposed to do is not magic. So, despite the fact that Discord is capable of casting magic from his hands, his method for spreading chaos--chaos he is not fully in control of himself--was something else entirely. In other words, "chaos magic" in the ponyverse is an impossibility.
The Unicorn's Horn
Which segues into my next point--the unicorn's horn. The thing that makes unicorns identifiable amongst the rest of the breeds, the horn is widely accepted as a rod that allows unicorns to channel their magic. There is speculation that other races have a form of magic in them as well--which is what allows pegasi to change the weather and all ponies to grip things without fingers--but without a horn, they cannot harness that magic for much else. Whether these abilities are actually magic is still unknown.
When a unicorn performs magic, his or her horn will begin to glow with a certain color. This color is typically the primary color present in his or her cutie mark, or the color of his or her eyes. Unicorns who have yet to earn their cutie marks will have their magic color mirror their eyes by default. As a unicorn puts more focus into their spell (A concept that will be discussed later in this report), their horn's glow will become larger, and possibly become brighter and emit sparks. As such, you can tell if a unicorn is straining to cast magic by observing the glow enveloping their horn. Striking the unicorn's horn disrupts their magic, likely resulting in the failure of whatever spell they may be performing.
Other races have been cited as being able to use magic, such as the Changeling Queen. This suggests that features similar to the horn are implemented across several species.
The Different Types of Magic
There is more than one "type" of magic, so to speak. Let us begin at early foalhood. Despite the fact that they can barely coordinate physical movements and have no intelligence to speak of, baby unicorns can paradoxically perform magic. It is purely by accident, however, which seems to go against what Twilight said back in Feeling Pinkie Keen above. Because of the baby unicorn's simplistic nature, the magic is fairly strong, strong enough to use telekinesis on multiple objects at once. This ability fades away as a pony grows up into a filly, where they appear to be unable to cast any magic at all without great amounts of focus.
Furthermore, there is one important thing that must be addressed. It has already been stated--also in Feeling Pinkie Keen--that most unicorns only possess magic related to their special talent, with one exception. If a unicorn is gifted to earn a cutie mark in magic casting itself, doors are opened and they are free to explore any domain of magic they please. This resorts in a very odd counterbalance--unicorns that are fine-tuned to a non-magic cutie mark appear to be capable of writing or "inventing" their own spells to help in their own special talent, such as Rarity's gem-locating spell. However, unicorns with a magical cutie mark can then learn those spells. In addition, Starswirl the Bearded--one of the most powerful wizards known to ponykind, who no doubt had a magic-related cutie mark--was perfectly capable of writing hundreds upon hundreds of spells he invented himself. Why any unicorn would ever want to have a non-magical cutie mark eludes me completely.
There is one more form of magic we know of--shrouded in shadow and mystery, and not for no reason. This magic is Dark Magic, used by only three ponies so far--Celestia, Twilight, and Sombra, an expert on the subject. Dark Magic has a huge aesthetic difference from other magics; when one casts, one's horn will turn black and flash with purple and green auras. It has few uses shown, the most notable of which consists of turning the landscape around you into a twisted version of itself. It likely relates to manipulation of dark objects, dark creatures, and dark emotions. It can be cited as running off of hatred and fear, and it can be used to manipulate a pony's mind in the worst of ways. If the "dark creatures" bit rings true, it could also lead to the famous magic act of necromancy. Despite all this, however, Dark Magic does not appear to be inherently evil. Using it sparingly can be quite helpful, and the trace amounts used--at least by our two good-natured ponies--appear to have no corrupting effects on the user. Nor should it be thought that its non-dark counterpart is completely innocent and good--explosive magical blasts and death lasers can both be filed under completely normal magic.
The Study: Know Your Spellbook
Phew. With all that junk out of the way, let's finally continue to the two primary components that make a great wizard! The first component is study--learning spells. Spells can be passed down in many ways--through word of mouth, through text, and possibly in other ways as well. The actual method for casting spells is unknown, but given the proximity of a unicorn's horn to their brain, one can assume it relates to thought. Hence, knowledge is an important part of spellcasting--which also explains why many magic-oriented unicorns have sharp, scholarly minds--and is all but necessary for casting any--let alone, designing your own--spell.
The Practice: Magical Muscle
In reality, however, knowing a spell isn't the only requirement for being able to cast it. There is also some form of strong force required, the magical equivalent of physical strength--which I believe to be focus. Without this magic strength, you can know any spell you like; you just cannot cast it. Attempts to do so will put strain on your body for nothing--and if you taste success, it will only be for a few seconds before the effects of the spell are reverted. Presumably, the only way to build up your "magical muscle" is to practice magic--quite like a physical workout, exercise often and keep them strenuous. By continuing to challenge yourself with more intricate and difficult spells, you can become a stronger unicorn and make your practical uses of magic far easier.
Magic Duels: Who is the Mightier Unicorn?
Our newest episode reveals a new concept to us--an honorable duel between two unicorns. However, this is not the death-laser-shooting, element-manipulating, earth-damaging duel to the death commonly seen in other depictions of magic. No, this magic duel consists of the challenger and the defender duking it out with whatever spells they have available. Typically with the challenger leading, a spell will be cast and the other unicorn must be able to counter it. If they cannot, they have officially lost the duel, and must succumb to any demands of the winner. Though unconventional, its reasoning is understandable, as many non-magic-oriented unicorns may not be able to duel using destructive spells to destroy their opponent.
Mysteries Remained Unsolved
- What would happen to a unicorn if their horn was damaged or destroyed? Would they simply be unable to cast magic anymore, or would they still have their power?
- What changes in a unicorn's magic when they obtain a cutie mark, and how quickly do they occur?
- Just how far do the limits of having a non-magic cutie mark go? Could a unicorn, in theory, break through the wall with training, and then be free to learn whatever magic they wished?
- What is the process of writing your own spell like?
This concludes my report on magic. I hope this better helps you write magic-oriented stories; though, I presume if you're doing so, you've reached similar conclusions on your own. If anypony has any thoughts, additional theories, or additional questions, please feel free to post them in the comments section below.
Ah, glad to see this!
Overall, I like this. It makes logical sense and is consistent with what we see in canon. A couple of things I would like to add, however:
The Unicorn's Horn
We know from Ponyville Confidential that physically molesting a unicorn's horn interferes with their magic: Sweetie smacks Rarity's horn, which temporarily interrupts her magic.
Pegasi and earth ponies do have magic, by word of Faust:
This suggests that non-unicorn is completely passive, rather that actively controlled by the pony as is the case for unicorns.
There's more to life than magic. Rarity, for example, would have no use for 75% of the spells Twilight Sparkle knows, and Twilight lacks Rarity's fashion sense and social grace. In terms of power and flexibility, magic-marked unicorns clearly hold the advantage, but this is largely irrelevant for the majority of Equestria's unicorns. What is Vinyl Scratch, for instance, going to do with the power to levitate an Ursa Minor?
Mysteries Remained Unsolved
- What would happen to a unicorn if their horn was damaged or destroyed? Would they simply be unable to cast magic anymore, or would they still have their power?
Rarity is seen getting her horn filed at the spa. This suggests that unicorn horns continue to grow, which means that a damaged horn could eventually regenerate itself. Also, Celestia and Luna have enormously long horns compared to the mortal ponies, which perhaps reflects their vast age as well as their enormous magical power.
I would speculate that a hornless unicorn retains their magical power but is unable to manifest it accurately. Compare it to a garden hose with one of those seven-function nozzles, or a garden hose with the end hacked off. One is capable of a multitude of fine manipulations, while the other simply sprays water everywhere.
- What changes in a unicorn's magic when they obtain a cutie mark, and how quickly do they occur?
A cutie mark represents a pony's special talent, but as far as we know it doesn't offer any specific bonuses: it simply reinforces what was already there.
- Just how far do the limits of having a non-magic cutie mark go? Could a unicorn, in theory, break through the wall with training, and then be free to learn whatever magic they wished?
See above.
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Thanks for replying! I figured you'd have multiple helpful somethings to say.
Striking the Horn: Okay, you win. I totally forgot about that.
Passive Magic: ...I had forgotten that that was Word of Faust and not just mass speculation. Even so, is it right to call that "magic," according to Twilight's definition? Pegasi don't need to study or practice cloudwalking; it just happens on it's own. I would say it's more akin to an instinct than "passive magic."
Magic vs. Non-Magic: I understand what you're trying to say here, but I'm not sure I agree. Magic isn't just a tool you use for your job--it can also be used for recreation, entertainment, combat, the ever-so-sought-after ability of multitasking...effectively, anything you and I can do with our hands, they can do with their magic. How would you like it if you could only type on a keyboard, nothing else? In addition, such sanctions do not appear to be placed on other breeds--all pegasi can walk on clouds and help change the weather; all earth ponies are capable of growing food--so why only unicorns? This is why I feel that the answer to that last question is so important.
Question #1: ...Darn, you're right again. I had completely forgotten about that. If you'll notice, however, alicorns are completely exempt from the report, as they don't obey most normal-pony rules. The second half seems believable, but for such a touchy subject (No unicorn's going to lose their horn in a non-brutal, bloody way), I'd leave it alone.
Question #2: I wouldn't say that earning a cutie mark doesn't do nothing. I mean, its presence is alerted with a bright flash and a "shing" noise; something everyone in the nearby vicinity is going to notice. It does not seem to be too much of a stretch to assume that things change inwardly as well.
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Passive Magic
I think the issue here is one of terminology. Pegasi and earth ponies probably don't think of what they can do as "magic" since it's simply part of them. We viewers do, because it's something wholly inexplicable and impossible by a conventional understanding of physics. It makes sense that, in a world where magic is real, it would be quantified.
I am reminded of a scene in Lord of the Rings where Galadriel expresses puzzlement that Men and Hobbits use the word "magic" to refer to both the powers of the Elves (preservation and healing) and "the deceits of the Enemy" (which involve domination and destruction). They're both beyond mortal ken, so mortals seem them both as magic, but they're very distinct from each other.
Magic vs. Non-Magic
My main problem with your interpretation is that it makes magic-talented unicorns (like Twilight and, arguably, Trixie) flat-out better than non-magic-talented unicorns. Are you comfortable saying that Twilight is better than Rarity, or Vinyl Scratch? Because I'm not. It goes against the show's theme of "different but not worse."
Magic is a powerful tool, I grant, but it's not the be-all and end-all. If it were, that would make all pegasi, earth ponies, crystal ponies, mules, donkeys, griffins, etc inherently inferior to unicorns, as mundane unicorns must be to magic-talented unicorns.
In regards to the other breeds, it's true that all pegasi can walk on clouds. All unicorns can use magic. Twilight Sparkle is unusually talented with magic, and Rainbow Dash can break the sound barrier. I also feel that McIntosh's exceptional strength is partly a manifestation of his earth pony "magic."
Cutie Marks
I would say that a cutie mark is like a medal. You earn a medal for winning a competition, but the medal didn't make you win, it's merely a visible confirmation of your skills. Similarly, Twilight's cutie mark doesn't make her better at magic; it's a visible confirmation of her innate magical potential. That's my take, anyway.
I would add to what Deep Pond said that 75% of what Rarity does, a magic oriented special talent wouldn't mean very much in regards to.
Could you make a dress with magic? Probably. But what advantage is there to that over sewing it by hoof?
How would it help with finding the right color, or the right cut?