//------------------------------//
// Lesson 7: Mastery levels 
// Story: The Basics of the Equestrian Magic 
// by MirroredHawk 
//------------------------------//

“I guess you already understood that it is impossible to learn any spell without some practise or years of training. Formally, spells are divided by the difficulty of their mastering and use, from beginner to grandmaster as follows:

1.  Beginner – these spells can be mastered almost by any unicorn. Levitation, fire, light, simple illusions and so on. The simplest spells you can think of.
2.  Adept – spells which require some amount of training. Object detection, teleportation of the object, simple healing, growing of small plants, illusions and lots of others. Many spells are considered to be adept level, which you usually see in your everyday life.
3.  Specialist – these are the spells which you learn in the end of you studies in the simple Equestrian university. Teleportation spell, simple attack and protection spells, some transmutation and transformation spells, complex healing spells, stun, warming, cooling and so on... It depends on the unicorn specialisation.
4.  Master – such spells demand years of training and practising, as well as masterful ability to control the magic flow. Unicorn gets full control over levitation only on this level. Such spells as group teleportation, sedation, self-levitation and other hard and complex spells. Achieving this level of mastery unicorn is able to create his own spells and experiment with the variations of the existing ones.
5.  Grandmaster – the hardest spells unicorns are able to learn. The amount of practise needed for their use is enormous. Some unicorns spend their lifetime to learn them. Only the older unicorns are able to master these spells simply due to the amount of stored magic needed for their use. Temporary time freezing, temporary age change, shapeshifting close to changeling's one and so on... Very few unicorns are able to reach grandmasters level. Star Swirl was one of those. Nowadays our Princess is able to cast the most complex spells and adjust them in some ways, but, unlike Star Swirl, she's struggling with the creation of new ones.
6.  Special – spells, which can be used only by certain creatures. Princess Luna's control over the daytime as well as dream walking, for example. The nature of such spells is unknown to us and to Princess as well. These spells cannot be classified as natural, since Cadance is unable to dream walk. — Lecturer stopped a bit and scenically whispered, — It would be a disaster if she could. Anyway. Princess told, that it has very natural scent to it, though she still had to learn how to use this spell. Due to the clear exceptional state of such spells, they are considered to be "special".

“Yeah, a long path awaits you, young unicorns. You all will learn at least specialist level spells, be sure of that. Nowadays specialists in healing are exceptionally valuable, as well as martial arts. Pay attention to this. Also, I have a friend-healer, who can arrange special lessons for you to see how it is done on practise. But now you really should concentrate on learning simplest spells. Practise, study, read, enlighten yourself. In most cases if you are able to control your feelings and thoughts then you are able to control magic. And in order to control your feelings and thoughts, you have to be erudite, wise and smart.

“All next lessons will be describing certain schools of magic.”