The following is a breakdown of how common forms of magic work in the Oversaturated World. There are no catchy names for the various varieties, since it’s both a very recent development and one that the majority of the world isn't/wasn’t allowed to think about for several months after the transformation.

In all cases, the magic on display has been distorted by the underlying human magic that was there all along. This has led to some bizarre shifts in the expected manifestations.

And yes, everyone with pony magic who experienced the appropriate revelation has a physically extant cutie mark in the usual places.

Oh, and comments and questions are welcome.

Earth Aspect (Not the Exalted one)

Physical Traits: People with earth pony magic have very little in the way of noticeable mutations. The only standout is that their finger and toenails are larger and thicker than normal, wrapping around the outsides of the digits to about half their circumference.

That’s not to say that those are the only changes they’ve undergone. With denser muscles, stronger bones, more efficient metabolisms, and other physical upgrades, earth-aspected people may not have anything especially flashy—well, not most of them—but their magic makes their bodies just plain work better. It’s still possible for someone with this magic to be unhealthy, whether through poor genetics or poor choices, but they’re definitely more robust on average.

Magical Traits: As per the pony tribe, most magic of this phenotype is so subtle that one can easily miss it. The physical improvements are supplemented by magical augmentations, making earth-aspected people all the stronger, faster, tougher, and healthier.

The earth pony affinity for plant life seems to have been largely lost in translation. There are a few exceptions (e.g. Tree Hugger,) but farmers can’t expect higher crop yields just because they have big nails. However, earth-aspected people have exhibited an uncanny technological aptitude. Batteries last longer, connections stay more stable, and viruses find it difficult to get a foothold.

The aformentioned exceptions of this group are especially exceptional. A few earth-aspected people lack more common gifts, but exhibit a bizarre magic all their own that, in its sphere of influence, can outclass the unicorn-aspected. Examples include the timewalking Dr. Turner (though he can’t go back to before the world changed and Sunset is keeping a very close eye on him;) Pinkie Pie, who has grown only more powerful; and Principal Celestia, who exhibits an almost Kryptonian reaction to sunlight.

Pegasus Aspect

Physical Traits: The most obvious change in people with pegasus magic is the cervical down, a patch of fluffy feathers along the back of the neck. The feathers are tougher than they look, but removing them will disable flight until they grow back. Fortunately, with virtually no other outlet, internal magical pressure causes the feathers to grow back in two to three days at the latest. Other physical changes include tweaks to the muscles and nervous system that allow for faster reaction times, increased visual acuity, and some reduced regions of bone matrix, with the remaining material forming honeycomb patterns to maintain strength.

However, a relatively rare but related phenotype has no down, instead creating a region of hyperpigmentation on the back of the neck. Accompanying this are slit pupils, increased light sensitivity for good and for ill, and in certain cases, changes in activity cycle.

Magical Traits: Flight is first and foremost among this group’s magical capabilities, using a magical construct projected from the cervical down or hyperpigmented region. The construct appears as solid light the same color as the person’s skin (which, for the rare cases, means it’s darker than their usual skin tone.) The construct’s shape depends on the person’s velocity. It forms a bowlike curve suggesting spread wings when still, gradually shifting to a hyperbolic curve with ever-greater speeds. Sufficient speed will result in a “contrail” effect, partially an optical illusion caused by the construct’s glow, partially an effect of the sheer magical output. Control in flight is largely a matter of weight distribution and thinking oneself in a given direction, and the average person’s magical reserve can maintain flight at running speed for hours before having to rest. As with a car, higher velocity means lower efficiency.

Also notable and perhaps even more important is crash resistance. With wings out, a pegasus-aspected person can withstand an incredible amount of blunt force with no ill effects.

Cloudwalking and weather control do not appear to be part of the suite. This is uncertain, but very difficult to test. The clouds haven’t gotten any lower, smaller, or denser; and the self-managing climate hasn’t stopped being a thing. However, many pegasus-aspected people can see clear details from several times as far as others, and the rare cases’ excellent night vision is supplemented by seeing into the near infrared when little to no other light presents itself (and only then, underscoring the likely magical nature of the sensory expansion.)

Beyond the aforementioned “bat” variant, exceptions to the pegasus norm are very rare. They tend to either enhance some aspect of the usual suite to a ludicrous extent, such as Ditzy Doo’s hyperdimensional capabilities, or like earth pony variants, present a power totally unlike those abilities at the apparent “cost” of less flight capability, as with Fluttershy’s animal empathy and Dean Cadence’s near-telepathic sense for interpersonal relationships.

Unicorn Aspect

Physical Traits: Unicorn magic leaves two notable marks: pointed, “elven” ears and an unfaceted, elliptical crystal embedded in the middle of the forehead. The gem is the same color as the person’s eyes, and despite appearances, its composition is very similar to bone matrix. Indeed, it is either attached to the cranium or an outgrowth of it. Cracking the gem is hypothetically possible, but requires so much force that fatal brain damage is likely to result first.

Beyond these, unicorn-aspected people experienced very few mutations. There are some alterations to the brain, but there has been no measurable uptick in this group’s intelligence. (More’s the pity for some of them.)

Magical Traits: The gem functions almost identically to a unicorn’s horn, providing very similar spellcasting capabilities, complete with the signature glow of a magical aura. Much as in Equestria, virtually everyone in this group can use telekinesis and project light, as well as perform a few spells linked to their special talent. However, the different magic levels and laws of physics make some great feats infeasible. Moving heavenly objects, for example, is right out, especially if Sunset Shimmer has anything to say about it. (Spoiler alert: She does.)

However, while the ceiling is lower, the room is wider. On average, humans are a bit more magically versatile and prone to experiment than unicorns, even with the memetic block in place. Some spells considered impossible in Equestria have already been devised in this world, whether because of different universal constants, the addition of human magic, or just because the spell’s creator didn’t know it couldn’t be done.

There are no unusual unicorn-aspected people per se because there isn’t really a baseline. They could all be seen as unusual. That said, there certainly are standouts. Vice Principal Luna’s dream magic and Sweetie Belle’s strange form of musical divination are virtually unique, and Twilight Sparkle’s sheer power is as incredible in this world as it is in Equestria.

So, are gender spells actually impossible under the Equestrian System, or not?

5067422 That was the implication in the show.

5067422 PEDANTRY ALERT: I'd like to think that spells affecting gender identity are universally considered deeply unethical, if they're possible at all. Spells affecting physical sex, on the other hand, are believed to be impossible by scholars of Unicorn Pony Magic, yet have already been developed by Unicorn Human mages.

5067580

It might be a case of lower genetic complexity. Ponykind has three physically distinct tribes at minimum, with a minor variation of coat patterns and a major variation of mane patterns even before coloration and styling are accounted for. Factor in their high-magic physiology, and it might very well be that sex-change spells simply require too much energy and precision for ponies to accomplish. Humans, conversely, have a very basic sex code: "You have a Y chromosome? Congrats, you're a guy." Minor mutations from this standard do exist, don't get me wrong, but all in all it's a lot easier to flip a Y to an X or vice versa.

5067580

Well, yes. ... I said 'Gender Spells' 'cause that's what FOME used, IIRC, and saying 'Sex Spells' is more likely to be interpreted as Seduction Spells and stuff, due to the shortening of 'Sexual Intercourse' into 'sex'.

... Why you would want to make a spell to mess with gender identity, unless as a 'cure', or whatever for transgenders or whatever, I've got very mad scientist ideas there... I don't want to think about it any further... ... Curse Magic... And that would fall under Neuromancy or Psychomancy or whatever, so in the domain of those in Psychological Cutie Marks and stuff. (Not up on the latest terms, but you know what I mean, right?)

5086299

So, I guess summoning yourself is telefrag? Or turning yourself inside out? Or what?

5087374
Turning yourself inside out by magically grabbing the inside of your horn (or equivalent body part) and pulling. Not fun.

5067842

.. Why you would want to make a spell to mess with gender identity, unless as a 'cure', or whatever for transgenders or whatever,

Because you are a bad person and turning another person's psyche inside out is hilarious to you.

I mean if I was going to mess with neuromancy for that reason I'd go with spells that make you recognise yourself as something different, but nobody else is aware of the change to your mind, and you haven't physically changed, just set it up so that "If Gender is Y, identify as X: if Gender is X, identify as Y: set loop: engrave to engram".

But then again I tend to see the worst in Psychomancy and Neuromancy from my headcanon being the way "The Dresden Files" handles it.

5503856

Well, yeah. ... Dresden-reader here as well. Psycho-surgery could go very wrong, depending on how the magic system works. But, carte blache to alter minds, depending on morality and/or skill of the person doing it, could go very wrong, very quickly. See Mindf*** from Empowered... Or rather not...

Hell, we don't even have to go to other works to talk about Neuromancy. EQG and MLP:FiM has neuromancy. Discord, Want It Need It, Changeling Brainwashing...

Then there's non-magical psychological alteration techniques, mainly Starlight's Commune stuff, though.

But, there are other, more positive uses for Psychomancy. Depression Cures, Fear Erasure, Mind Enhancement, etc.

... And on Dresden Files, Molly had good intentions, it's just she was heavy-handed about her neuromancy, and there might have been more morally good methods of curing the drug addiction, like reducing the cravings, to get a clearer head? Given how the Dresden magic system works, though, the best way might have been to not use magic at all though, like a forced rehab/house arrest thing, which has its own problems? But at least doesn't drive people insane?

Magic Of The Wholesome

The Wholesome is the earthworld equivalent of changelings, consisting of a religious/philosophical group led by an ex-girlfriend of Luna. Their basic tenant is that everyone is incomplete, and only by interaction can completion be made; prior to the Saturation, this primarily consisted of members serving a microscopic form of communism and unofficial polygamy. Their true might was not made apparent until the Saturation occurred.

Ordinary cultists of the Wholesome have gained a method of magical enhancement, wherein being the subject of positive opinion gives them a boost to the raw power they have; for this reason, they tend to be free-love and very eager to please in both sexual and nonsexual manners. They've also learned to directly manipulate their chromelanin; while this does not outright allow them to switch their associated pony caste, it has given them a reputation as shapeshifters and impersonators. Usually members of the Wholesome use their chromelanin alteration during their attendance of Wholesome Services, shifting to the black-skin green-hair of their leader to signify that they all are one, but some have used it to hide activity meant to "even" economics or take on personas to spy on or provide therapy to those outside the Wholesome. All secrets learned are shared, but only with those within the group.

Wholesome members can be converted to High Priests, and indeed most of the High Priest caste are the original members of the group. High priests lead sects or cells of the Wholesome in lieu of Chrysalis, acting out her will in places she cannot. In addition to the usual Wholesome magical abilities, the High Priests have the ability to connect to their followers on a deep mental level; while using this ability, they can feel what their followers feel, and their eyes glow an eerie shade of blue. This allows them to mentally assess who needs what in their sect and act accordingly; while they cannot use their empathy on those outside the Wholesome, the high priests do study psychology and sociology to better use their ability and thus can be remarkably talented at reading those outside the group, to the point that some accuse them of being outright mind readers. High priests are also able to generate green fire, which won't burn unless it is separated from their magic field either willingly or by force; still, it's intimidating and can be used as a weapon in extreme cases.

Chrysalis herself has gained outright telepathic connection to the high priests, and is unique amongst the Wholesome in the fact that she is able to change her aspect at will. Furthermore, she has demonstrated genetic-based physical alteration, being able to take on the form of any human she sees and can imagine; while she can theoretically match up eyescans and finger prints, she does need to see them first. Because of her position as the head of the Wholesome, she receives a constant influx of respect and outright worship from other members, granting her significant magical power; this, combined with her ability to mimic spells she sees, makes her a highly-capable and very dangerous magician. Fortunately for the world at large, her goal seems to be 'filling the holes of humanity's soul'; she does not seem to be intent on outright conquest, but rather a gradual religious conversion to the Wholesome.

While the majority of humanity has a connection to pony magic, not all of them do. Here are Mr. Discord's notes on three minority cases:

Griffon Aspect

Physical Traits: Two different phenomena could be seen as a griffon-aspected person's most notable physical change. The first is a set of dermally heterochromelanic facial markings. These range from simple rings around the eyes to elaborate geometric arrays, with women usually having more complex and colorful sets of markings than men. Second is the spinal down. Rather than a pegasus-aspected person's large patch of feathers, those with griffon magic exhibit a narrow strip of down that runs from the scalp down to the lumbar region, where it transitions to an equally narrow strip of hair that tapers off at the second lumbar vertebra. The color of this hair has no association with any other hair on the person's body.

Griffon magic also causes accelerated hair and nail growth, though the former is present more on areas below the waist. Other physical shifts similar to pegasus-aspected people are also on display, though griffon aspects have superior visual acuity and worse reaction times than that group.

Magical Traits: Foremost is flight, which functions similarly to pegasus magic but manifests very differently. Rather than a "wingbow," griffon-aspected people project a curved, trapezoidal plane reminiscent of a cape when producing lift. This construct is only faintly luminous, translucent, and has a noticeable lensing effect on light that passes through it. It shows no sign of warping or deformation at different airspeeds. While there is no visible connection between lift plane and spinal down, experiments with wetsuits have demonstrated that some portion of the latter needs to be exposed to atmosphere project the former.

Also notable are destructive force fields projected by finger and toenails. All test subjects demonstrated the ability to activate and deactivate these fields; most thought of this action in terms of extending and retracting claws, many independently from one another. Magical resonance imaging showed that fingertips are sheathed in tapered conical "talon" structures, while toe tips project focused, needlelike "claws." Both constructs are sharp enough to score hardwood. Field integrity appears proportional to velocity; the faster a griffon-aspected person's limbs are moving, the sturdier their claws. The fields have no tactile sensitivity.

Aerial velocity and crash resistance are generally greater than the pegasus-aspected average, but griffon-aspects tend towards worse maneuverability, both in general and as a function of velocity.

Side Note: Three curious correlations were observed among the available test subjects that have no apparent basis in aspect-based biology or magic:

• All subjects had notably subdued coloration compared to the average.
• Eighty-five percent of all subjects had first names that started with the letter G.
• There was only a single Harmonist in the group. (On a more solidly causal note, she had recently received her icon, but it had not appeared on her hips. Sunset Shimmer has confirmed that this corresponds to the relationship between Equestrian griffons and cutie marks, i.e., there isn't one.)

Diamond Dog Aspect

Physical Traits: This aspect's most immediately obvious trait is extreme brachial hypertrophy. Each subject's forearms were measurably longer and thicker than normal, their hands larger, and their nails thicker and darker. More than one subject made valid comparisons to Bugeye the Sailor. Upper body strength is dramatically above normal, as is endurance. Muscle and tendon structure seem designed to easily withstand repetitive stress.

Subjects' hearing range extends into both the infra- and ultrasonic. Light sensitivity is heightened, for good and for ill. Despite the name of the Equestrian creature with which Sunset Shimmer associated the subjects, color vision is wholly unaffected. Olfaction shows no sign of improvement, though mucus shows much greater efficiency in capturing particulates. In terms of sensory enhancements, the most interesting may be a potentially quasimagical sense of position, described below.

All subjects also had unusually colored sclera, but according to them, that had been the case before the change. In some cases, I can personally attest that the same can be said about their intelligence and odor.

Magical Traits: The hands of a Diamond Dog-aspected person project a short-range disruptive field that greatly softens most earthen materials. Combined with their prodigious upper body strength both physical and magical, this allows this phenotype to practically swim underground. This is greatly aided by the aforementioned sense of position; all subjects have noted an innate sense of depth and location relative to familiar landmarks, most often their homes and Canterlot High. They have also proven nearly impossible to disorient. (On a related note, I'm going to need some new computer chairs.)

Furthermore, by resting their hands against soil, rock, or even concrete, the subjects were able to get a rough sense of the layout of material and tunnels in their immediate vicinity, a sort of magical echolocation or ground-penetrating radar. This sense appears to have no biological basis whatsoever.

Side Note: Again, notably subdued coloration among this group. Most curious.

Siren Aspect

Allow me to preface this entry with an important caveat: The following observations are based solely on a single subject, my capable assistant Sonata Dusk. She and her colleagues appear to be the only representatives of this phenotype on the planet, though Sunset Shimmer has acknowledged that others may be out there.

Physical Traits: Ms. Dusk's most immediately notable mutation is her ears, which have become finlike structures with auditory meatuses in front and behind them. Despite the apparent flaws in this design, they have an incredible range of auditory sensitivity, both in range and direction, through mechanisms discussed below.

Ms. Dusk also has gills, which are nearly invisible when not in use; even she didn't realize she had them at first. Endoscopy has shown that her trachea forks into three paths, mediated by a pair of valves similar in structure to a set of Prench doors, located just below her larynx. When "open," the valves keep air out of Ms. Dusk's gills. When closed, they keep water out of her lungs. Her toes are slightly elongated compared to the norm and webbed.

Most unusually, Ms. Dusk's diet seems to have shifted. Her teeth are notably sharper, with pointed incisors, canines reminiscent of shark teeth, and less complex premolars. With her permission, I rendered parts of her abdomen transparent and found that her small intestinal tract had shortened by roughly ten percent. While Ms. Dusk is still fully capable of digesting plant matter, her body has clearly shifted to a more carnivorous state than before, one closer to her original Equestrian body.

Magical Traits: Ms. Dusk's ear fins magically generate subtle pressure differentials that concentrate sound waves into her auditory meatuses and amplify them as they go in. She cannot say for certain whether she had perfect pitch before, but she certainly does now. Her feet act as hydrokinetic projectors, providing propulsive power far in excess of what one might expect from the relatively minor amount of webbing.

One ability appears to have no organic basis; Ms. Dusk is remarkably difficult for Sunset Shimmer to locate supernaturally. When presented with three doors and asked to choose the one Ms. Dusk stood behind, Ms. Shimmer only had a forty percent success rate, though she was able to consistently choose either the right door or one adjacent to it. Ms. Dusk was unsurprised by this, calling it "hiding in the harmony."

Sadly, the full extent of Ms. Dusk's abilities remain unknown. There is a large concentration of nerves and blood vessels at a point just above her manubrium that appear to have no purpose and would have likely connected to the crystalline organ she lost during the Battle of the Bands, which she calls her heartstone. Sunset Shimmer has told her that she will "think about" restoring it based on Ms. Dusk's continuing good behavior. Ms. Dusk has asked that I not attempt to recreate it; apparently my Equestrian analogue is the star of an unpleasant bit of siren oral tradition concerning such things.

Magic of Aztlan

Professor and archaeologist Ahuizotl has long sought to recover the lost culture of his ancestors; however, his habit of hiring less than savory people to help him claim artifacts and occasional shady dealings earned him the ire of respected historian and novelist A.K. Yearling, who set out to discredit him in her own writings. After the return of magic, however, Ahuizotl utilized one of the artifacts still in his possession, transforming himself and very publicly demanding retribution for all the objects 'stolen' from his people. A small number of individuals joined him, seeking to collect other such objects; this eventually led to the Quetzacoatl incident, after which Ahuizotl founded the Aztlan Institute to collect and organize potentially dangerous artifacts.

The primary focus is on the Aztlan culture, of course, and research into their artifacts has gone quite in depth. Aztlan appeared to believe in literal sacrifice fueling demiurges of the world; this belief is reflected in many of their magical devices obtaining power through residual magic in blood. Apparently this is a distinctly human form of magic, as Sunset Shimmer had not heard of it before arriving on Earth. These minor Aztlan artifacts are generally allowed to be displayed and replicated by the world at large, as they generally have minor positive effects ranging from agricultural assistance to easing construction; there is some debate as to whether it is safe or moral to allow blood-fueled objects to be open to the public, but each country handles such legislation on its own initiative.

More powerful Aztlan artifacts are strictly regulated by both the Aztlan institute and governments on the whole, although as they generally require some form of death or torture to fuel there is usually little need for worry. Some artifacts utilize animal sacrifice, absorbing the entire magical matrix of the creature put on display; this generally either fuels an 'area of effect' spell such as weather alteration or crop increasing, or merges the magical matrix with that of the user to permanently alter their body and grant new abilities. Many Aztlan Institute members have utilized these artifacts; the most well known, of course, are Ahuizotl's personal bodyguard, five young ladies who sport flexible ears, actual tails, and retractable claws alongside increased visual acuity and reflexes.

Other artifacts require portions of a human body, such as the heart or stomach, which appear to correlate to magical "nodes" in human biology. These tend to be central altars or statues in old Aztlan settlements, and the institute is working with world governments to collect them quickly; it is suspected that they are capable of far more powerful magic than mere 'animal sacrifice' altars, and it is known that Ahuizotal cut out his own head gem to use one such altar in order to induce his transformation. Given that he is now capable of extremely potent hydrokinesis, including the ability to manipulate water vapor and both the blood of others and his own, it's generally assumed these artifacts were intended to be used only by the elite.

The greatest power the Aztlan appeared to have, however, were their temples. By sacrificing an entire human on the trigger altar, they apparently were able to summon great and terrible beings. It's unclear what they did this for, or if they could control these creatures, but after the Quetzalcoatl incident the world governments set up numerous checkpoints around these temples. Sunset Shimmer has offered the theory that the dormancy of human magic actually suppressed the usefulness of Aztlan artifacts until recently, thus explaining their habit of multiple sacrifice in the days prior to their fall to colonists.

5063095 Huh. I guess I should have read this before I wrote my two vignettes.

5532302
It's fine. Group Precipitation's canonicity goes all over the place. Though now you know for the future.

I'd think you'd find at least some Sea-Pony Aspect people on pacific islands and a few other places.

5537071
The question of whether Sirens are Seaponies is... a minor fandom debate. I've seen both "yes" and "no"--I've written "yes," but not "no."

5538403 In this case i think that Sea-Pony Aspect people would be nearly identical to Sonata but with out the shift tword being a carnivore. Any other differences would be cultural.

5538403 The MLP movie next year is supposedly going to be heavy on seaponies. What chance do you think there is of them looking like the sirens we see in Rainbow Rocks? I mean, I've seen some fanon that the Sirens are demonic-form transformed seaponies. But base-form? Ehhh... it doesn't match the design philosophy of G4 or, really, pony in general.

Actually, now that I think about it, is the fanon about griffons being carnivorous based on any actual canon? IIRC the only thing we see actual on-screen griffons eating are pastries. We've seen more ponies fishing than any actual civilian meat-eaters on the show, discounting the "monsters" trying to eat the protagonists.

5538438
I'm reserving judgement until I get concrete data.

5538466
They're made of lions and eagles. It seems like a safe bet.

Do you think the Sea-Pony Aspects, as they can now breath underwater, started building everything deep undersea?
i mean, if you could breath underwater, wouldn't you make some homes there as well?
some places where only you could go, relatively safe from other people?

5597741
There may not be sea pony aspects.

They may all be Siren aspects.

Whoooooo knooooooooooooooooows probably FomE I'm being pedantic.

5597756
since the Sirens shown so far have become more carnivorous, like, shark-ike teeth and stuff, does that include a higher tolerance for raw meat?
i'm imagining a sole siren luring a shark towards them, before more sirens come out of the shadows, descending on the shark like a school of ravenous piranha...

There are no Dragon aspects, apparently? Or are they confined to dogs? ... Or too magical to be supported in the OW? So, no other Equestrian wildlife, like Phoenixes, Timberwolves, etc?

5657934
Funny you should ask. One short I have planned involves a certain Hosstralian native with volume control issues who lives in the town of Bloodstone.

In any case, dragon magic does still exceed this world's stable threshold. For now. Evolution has yet to stumble upon the possibilities of magic. It will take hundreds of thousands if not millions of years for magical wildlife to develop in the Oversaturated World, but it will happen... so long as humanity doesn't kill everything first. Or engineer magical species themselves. And while dragons will still get transformed when going through the portal, quite a few other species can now make it through wholly unaffected. Given the portal's location, interdimensional animal trafficking isn't likely, but it is possible.

And then there are microbes. When generations are measured in hours, evolution happens all the faster. Native magical wildlife won't happen for quite some time, magical diseases are just around the corner.

Zebra aspects? Does Discord's Siren Aspect info change with finding Countess Coloratura?

I guess there's no equivalent to the Neo-Changelings from the Season 6 Finale...

5658174
Still deciding what to do for zebra aspects, since there's virtually no data on zebra magic even in Equestria. As for Coloratura, she's too busy touring to advance the understanding of her aspect for the near future.

5657934
I too am working on figuring out at least one dragon-based character, though if FOME is hinting at what I think they are here 5658004 then I might be delaying that chapter of Playing Hero a bit to see how things pan out

5658220
I would think Zebra magic would be akin to changeling magic--overlayed instead of inherent.

5663580
Possible, but that still doesn't address what it actually is.

hmm...
maybe they can instinctively make potions and stuff?
are suited for being in the sun for a long time, and have a way with words that lets them rhyme easily?

5693443 I would hope the rhyming is only endemic to the shaman class of zebra, or else the native language is so sibilant heavy that when learning another language its difficult to NOT try and make your verbiage flow to a more natural to ones culture flow.

Onto the abilities, lets say as strong as a earth aspected person. About half as fast to say 1/4th as fast as a Pegasus aspected person. Excellent night vision, as well as all around better sensorium perception than most other aspected persons, maybe into the infra red and microscopic. Magical ability to tell when something is sick or bad to consume.

Just a few ideas that burbled into my head. Nothing canon unless FOME likes any of it

5693692
Hmm. I do like the idea of augmented and additional senses. There's definitely something to work with there.

Whatever Zebra magic is, it's very subtle in what it does. Like Episode VI style force stuff.

5694011 was reading the wiki for zebras and apparently they have color vision and can see quite well in the dark. I only guessed at the speed thing since as more wild equine than the current domestication of horses which is more on hauling power/general hardiness. Domestication usually dulls senses a bit but since Zebra are still a untamed specie of horse it would make more sense for them to be more aware of their surroundings.

Other than that maybe they have a more cultural form of magic, maybe like the wholesome but more based upon storytelling and their ancestors? Maybe something like this.
Or something like this.
Or artifacts like this

Just remembered about the Yaks. ... Yak Aspect? ... Probably really tough?

5717567
Still deciding on them, especially since I don't want too much overlap with donkey aspects. Really, yaks in the show don't give us much to work with beyond exceptional belligerence and propensity for smashing.

5717621
FOME MAKE YAK ASPECT PERFECT! IF YAK ASPECT NOT PERFECT YAK SMASH!

5717870
All the more reason to take my time in defining it.

YAKSPECT

PHYSICAL TRAITS: PERFECT

MAGICAL TRAITS: PERFECT

SIDE NOTE: AAAAAAAAA

Thank goodness that's over with. I've never met the king of Yakyakistan, but I have to assume he's nothing like his youngest. After all, the country hasn't exploded. Still, he did send Rutherford as a diplomatic envoy, which implies either a frightening degree of insanity in a national leader, a disturbing sense of humor, or a desire to be rid of the smash-happy imbecile when he inevitably overstepped the bounds of diplomatic immunity. Rutherford is clearly off the deep end himself. Who actually types out a scream?

In any case, I might as well make the most of this opportunity:

Yak Aspect (Provisional)

Physical Traits: Much like the zebra aspect (Note to self: Find volunteers for controlled trials with that one), the yak aspect is a very regional one, largely focused in central Neighsia. As such, certain features could be attributed to ethnic physiognomy, environmental influence, magical endowment, or some combination thereof. My sample size thus far has consisted of a grand total of three specimens, all male, so I cannot yet say for certain if the body-wide hair growth that puts griffon aspects to shame is shared by the women, or whether the individual bulk is a function of their transformation rather than their upbringing. However, the dark, round nodules above each ear are definitely new.

Magical Traits: All three foreign undignitaries exhibited incredible tolerance for extreme temperatures. This would be under physical traits were it not for their tolerance for extremely high temperatures. I made the NAHTI into a sauna for the better part of a minute and they didn't even seem to notice despite wearing enough fabric to supply the Manehattan Garment District.

However, the most notable aspect to their magic functions in direct relation to their velocity. The faster they go, the harder they hit, far in excess of what poor, abused physics would imply. Their resistance to the inevitable impacts also rises in the same manner. Yak aspects are living battering rams, as they so aptly demonstrated before I ushered them out of my workspace. Through entirely harmless teleportation, I might add.

Honestly, I have no problem with people coming in from far and wide to pay their respects to Sunset. Just don't go bothering me when all of you do it unless you have something constructive to offer.

5717567 5717870
In case you haven't seen it yet, the yak aspect profile is now up, and directly above this one. (Or below it, depending on your settings.)

5769863
5770850
I love the take on it! Minor regional aspects- that's a thing! I figure Buffalo aspects might be cut from a similar cloth out in the Amareican south west, but with a bit of a reversal- expected to just be equipped better for hot temperatures, but also deal with the cold surprisingly well, hulk-smash levels of velocity physics breaking, etc.

5770850

Due to the latest story, which reveals that Sunset can lower people's power levels...

... Why didn't she do that to Sour Sweet, to help with her hallucinations... But... that might not have solved her problem?

... FOME, as an Admin, do you get notified whenever someone posts, so I don't have to tag you? Or what?

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Two reasons:
• Watsonianly, Sunset can't pull off the delicate open-soul surgery of lessening magic without outright destroying it without a lot of power behind her. At the moment, that means she needs the whole Superconsciousness of Harmony backing her so the sheer concentration of arcane power doesn't do more harm than good. Switching aspects is comparatively easier... assuming she ever did such a thing in the first place.
• Doylistically, "With Great Sour" and "Comes Great Sweetsponsibility" are cases of Early Installment Weirdness that came about because I hadn't yet expressed my intentions regarding what aspects the Shadowbolts have in this setting. I like the concept, but the details are a headache to resolve, especially Lemon Zest. (No offense meant, Weaver.)

And to answer your other question, I don't get any special notifications when people comment in threads I make. Either you have to reply to something or I have to look at the Groups page and see the thread has something new in it.

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Crystal Aspect

The magic of the crystal ponies seems to have had an odd translation to humanity. For one thing, I'm informed that the citizens of the crystal empire are crystalline in addition to being one of the pony tribes, where on Earth it has not been demonstrated to coexist with any other aspects. For another, crystal ponies are concentrated in the deceptively named 'Crystal Empire,' which is really more of a preserve for their culture, and on Earth they seem to be evenly scattered around the globe. And I do mean scattered--the census data seems to suggest that one out of every thousand individuals in any given area, be it town, state, or country, is crystalline in nature. Then again, all crystal aspects I've contacted thus far happen to be intellectually gifted, so there might be a correlation there... more data is required.

Physical Traits: Individuals with the crystal aspect have both the least and most invasive physical mutation; their squamous epithelial cells will undergo a molecular restructuring during the process of keratinization, resulting in a quasicrystal structure of hair and skin cells. Since this does not cause any obvious specializations, a crystal aspect does not need to change much about their hygiene habits; they simply have to deal with the fact that their skin and hair will refract light from now on, as well as produce audible sound when put under enough duress; the ordinary erosion of the sole is enough to create a wind-chime like noise, a sudden stiffening of shock is akin to glass breaking, and professor Laurel has demonstrated the ability to produce harp-like music with a flick of her styled coif.

Magical Traits: The crystalline dermal layer apparently serves as a magical amplifier, both outwardly and inwardly. That is to say, spells cast on a crystal aspect have more potent effects then spells cast on any other, and by the same token those with crystal aspects can save a 'charge' that will affect any magic that they use. This can be both a blessing and a curse--magic is, at least partially, influenced by emotion, and I have seen first hand what anger can do in their hands. On the flipside, Laurel also demonstrated the ability to manifest a crystal filled with joy (somehow); the student she gave it to (who has requested to remain anonymous) reported that it helped her with the emotional aspects of her schizophrenia, although not the hallucinatory ones. Presumably, creating a crystal with that intent and infusing it with joy would work much better; however, I don't know if it would be temporary or not.

On an interesting note, all known members of the Crystal aspect are intellectually gifted but also suffer from some version of confidence issues. Perfectionism, nervousness, crippling humbleness... if I stuck all the crystal aspects I've interviewed in a room, there would be a wave of compliments followed by a group-wide breakdown as none of them believed any of the words the others were saying. Or perhaps that's hyperbole and they'd actually manage to figure out how to like themselves for themselves. I don't know. Still, it's an interesting thing to note: the ones that shine, both with potential and in the literal sense, are the ones that second-guess themselves. Food for thought, I suppose.

Thinking about Flurry Heart, and the fact she has every non-overlayed aspect of the new world... did not think that through when developing the lore, but here we are!

To outline her physiology:

• Flurry Heart has a total of five 'protrusions' on her head, the same color as her eyes. The centermost one on her forehead is the smallest and most gemlike, the two above her eyebrows are medium and smooth, and the pair above each ear is the largest and roughest. It's sort of like she's wearing a crown, but it's embedded into her skin.
• Her skin and hair are also crystalline, like the Crystal Ponies. And on her face is a dermal pattern--a set of spirals around her eyes that match the color of her hair streaks.
• Other details about her head region: her ears are shaped somewhere between Dark Crystal "Gelfling" and Harry Potter "House Elf." Pointed and droopy, but soft as opposed to Warcraft Elf stiff ears.
• Moving down, she has a patch of feathers that run down the back of her neck and can be used to project a 'lightbow', a sort of curved arc of light that lets her fly around.
• Her arms are interestingly proportioned--animeesque Megaman style, I think is the best way to describe it. Upper arms are 'normal', but lower arms are larger ovoid sort of things. And she has fingernails that wrap around the tip of her fingers, as opposed to just being on top.
• Her feet are longer than normal and webbed. Which probably means she wears spats instead of shoes. Or at least open-toed shoes.

I really want a cute little picture of a ten-year-old Flurry Heart, just to see what this even looks like.

Ancient Magic Users

The Aztlan Institute has made it public knowledge that magic existed long ago, before vanishing almost entirely for a thousand years for reasons that are unknown. The key word in that sentence is "almost." Enough magic remained for chromelanin to still function, for people to determine their icons, for the occasional poorly recorded incidents of prestidigitation and psychic activity. More importantly, enough magic remained to affect the ancient societies and peoples that had been reliant on its use prior to its disappearance.

An obvious example would be the Aztlan society itself. While the exact details of the events have been distorted through multiple colonial conquests, historians now suspect that they practiced human sacrifice on a much lesser scale before the vanishing of magic in order to fuel their artifacts. The vanishing was likely interpreted as a 'whim of the gods' and resulted in the Aztlan deciding to raid the kingdoms around them for more sacrifices, in order to increase the amount of magical power that went into their magical systems. How successful this would have been is not known, but analysis indicates that at least the lesser artifacts would still function with an increased level of blood donation. Gathering the same amount of thaumatic power from the human body would take more deaths after the vanishing, but hypothetically it was possible. Of course, history being what it is, we cannot know for certain.

However, another society, that of ancient Khepri, also utilized magic in the construction of their buildings. While the pyramids were fueled by the background magic of the world instead of blood, they have served as a case study of how magical use was affected by the Vanishing. The ancient enchantments themselves still remain, though damaged and disrupted by activities during magic's repression; they simply did not have the power to operate and fell dormant. This is similar to many cases of ancient magic resurfacing through the world; devices and enchantments that powered down due to lack of background energy, suddenly being able to activate again due to the saturation, though very few do so automatically--either due to intentional design or, more often, unintentional sabotage in the intervening years.

WARNING: CLASSIFIED MATERIAL FOLLOWS.

However, at least one individual from Khepri was able to survive to the modern day by modifying the magic that animated her to accept thaumatic energy from the blood of others. She became, in essence, a vampiric lich, and conducted her necessary killings through unknown means. Her existence is only known due to an incident with agent Summer Rose and [REDACTED], involving the attempted thievery of her property. The agent reported the event and Interpol surrounded the individual's house, but she had already vacated the premises with a large portion of her belongings.

This individual is intelligent, clearly used to avoiding detection, and has been at this game for literal centuries. More frightening than the danger she presents, though, is the possibility that she may not be the only one of her kind. Even assuming a low percentage of people, say one in a million, determined how to live through the vanishing, even factoring in the much smaller population of the world in the old days, and even presuming some of them died to their own hubris or random chance, there is still the possibility of somewhere upward of a hundred ancient magic users using less than moral means to remain alive. Frankly, discovering one was pure, dumb luck.

Are there Dragon aspects? And if so what is the determination for one to be a dog/cat/other domestic species and a dragon. Also what are their powers if they exist?
(Sorry if how I previously phrased this was rude)

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Only seen in Playing Hero, and not much? But at least it's something?

https://www.fimfiction.net/story/349631/7/playing-hero/worthy-of-the-legend

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Thank you for the answer