Herd Apple must deal with the impact of their various adventures, especially those that might end life in Equestria, and Equus, as they know it.
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Can someone explain to me the six types of Harmony magic (Laughter, Honesty, etc.) and their counterparts? Or, at the very least, point me to one of Graves' works or blogs that explains them?
11018075
You know, it's something I've hinted at, and started to explain way back in Continuity Disrupted (link!) but never fully detailed it. It breaks down like this:
There are six fields of magic, each with a counterpart. All spells fall into one or more of those fields. Likewise, a unicorn's special talent may fall into one or more of those fields, and she has an easier time learning and using spells from that field. The six fields are:
Honesty (Deceit): Finding things out - communication, observation, divination. (Deceit includes the opposite, such as illusions). Rarity is an Honesty specialist, with her gem finding spell a form of divination.
Generosity / Greed - Probably the most disingenuous of the fields, about manipulating energies: fireball, horn lasers, many offensive skills. Generally, giving that energy to something else, which is very often not very 'generous'. (Greed is taking that energy and using it for yourself, or imbuing another object with that ability). Applejack uses innate earth pony Generosity magic to help her trees grow quickly, and lets them draw more energy from their surroundings.
Loyalty / Betrayal (change) - Enhancing qualities innate to a object or being. (Betrayal is giving the target qualities it does not possess). Twilight's cloudwalking spell is an example of Betrayal magic. Most pegasi are innate Loyalty specialists, enhancing their bodies to perform superequine feats of speed, strength, and durability.
Laughter (Despair, Realism) - Shields, physical restoration. (Despair: dispelling magical qualities, inflicting harmful maladies). Shining Armor, with his shield, is a Laughter specialist. Starlight Glimmer is a Despair specialist, though gifted much like Twilight with an expansive repertoire.
Kindness / Malevolence - Restoring mental aspects, soothing moods. (Malevolence is inflicting these moods on others, enchantments. There is a fine line between Kindness and Malevolence when it comes to helping others).
Friendship / Apathy - Telekinesis, conjuration/summoning, teleportation. (Little falls into Apathy as it is more the absence of magic, such as Chrysalis' throne). Twilight Sparkle is a Friendship specialist, with a nigh-limitless ability to expand her repertoire.
Some of these are quite similar, such as the distinction between Loyalty enhancing what is there versus Greed taking from other sources to enhance itself.
Hope that clears up some confusion!
11018152
It does help, thank you. Now, that being said, where does Love magic fit in all that.
11018157
Specifically Cadance's ability to improve two pony's relationship? Technically Malevolence, since she's influencing another pony's mind, even if it's just reminding them of why they liked the other pony. (Which leads to the idea that not all of the 'negative' aspects of fields of magic are 'bad', per se, but very often deserving of increased suspicion / oversight). Her ability to dispel Chrysalis' mind control of Shining Armor: more on the Despair axis, but very linked to Kindness (restoring mental properties). I'm trying to think of other abilities Cadance has shown that aren't obvious (making a shield around the Empire to protect against snow/Sombra - Laughter).
I would peg Cadance as a Malevolence specialist, though ponies with that specialty probably wouldn't go around advertising it. I remember having alternate names for the 'bad' fields as well, such as Disregarder instead of Betrayal, or Realism for Despair, but there isn't really a nice way of saying 'I tamper with other pony's minds' without evoking a visceral rejection of that kind of magic.