#mylittlepony - #How unicorn magic works: a list of known facts

How unicorn magic works: a list of known facts

So, we know that unicorns in Equestria have the ability to cast magical spells and other enchantments via the use of their horns. However, although we have seen the use of this ability in virtually every episode of the series, it is not immediately clear how unicorn magic actually works. That is, if you were a unicorn, what would it feel like to cast magic? What are the things you need to do for magic to work?

What do we know?

• We know that magic is something that can be taught and learned, as there are entire schools set up for gifted unicorns, which Twilight Sparkle attended.
• We know that magic is something that one can get better at with practice, as shown by Sweetie Belle's progressive attempts at magically levitating a broom in S4E15 "Twilight Time".
• We know that most unicorns are "only supposed to have a little magic that matches their special talents", but some unicorns special talent is magic and are thus highly skilled in a wide variety of magic, as explained by Twilight and Spike in S1E06 "Boast Busters".
• We know that some unicorns, like Twilight and Starlight, seem to be better at magic than other unicorns, like Trixie and Sunburst. Particularly in the case of Sunburst, in S6E02 "The Crystalling - Part 2" he points out that there is a difference between knowing a lot about magic and actually doing the magic.
• We know that some spells require a large amount of concentration to carry out. On her first attempt, Sweetie Belle had a hard time levitating the broom in "Twilight Time". Twilight needed to concentrate really hard on multiple occasions to carry out her magic, e.g. in the cold open of S1E26 "The Best Night Ever", when she transfigures an apple into a carriage.
• We know that it helps a unicorn carry out difficult spells if they picture what they want to happen in their mind. When Trixie was having trouble transfiguring a salt shaker into a teacup in S7E02 "All Bottled Up", Starlight recommended that she picture a teacup in her mind: what does it look like, what shape is it, what is its color? Trixie then successfully performs the spell.
• We know that magic spells can be written down on paper in some kind of language, which can then be read, interpreted, and cast by other unicorns. Twilight spends much of her time studying magic by reading about it in books. In S6E02 "The Crystalling - Part 2", Twilight and Cadance search the library for a spell that might be able to repair the damaged Crystal Heart. Upon finding such a spell, Twilight was able to read it and memorize it before Flurry Heart accidentally destroys the book containing it.
• We know that some spells, however, are so complex that they cannot be easily memorized. In S5E25-26, Twilight and Starlight Glimmer fight each other over a scroll of paper which has a time-travel spell written on it. At one point, Starlight threatens to destroy the scroll, and it's made clear that if she does so, then neither pony would be able to reproduce the spell.
• We know that new magic spells can be created by unicorns. Infamously, in S3E13 "Magical Mystery Cure", Twilight is tasked with finishing a spell which Star Swirl the Bearded had started and written down. This is the most curious quality for me. Spells aren't simply discovered, but they can be created by unicorns with a specific goal in mind. Maybe it's kind of like writing a computer program.

Submitted September 27, 2018 at 02:57AM by SmolderTheDragon
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