So how exactly does magic work for Unicorns? The most we see

>>29744345
the show runners couldn't care less

File: 1480252847291.png (266KB, 1600x1600px) Image search: [Google]

266KB, 1600x1600px

>>29744345
I imagine a pure magic blast would be more convenient to charge up. Also in a lot of fantasy shows and universes, magic duels just devolve into beams. You know, energy beam, fire beam, ice beams, etc.

>>29744356
This. Magic does literally whatever the fuck the writers want it to.
To try and find some logic to it is ridiculous.

>>29744356
>>29744395
These. Magic is just a convenience for storytelling/handling story elements and all battles are reduced to magic laser.

The latter especially disappoints me. Seriously, imagine if we saw Twilight using shit like Gravity reversal and transformation offensively? Imagine if Celestia didn't go to some power beam struggle against Chrysalis and instead used her thousands of years of experience and knowledge to pull some impressive, powerful spell out that hasn't been seen before?

>>29744413
THe writers are uncreative hacks. Twilight know hundreds of D&D tier spells yet she only use laser beams and teleportation

>>29744413
So theorize. Take what we have and make something of it.

>>29744345
Because of the fuckoff huge gaps in what we've been shown, this is getting into headcanon territory a bit, but here's my guess:

>Magic beam
It's simply the easiest, fastest, and least-skilled tool in a unicorn's arsenal. The basic swinging punch of unicorn magic - a simple blow that requires virtually no training but any old hornhead can throw at something. We even saw a random nobody try to hit Tirek with one. On the other hand, that also makes it very "quick on the draw" - you can shoot one almost as a reflexive action, without the need for thinking and planning a more complex spell might require. So, even veteran fighters may use it for a twitch-fast blow.

>Why is Twilight so fond of them
Because she's not a fighter. Sure, she may have read about all kinds of mind-boggling unicorn war-spells - can you imagine what something on the tier of "Want It, Need It" would do in combat? - but she's never had a real reason to practice with them, and anyone can tell your there's a difference between knowing and practicing. Certainly she didn't practice before leaving Canterlot in S1E1, and even after she may not have afterward.

Furthermore, Twilight's not really good at on-the-fly planning. Beforehand planning, researching, theorizing, and testing yes - but not adaption in the heat of the moment. In the unfamiliar field of combat, she might find herself overwhelmed and fall back on what she knows really well - which seems to be teleports and your basic magic blast.

>Would more complicated workings be used in combat
Possibly. Certainly there would be advantages to inverting your opponent's gravity or turning their horn into a grape stuck to their forehead. But (aside from those ponies with specialized talents) those take time to gather the requisite knowledge and shape the magic as you want to use it. A basic magic beam will always be your go-to fast-twitch attack.

>>29744345
Lighting and Fire have physical properties that would make them easy to nullify.

Lightning follows the path of least resistance, so you'd simply ground it. A vacuum would choke fire and prevent a transfer of heat.
Light can be reflected or canceled out - forgiving cartoon physics for slowing down laser beams.

>>29744491

>So what does a proper magic duel between two prepared, skilled combatants look like?
Well, we've seen there's one really good way to disable a unicorn: Hit their horn while they're doing magic.

Most 'duels' would be two unicorns trying to hit one anothers' horns with something - a nearby object, a transformed or summoned one, a beam of simple magic - with something to disable them. This would sometimes devolve into unicorns just throwing things at each other, but there's probably also an advantage to being inventive with your magic: Turn something around them to ice for a distraction. Loud noises and bright lights to disorient. Teleport them upside-down. Being able to summon an object directly on their horn, as Sombra did to Shining Armor, is probably very hard to defend against and the ultimate ace-up-the-sleeve in unicorn dueling.

But, of course, all of that takes time - and unless you're really good at it, your opponent might take the opportunity to just magic-beam your horn.

>>29744491
what about the ursa thing, wasn't that on-the-fly? it was creative as hell, something we expected from her back then when the writers gave a shit

File: TwilightSparklebyAshleyArcticFox1464816439871.png (1MB, 1024x576px) Image search: [Google]

1MB, 1024x576px

>>29744491
I think Twilight is pretty good at developing strategies and plans on the fly, when shit hit's the fan, she is the de facto leader, but to translate that into a combat sense would pretty difficult for someone with no training.

>>29744345
I want more thought put into my horse show, dammit.

>>29744516
I'd still file that under 'pre-planned series of actions' type of thing. You're right, it was some pretty rapid planning - but on the other hand, it's also all done while more or less focused on the task at hand. She's not juggling multiple tasks and resigning them on the fly, or under pressure from a foe coming immediately after her while she was doing that.

Another good example would be the ZA WARUDO spell we see her pop a couple of times: Theoretically very useful in combat, but we don't see her use it while under direct pressure. It takes a moment to use, a moment where she has to be sure nobody is going to hit her. That is not guaranteed in combat.

>>29744527
Yeah, maybe it'd have been more accurate for me not to say "plan on the fly" but "plan while attention is split between her own actions and defending against an actual enemy".

File: 96f.gif (3MB, 400x225px) Image search: [Google]

3MB, 400x225px

I want to say magic is fueled by emotions and will power. Like Fear, Righteous Fury, Pride ect....

I've being trying to answer what it is about Sunburst, who knows so much about magic but doesn't have the capacity to do it.
I think he can when he's inspired, but otherwise he's too emotionally reserved. Like a Star Trek Vulcan. He doesn't have anything to channel.

File: medium.jpg (131KB, 800x500px) Image search: [Google]

131KB, 800x500px

>>29744345
Could you create the outline of a spell circle with magic, and activate it without using chalk?

>>29744562
I'm going to say no. Since "Activate" would imply that it's otherwise dormant. But I'm comparing circles to circuits, like they're meant to be charged or automate an output or something.

File: Royal_guards_and_Crystal_Ponies_brawl_S5E25.png (1MB, 1280x720px) Image search: [Google]

1MB, 1280x720px

>>29744345
>So how exactly does magic work for Unicorns?
It just works. No I'm not meming that really all there is to it. The show never set any real guide lines to any of the spells mentioned or showed, and this is why the "Unicorn master race" falls into head canon territory. Pic related show Unicorns fighting in hand to hand combat, if magic worked like people's head canon, then they should be in the back throwing shit, causing storms, or even firing laser beams. They're not, and it makes even less sense when Celestia lands, and magic blast a couple of soldiers away. Why can she use magic offensively but train for combat Unicorns can't? Even the rules we are given, the Unicorns only have two spells to their name (levitation and what ever their special talent is) doesn't even hold water because of Twilight, Glimmer, and for some reason Shining can use more than two, and then there is Sunburst who can't use magic at all. So it just works, and there isn't any rhyme or reason for it.

>>29744345
>So how exactly does magic work for Unicorns?
Twilight is the best by a thousand miles and everyone else is shit, and they can't do shit beyond levitation and maybe a couple spells.

>>29744681
Magic is like a muscle. The more you use it and/or understand it, the stronger it gets.
Twilight, Glimmer and Shining can use more than two spells because they studied magic. I think that the more you study, use and understand magic, the stronger your personal magic becomes. Anyone can learn to be Twilight's level, but it's not as simple as just memorizing the spell and firing it off. There's obviously more to it. And to reach the point of magic shields or laser beams requires years of study, hence why Celestia's School starts young. The average unicorn conscripted into the army probably doesn't know much about magic beyond the basics, and therefore can't use it offensively.

And I headcanon that this applies to all races respectively, with Pegasi focusing on speed like Rainbow Dash and Earth Ponies focusing on strength like Maud or Big Mac.