Magic

Magic is the supernatural energy and power that was once inherent to all of ponykind, giving earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, and other pony tribes each their own magical abilities.

Long before the film's events, magic was apparently lost, the cause of which is still unknown. The earth ponies never knew this due to the passive, subtle nature of their own magical abilities compared to the telekinetic and flight-based magic of unicorns and pegasi, respectively.

However, it appears a little amount of magic remains in all ponies because they still have shared abilities that do not require Unity Magic:

The ability to grasp and handle objects with their hooves despite lacking fingers or grasping digits to do so
The ability to carry larger objects with one of their front legs without needing to hobble or walk more carefully
The ability to land from high places without taking visible recoil, as seen in My Little Pony: A New Generation with Zipp Storm's acrobatics

After Sunny Starscout finally convinces the earth ponies of Maretime Bay, the pegasi of Zephyr Heights, and the unicorns of Bridlewood to put their differences behind them and open themselves up to friendship, magic is restored to all of ponykind with the unicorns regaining their magical abilities, the pegasi their ability to fly, and the earth ponies the ability to grow plants with the clop of a hoof. In addition, Sunny was given alicorn magic by the crystals for her belief in friendship and reuniting all ponies together.

Unicorn Magic[]

Unicorn Magic is the most direct manifestation of magic in Equestria, permitting horned ponies to use magic with numerous applications. Long ago, most Unicorns could wield basic magical abilities that were inherent to their interests and skillsets. As magic depleted, unicorns lost most knowledge of some of the more advanced spells. When magic returned, many Unicorns were able to cast basic levitation and illumination spells through a natural instinct.

Magic also inhibited crystals that unicorns collected, but there is little explanation as to how crystals interact with it. As of now, Izzy Moonbow more advanced in magical ability compared to her fellow unicorns; she is able to manipulate the growth and life stages of plants like Earth Ponies and craft items with crystals. Some animals such as raccoons and bunnies have gained Unicorn Magic, but they do not have as great of a range of spells to use than unicorns.

In Ancient Times, Unicorns whom wanted a winter weather would perform a special spell to bring forth the snow (alluding the Unicorns did aid in changing the Weather in Ancient Equestria alongside the Pegasi) but after generations of magic being lost, the spell was lost to history. However, in Winter Wishday, the Unicorns were accidentally using the spell when they said 'Frostyshivers' and their horns would glow icy blue, triggering snowfall and eventually a blizzard each time it was said. It wasn't until the unicorns changed to saying 'Warm Winterhoof' and their horns glowed warm orange that the Blizzard finally cleared.

It has been implied throughout G5 that unicorns also possess the ability to hear, or in some form commune, with their ancestors. Both Izzy Moonbow and Elder Flower have been implied to speak to their respective ancestors, though this ability has never been displayed prominently.

Pegasus Magic[]

Pegasus Magic is the ability for winged ponies to fly. Like Unicorns, many Pegasi lost the knowledge of how to successfully use their magic, even when their race-based abilities returned. Before the union of the Unity Crystals, ponies with access to Pegasus Magic required use of their wings to fly at will; afterward, however, pegasi could levitate and slow their descent if they are midair.

Zipp Storm was able to learn flying independently and took it upon herself to train her fellow pegasi in aerial agility. Some animals such as dogs have gained both wings and Pegasi magic and are able to fly.

Earth Pony Magic[]

Earth ponies were the least affected by the disappearance of magic because they had little supernatural ability and took up the majority of physical labor in ancient Equestria. Despite losing their natural strength, they were able to supplement this through technological development. Phyllis Cloverleaf and her son, Sprout, used complex mechanical contraptions to defend against foreign ponies in the debut film.

When magic returned and subsequently stabilized, Earth ponies gained the ability to manipulate plants: changing their color, size, and the amount of fruit or flowers on plants all came to Earth ponies with relative difficulty. Such abilities were never before seen because Twilight Sparkle's projection from the Unity Crystals claimed that Earth Pony Magic has never been activated to the extent it is at the first chapter of of My Little Pony: Make Your Mark.

Of the many Earth ponies in the series, Hitch Trailblazer possesses the greatest discipline in this form of magic because of his responsibilities and personal maturity. Throughout the series, Earth ponies that do not have restraint in other ways do not perceive controlling Earth Pony Magic to be simple; however, when the Mane Five tell Maretime Bay characters to "control their magic," the inhabitants spontaneously learned to avoid growing gargantuan flora on a whim.

Alicorn Magic[]

Alicorn Magic is by far the most powerful of all magic seen in Equestria, and it is the synergy of all other forms of magic. Sunny Starscout, despite being an earth pony from birth, possesses Alicorn Magic which manifests in the form of translucent wings and a horn. She received Alicorn magic upon convincing the majority of Equestrian ponies that the other races are friendly, which reunited the three Unity Crystals.

There is also Opaline, an alicorn who possesses tangible wings and a horn. Despite her troubling and egocentric personality, she has the ability to fly, perform telekinesis, and enchant objects.

Alicorn Magic appears to have a resistance to its effects being altered, such as in Moon Festival, when Sunny was the only pony who did not experience her magic being supercharged by the moon.

Cutie Mark Magic[]

Despite having lost magic, the ponies of Equestria continued to earn cutie marks in correspondence with their skills, interests, and personal aesthetic. Cutie marks now only appear on a pony's right flank rather than both, which suggests that ponies have adapted to the loss of magic specific to their race. With the return of magic, cutie marks have been shown to glow whenever ponies use their talents to help a friend.

Conventionally, cutie marks appear in a pony's foalhood to young adolescence. However, Zipp and Pipp earned their cutie marks as yearlings. In one case, the Unicorn Misty Brightdawn did not attain her cutie mark until she was much older, and only after having shown a great act of courage. While bereft of her mark, even with magic having returned, she seemed to be unable to wield magic of her own. Misty is now shown to have the most powerful cutie mark magic as it shines the brightest of all her friends and even rivals Sunny's alicorn magic.

Dragons are also shown to have the capacity to earn cutie marks, magic they previously did not possess.

Sparky's Dragonfire Magic[]

Sparky's fire breath appears to contain transmutation magic; for instance, he was able to change Zipp's phone into pizza and back, create balloons, confetti cannons, leaves, and more. He is infantile and cannot control the effects of Dragonfire Magic, so his sneezes release a great amount of magical potential.

Dragonfire Magic even restored a small part of Opaline's lost magic. She claimed that Sparky was her property and that she gained his magic only because his egg was in her possession before she lost it. However, this could also mean that Opaline felt entitled to Sparky's Dragonfire Magic.

Unity Magic[]

Unity Magic is a conditional form of supernatural force that activates the amplified versions of pony racial magic. The three Unity Crystals must be physically intact and put together at the Crystal Brighthouse for flight, telekinesis, and dendromancy to work properly within the bounds of Equestria.

Unity Magic's full potential is currently unknown, but it appears to be connected to other aforementioned forms of magic and has grand effects when ponies harbor positive feelings for each other.

Prisbeam Power[]

Prisbeam Power, or Prisbeam Magic, is a new term for a powerful form of magic not seen in previous installments of My Little Pony. Its name is a portmanteau of prism: an object with flat surfaces and generally high reflectivity, and beam: a concentrated cone or cylinder of space containing light.

The name is likely a reference to the Unity Crystals, which are prismatic in appearance and are the source of Unity Magic. Additionally, beams of light accompany positive and good characters in literature, which may symbolize that Prisbeam Magic is meant only for those who will use it with altruistic intentions.

Prisbeam Power's full strength is currently unknown, but it is of great interest to Opaline; she stated that "Unity Magic is only the spark, only I can control the flame," which may imply that Unity Magic and Prisbeam Power are related.

Prisbeam Power appears to have the power to completely transform an object as Sunny's lantern changed the rundown broken tram car into the Mare Stream, powered by the ponies Cutie Mark Magic and friendship