Magic and its workings- NOTHING IS EXPLAINED!

[ManaMinori 4,143]

Ok, so the season finale happened. Is anyone else left disappointed? Primarily with the explanation(or lack thereof) as to how magic works? First off, let's tackle the magic in Tartarus- does it work differently than in the rest of the world? Because the prophecy that Starswirl sent (and we still don't know how he knew this would happen, so as to have details about it and what would've happened permanently, if something like that hasn't happened before, f they still have their magic now) said that Unicorns and other races would lose their  magic by the first two days, ans we see this with Twilight originally not being able to use her horn, or Rainbow Dash not being able to fly on the way to Tartarus. Now when they're IN Tartarus, they can use magic and fly? What gives?

 

and on the topic of Tartarus...why did Luna say it has changed since last Twilight went there? WHY has it changed? and HOW?  If she was referring to the imprisonment of creatures that weren't truly evil in their own right, like the bugbear, chimera, etc, when Twilight originally said (It's About Time) that the place was for the most evil creatures of Equestria,then why are common animals there, like it's some sort of petting  zoo?

 

And this is another issue- Twilight mentioned that there was a magic that made those creatures what they are, which we later find out was some sort of magic that took ordinary animals and Shou Tuckere'd them all together to become animal hybrids...ok, why? This would imply that she knew that all of those creatures were like that from somepony magic'ing them to be that way. Who would do that, in the first place? Does such a reveal that these mythical creatures meant to be their own big deal in a mythical world of fantasy and magic are nothing more than fusions of common animals? And what does that make the mythical ponies, like unicorns and pegasi?

[Jeric 46,834]

Some things are explained. Creation magic has some rules. Starlight once stared that her magic is triggered by emotion. Leaving some gaps is fine. I prefer it to be honest, though I would still like a few extra specifics defined, just not everything. Of course I also know what happens when you try and explain too much of something that is more mystical than science 

 

Mystery and magic go hand and hand, but yeah some more rules would be nice (they already do have some). 

[gingerninja666 487]

Starswirl predicting the drain on Equestria's magic didn't bother me because, well, he's the greatest unicorn wizard who ever lived. I totally buy that he could run some tests, notice how the magic is being ebbed away, and then project his findings into the future. They do briefly wonder outside Tartarus if Starswirl's prediction is wrong but at every turn he's proven right so they just go with it. This guy was able to manipulate the cutie map after just having laid eyes on it. Later on, Neighsay does mention that the greatest magic in Equestria is housed in their artifacts, so it makes sense that this spell would take longer to get to that stuff. Unicorn magic is portrayed as being quite susceptible to tampering, since they were the first race Tirek was able to drain even when he was at his weakest.

 

The simplest explanation I think is that this spell of Cozy's is not actually getting rid of all magic. It's getting rid of all outward projections of magic. items made by magic, potions, spells, stuff like magic cockatrice eye beams. If the magic makes up what you are, (like with the chimeras or cutie marks or pegasi), then you aren't affected. IT's still a devastating blow regardless.

[Goat-kun 2,495]

☑Thought police

☑God tier spells out of freaking nowhere

☑Can inexplicably exist in every timeline (it is beyond time)

☑Its twisted magic turns animals into weird chimaeras

 

 

It all makes sense if Harmony is an eldritch deity. Join me in this conviction, and together we shall be warriors against corruption! #NotMyTartarus

Edited October 19, 2018 by Goat-kun
Damn you, Being X!

[ManaMinori 4,143]

On 10/19/2018 at 7:46 AM, Jeric said:

Some things are explained. Creation magic has some rules. Starlight once stared that her magic is triggered by emotion. Leaving some gaps is fine. I prefer it to be honest, though I would still like a few extra specifics defined, just not everything. Of course I also know what happens when you try and explain too much of something that is more mystical than science 

 

Mystery and magic go hand and hand, but yeah some more rules would be nice (they already do have some). 

Gaps? More like canyons. I know Its not possible to have everything explained, but all that crap in the finale needs to be.

[Misty Shadow 7,059]

Well of course nothing is explained about magic. Where do you think the saying "Because magic" comes from?

On ‎10‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 7:39 AM, Nightmare Muffin said:

Because the prophecy that Starswirl sent (and we still don't know how he knew this would happen, so as to have details about it and what would've happened permanently, if something like that hasn't happened before, f they still have their magic now) said that Unicorns and other races would lose their  magic by the first two days, ans we see this with Twilight originally not being able to use her horn, or Rainbow Dash not being able to fly on the way to Tartarus. Now when they're IN Tartarus, they can use magic and fly? What gives?

I can see that someone was not paying attention. Twilight was only able to use magic because she absorbed the power from the creatures in Tartarus and Celestia only said that creatures would lose their magical abilities. Flying is not a magical ability for a Pegasus, only walking on clouds and controlling the weather, thus why Rainbow had trouble controlling the storm they had to brave on the way there. She was never unable to fly. 

On ‎10‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 7:39 AM, Nightmare Muffin said:

and on the topic of Tartarus...why did Luna say it has changed since last Twilight went there? WHY has it changed? and HOW?  If she was referring to the imprisonment of creatures that weren't truly evil in their own right, like the bugbear, chimera, etc, when Twilight originally said (It's About Time) that the place was for the most evil creatures of Equestria,then why are common animals there, like it's some sort of petting  zoo?

No. Twilight did not say that in It's About Time. She said this...

She did not mean that it was specifically for evil creatures. This is why checking transcripts is your friend. 

On ‎10‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 7:39 AM, Nightmare Muffin said:

And this is another issue- Twilight mentioned that there was a magic that made those creatures what they are, which we later find out was some sort of magic that took ordinary animals and Shou Tuckere'd them all together to become animal hybrids...ok, why? This would imply that she knew that all of those creatures were like that from somepony magic'ing them to be that way. Who would do that, in the first place? Does such a reveal that these mythical creatures meant to be their own big deal in a mythical world of fantasy and magic are nothing more than fusions of common animals? And what does that make the mythical ponies, like unicorns and pegasi?

Good on getting Twilight's quote right that time. However, that does not mean "somepony magic'ed them to be that way". It could've easily just been a freak accident of nature that made them what they were. You're right about it not being explained, but there was simply too much material that the Season 8 finale had to cover to have time for explaining the lore of Equestria's monsters. No one likes lore dumps, especially when they disrupt the pace of a good story. Finally, it's not at all possible for the mythical ponies to just be fusions of common animals. Baby Cakes proved that unicorns and pegasi are naturally born, and when every pony, unicorn and pegasi included, lost their magic to Tirek in the Season 4 finale, they didn't change back into anything like the creatures in Tartarus. 

In the spirit of fairness, you are right about some stuff not being explained. However, doesn't that ruin the fun of a good fantasy story? Needing everything to be directly explained? Isn't the mark of any good fantasy story provoking you to figure out certain things about the world of the story using your imagination? After all, that's what fantasy is all about, imagination.  

[Will Guide 21,325]

Not everything needs to be explained when it comes to stuff like how Magic works. It allows the viewers to figure out how the world of magics works without being spoon-fed everything like a baby. Also, sometimes it allows the viewers to come to their own theories and conclusions, which makes interesting discussions.