Zecora can use magic?

[pinkiefan1287 610]

So I wanted to get people's opinion on something. In the episode Magic Duel, Twilight goes to Zecora in order to make her magic stronger. So when has Zecora been able to use magic?

 

Now I know she can make potions, which is kinda like magic, but more on the line of mixing ingredients together. Not levitating  thing or other kinds of magic.

 

Also it kinda felt like Twilight think Zecora can use magic better than her.

 

Does anyone else find this weird or is it just me? 

Edited December 5, 2012 by pinkiefan1287

[Rainbow Dash Loyalty 1,275]

I guess she studies magic, Zecora may not know levitation but she knows a ton of other strange things. I'm guessing she knows a different kind of magic, or was trying to help Twilight meditate to help with her concentration with magic.

[The Weapon 168]

Seconded. Zecora might not perform unicorn-style magic (If anything, Zebra potion-mixing sounds closer to Earth Pony works at first glance... Zebra unicorns and Zebra pegasi?) but she might know lots of obscure foreign-invented magics that Twilight could use that the Alicorn Amulet and therefore Trixie might be unable to counter from sheer lack of knowing what it is or experience in dealing with it.

 

Or maybe Twilight wanted to brush up on her potion-mixing before the presumably likely magical duel. Either way.

[Koori 156]

Zecora strikes me as a sort of witch doctor kind and witch doctors can use a sort of magic powers, though usually they're just illusions that attacks minds of others (voodoo anyone?). The masks in her hut kinda confirm this as witch doctors are said to wear masks especially when they perform ritual dances.

 

... And if one were to believe how a witch doctor behaves in Diablo III, they are both wise and powerful.

 

Anyway... since we don't really have any canon on Zecora's past, we can only guess what kind of training she's had... and life.

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

I believe Zecora has near-magical powers by way of her extensive knowledge of of the quite plainly magical plantae of Equestria, as well as potions and brews mixed thereof.

Strictly speaking she isn't magical, but her crafts and work is.

[Creamy Arty 6,252]

Zecora can't use any magic. Even her trick of refilling her cup with a wave of her hoof was a type of illusion, I think, seeing as that was the only "magic" she performed. She's magical in a David Copperfield kind of way. Mixing up potions doesn't require any magical talent either.

[Arcanel 3,041]

Well, aside from the fact that Zecora is probably much more educated in the not-so-common magic arts, she's also the type of pony to study a lot as well. Maybe not in the same way as Twilight, but she is a sort of wise shaman, and also her potion mixing and such require lots and lots of reading. In short, like everyone else said, Zecora can't use magic per se, but she's probably very knowledgeable in the arts of magic itself even if she can't use it, not to mention, Zecora has a different mind set than Twilight, and she can have some useful lessons about mind control when performing magic which are always useful.

[Magpie 624]

Much of what she did didn't seem magical in the same sense.It was more of illusion, and that would explain why Zecora tought twilight to trick Trixie in to thinking her amulet was better.

[Snowfeathers 43]

I just assumed she was a sort of shaman. In touch with the earth, all that. Possibly her magic isn't the same type of magic as the unicorns'- levitation, aging, etc.- but things that would fit better with, well, a shaman. Things like creating healing brews and good luck charms.

I can't think of a good explanation for her refilling her drink, though. Lump it in with the brew-creating, that'll work.

[Winona the Dog 1,984]

Maybe she can do magic maybe not unicorn magic per-say but magic nonetheless for an example in the Cutie Pox she made the remedy that instantly heals your teeth!

[Princes Cadance 345]

I just wanna point out Zecora is a zebra, who knows? maybe Zebras have some magical property, we've seen like gryphons can fly, maybe Zebras have the capacity to learn magic

or she can be some spiritual thing idk lol

[Party Cannon 876]

Now don't forget...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mlcVxGdFw4

 

As others have stated, though she may not do magic, she can still have vast knowledge of it.

 

Even Celestia, who can do most anything, can't personally use the Elements of Harmony, but of course she still knew all about them.

[roptiriolg 49]

Zecora is the voodoo lady, so she kind of relies on witchcraft, potions and voodoo magic, At least that's how she's presented. It is normal to have some age spells or something like that in her pocket.

[NavelColt 22,883]

Magic is a natural part of the MLP universe as we've clearly seen. Thusly, it should only make sense that you don't -need- to be a unicorn with a horn to do magic. There's alternatives to doing magic. She's got voodoo-ish magic, so even though she isn't a unicorn she can still use magic, and is clearly adept at it. Perhaps zebras are often shaman-like back wherever Zecora is from.

[TenorBeat 14]

Zecora does not use Unicorn magic, but studies other forms of strange and different magic(She is a shaman). One of them I believe is illusion which is what twilight used to trick trixie.

[NavelColt 22,883]

Zecora does not use Unicorn magic, but studies other forms of strange and different magic(She is a shaman). One of them I believe is illusion which is what twilight used to trick trixie.

Zecora taught Twilight that magic is not what she needed to win. She taught her to trick Trixie with her friends, whom painted themselves as one another, and jumped into the smoke caused by Twilight's beams of magic to create the illusion that Twilight was all-powerful. So, there wasn't really any illusion 'magic', it was teamwork and a generic blast spell that created the illusions.

Edited December 4, 2012 by ~Chaotic Discord~

[Derpyroo 14]

I think she has always had the abilty, remember she made the potion to stop the flacid horn of twilight sparkle, and all the other ponies issues

[Solar Wind 596]

She refilled the cup.

 

 

Lol but why can't you guys believe that you don't need a horn to do magic.

Zecora can do some magic as she knows so much about it and has little contact with the pony folk around there.

I think that she uses magical items (LIKE THE DUST IN NIGHTMARE NIGHT TURNING INTO NIGHTMARE MOON REMEMBER???) To create magic. Along with the ability to conjure up water.

 

(Meme made by me yes it was.)

[pinkieshyrose 58]

she was using magic to get more juice stuff when she moved her hoove (do zebras have hooves?) it made more juice zecora can proably do it but just doesnt chosse to much

Edited December 4, 2012 by pinkieshyrose

[Driz 1,552]

I believe her magic is very different from the usual unicorn magic. I'm sure it has something to do with meditation, spiritual energy and all that stuff, just like the oriental shamans and martial-arts fighters. Little we know about the zebra race in the show anyway (maybe they're supposed to be all that mysterious), so I guess there's plenty room for assumptions.

 

Somehow, I can picture Zecora focusing energy for a few minutes and breaking a huge boulder in half with her hoof. 

[The Weapon 168]

Yes. Zecora probably has near-invisible potion-squirter things (Bat-Zecora: Real!) that she could just fill with tea or something. Maybe those rings are magic lol.

 

On a more serious note, Zecora probably CAN perform unicorn-style magic (i.e. conjuring stuff from nowhere such as the extra drink), just not in the normal style and probably using magic items like wands and masks and the obviously magical plants. Without using extra items, she probably just has a zebra-theme-ish variant of standard Earth Pony powers, such as making those magical plants grow better and an uncanny skill with making consumable items.

[Silverwisp the Bard 2,354]

It's probably a Granny Weatherwax kinda deal: She has certain powers, but if there is a nonmagical way of doing something, she will do that, possibly with some mumbo-jumbo to add a placebo effect for the patient.

[MallowMelt 17]

I think it was totally legit. I mean, no, she is not a unicorn, nor even a regular earth pony, but a zebra, who knows what kind of hoodoo-voodoo she learned back in her home land? Not too mention she has many potions and spells in books, more earth based than things like twilight might do, but it is still magic, just traditional (almost pagan in a way) magic.

I really hope there could be more of her shown, I bet she could create and make amazing spells and fix problems that most regular unicorns could not even think of.

 

[Tall_But_Short_37 236]

She either used some sort of magic that's not unicorn, or it was some quick slight of hand trick. Perhaps some magic she learned in her home land or her travels.

[Zygen 6,066]

I'm gonna have to say that I think Zecora isn't able to use magic, but she has done plenty of studying of magic and therefore has knowledge on how it works.

In the end technically all Twilight did was use illusions to defeat Trixie though, not sure if she learned that from Zecora or anything, but yeah.

 

Zecora does seem like the type to be very wise and knowledgeable, she proably has knowledge of many things like magical items aswell as of course potions, and I bet she's even studied unicorn magic.

 

I just kinda assume shes wise, but doesn't poses the skill to use her knowledge of magic.