Have you ever noticed...

[Silver Flash]

With the new episode and the revalations it brang, I have come to a conclusion. I think Celestia doesn't care for Rarity. I think this because seeing how Pumkin Cakes can levitate, why couldn't Celestia save Rarity from falling out of the sky in the best young flyers competition?

[Moonlight]

Probably because infant magic is uncontrollable. I theorize that infant unicorns have subconscious magical capabilities far beyond that of their actual abilities. Furthermore, they may have subconscious control over spells yet unlearned by unicorn magic scholars. As for the Rarity deal, I think that Celestia was easily capable of lifting her, as it's a spell used throughout the entire series, but I have another theory that a pony's magic potential is limited to only a certain range of distance.

[Spitfire]

I again pull the "farily odd parents" logic.
Babies have a TON of magic, and it diminishes with age to a level that is reasonable. see, it's kinda like their help when young.
Baby Pumkin will be normal like everyone else. Twi is still provably stronger than basically everyone else but maybe the princesses plus Discord.

[Derpy Hooves]

I have always gone on the assumption that magic is limited by: Distance, Line of Sight(Twilight trying to UNenchant smarty pants) and a unicorns ability to Focus on what they are trying to to.

Why has Twilight been in a few situations where she could just teleport out, but didn't? because she couldn't focus. Why did no one save Rarity? Both the distance and the focus issue. Line of sight is just an assumption, but twilight did harvest an entire small forest of apples at once (A WHOOOOOOOLE LOT OF FOCUS!!!!)

[Moonlight]

Correction: portion of forest. It was probably a simple spell but the mass effect likely took a lot of energy. The more powerful the spell, the more difficult and draining it is, IE when she gave Rarity her wings.

[Derpy Hooves]

Correction: portion of forest. It was probably a simple spell but the mass effect likely took a lot of energy. The more powerful the spell, the more difficult and draining it is, IE when she gave Rarity her wings.

What exactly constitutes a "forest"? She harvested all the apples on one side of that hill, which was quite a few.

[Ferrous_Oxide]

Correction: portion of forest. It was probably a simple spell but the mass effect likely took a lot of energy. The more powerful the spell, the more difficult and draining it is, IE when she gave Rarity her wings.

What exactly constitutes a "forest"? She harvested all the apples on one side of that hill, which was quite a few.

I think he may be referencing the Ursa incident. She didn't have a direct line of sight to the cave, nor when the water tower was in the barn.

[Moonlight]

In my eyes, at least, a forest consists of all of trees that are within a certain proximity, and that side of the hill was just one portion of the much greater "forest" that is the orchard. At any rate, this discussion seems irrelevant. Let's just say she cleared a large area of trees with a mass effect spell. As for the ursa incident, she had a direct line of sight and was more than close enough to cast the spells between the water tower and the ursa itself. Sending it back to it's cave was just a matter of one lasting effect spell. Lasting effect spell, IE again like when she gave Rarity wings. Line of sight and distance was broken many times, but the spell had a specific function that served for an allotted amount of time (which was, of course, cut short by Rarity's carelessness in the situation.

Edit: scratch that about the tower, but there were probably other factors that I'm too lazy to try to explain.

[Derpy Hooves]

Twilights fail-safe spell failed, that's all that is important.

[Moonlight]

As one of the last ancient races in the world, Discord's chaotic magick was too powerful for Twilight's unicorn magic alone.

[Spitfire]

Not alone, the elements of harmony together.

[Derpy Hooves]

Not alone, the elements of harmony together.

It was too powerful for her magic alone.

[Moonlight]

Exactly

[CamoBadger]

Answer to the original question: Rarity explained that baby unicorns have 'magic surges' based solely on needs and wants; basically survival instincts similar to the 'mamilian response' in human babies (any time they become fully submerged in water, a newborn will automatically hold their breath, the body's natural response to avoid drowning. They do not panic, it's natural and they have no control of it ***similar to, but separate from Mamilian diving response, which causes any human to automatically stop breathing, lower pulse, and lower oxygen requirements in order to survive underwater; triggered by the face being submerged in very cold water [you've all probably had a short experience with this before when you jump in a cold lake, get in a cold shower or bath, etc.]***)

I would guess that unicorns and pegasi lose this link between their magic/flying and survival instincts as they learn to actually control them, much as a human baby will lose the mamilian response as they grow.

As for Celestia not saving Rarity, I'm pretty sure she could have, but she's a total troll (she raises the sun every single day, I'm pretty sure lifting ponies would be no trouble at all), and then RD wouldn't have had to perform a sonic rainboom, which was the entire point of the episode; basically it was a plot device.

As for magic being based on Line of Sight; I'd guess that some spells follow this rule, and others may not. For example; the Want it Need it spell would because it is a strong enchantment on a single object. Other spells, such as lifting apples from the trees, may not require as much attention or power, which would allow a skilled unicorn (such as Twilight) to perform the action without constant line of sight (as demonstrated with her 're-shelving day'). This does not explain her levitating the Ursa back to it's cave, but I could only guess this was either a plot hole, Twilight is more powerful than we will ever know, or Twilight happens to know a spell to send something back 'home' (my guess is plot hole).

It is clear that many spells affect the area around the caster (such as her 'fail-safe' spell). These would likely not require LoS, but rather the unicorn casts the spell and the wave of magic emanating from them carries out the desired effect on their surroundings (in this case changing things back to normal, but as we saw, Discord's magic was much more powerful and required the EoH, which are called 'The Most Powerful Magic in Equestria' to reverse).

Most of this is speculation by me, and hopefully I didn't make the debate WORSE with this

Also, sorry for the long-winded response.

[Silver Flash]

I understand the plot to the episode but it is just cruel to let somepony fall to their death.

[Derpy Hooves]

I understand the plot to the episode but it is just cruel to let somepony fall to their death.

She does cruel things all the time, to teach people lessons.

[Moonlight]

She's brilliant. A little cold at times, but she knows what he's doing and has everypony's interests in mind

[CamoBadger]

I understand the plot to the episode but it is just cruel to let somepony fall to their death.

Very much so, but just think of it like this:
Celestia knew RD would save them, after all, she's the only pony to perform a sonic rainboom before, she had the motivation to do it again.


Also, you win for having T'au in your character info *BROHOOF*

[Silver Flash]

She's brilliant. A little cold at times, but she knows what he's doing and has everypony's interests in mind

Because im sure its in everyponies intrests to let thier friend fall to her death

[Moonlight]

Celestia knew that the Wonderbolts were capable of saving her.... But then they got there and she knocked them out and then it was too late... But then Rainbow Dash went and did awesome.

[Silver Flash]

Celestia knew that the Wonderbolts were capable of saving her.... But then they got there and she knocked them out and then it was too late... But then Rainbow Dash went and did awesome.

I refuse this logic!

[Moonlight]

If you must. I refuse other peoples logic all the time, so not letting you do so would make me a hypocrite.

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