My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Fundamentals of Magic

Fundamentals of Magic is a series of animated shorts released weekly on Hasbro's YouTube channel. In this series of shorts, Princess Celestia teaches the basics of magic at the School for Gifted Unicorns. The pilot was first released on September 1, 2017, before a long hiatus, and it started weekly episodes on February 22, 2018.

Types of Magic

In this short, Princess Celestia explains to her students the different types of magic found in Equestria.

Princess Celestia: Greetings, my faithful students. Welcome to Fundamentals of Magic, the class where you'll begin your extensive magical education with me, Princess Celestia. [giggles] Now let's put the "fun" in "fundamental", shall we? Magic is a mysterious force that takes many forms in our world. Magic can be big and bold, ancient and majestic, or even wacky and wild. Each of our magical abilities are different, from the signature color of our magical auras, to other unique talents, such as... a silly sixth sense. [giggles] Or the ability to locate precious treasures. Ponies develop skills quite early on and their magic manifests in unique ways. Like a... continuously moving mane. [giggles] Your magic must be harnessed through focused study and practice. Take heed though. If harnessed for the wrong reasons, your magic can turn dark, too. But if you have your heart and mind in the right place, there is no end to the incredible feats that you can achieve, especially if you use the Magic of Friendship.

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Magical Creatures

In this short, Princess Celestia explains to her students what magical creatures inhabit Equestria.

Princess Celestia: Greetings, my faithful students. We ponies aren't the only magical ones here in Equestria. In fact, all around us exists a menagerie of creatures with remarkable capabilities. Hydras, timberwolves, dragons... All of these animals may sound scary, but we still have much to learn from their amazing abilities. Like the changelings, who were able to evolve their magic and harness love for good. Or the tatzlwurm, who has magical scales, making it impervious to even the strongest Alicorn magic.

Twilight Sparkle and Princess Cadance: [screams]

Princess Celestia: There is also Steve the sea serpent, who... Well... He's very sassy.

Steven Magnet: Ooh-hoo!

Princess Celestia: But class, don't discount the smaller creatures of Equestria, either. Just look at this tiny parasprite. It can replicate itself hundreds of times within the span of minutes! Big and small, winged or horned, we all must live in balance of magical harmony. Because it is our duty. And because, [giggles] they're so cute.

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Spells

In this short, Princess Celestia teaches her students about various types of magic spells and their pros and cons.

Princess Celestia: Greetings, my faithful students. One of the best ways we can harness magical energy is through the careful use of spells. When you think of a spell, you might imagine a set of words that you say aloud. But they aren't always spoken as an incantation. Sometimes, spells can be concocted in a bubbling pot and turned into a magical potion, found in a rare plant species, or even by reading from the pages of an old ancient tome and accidentally creating new magic. [giggles] It's true that spells are complex and take lots and lots of practice. You might have a little trouble at first. Even the most talented magicians do.

Trixie: Ah...

[poof]

Trixie: [coughs]

Princess Celestia: But please, students, don't be shy about attempting spellwork. Some of the greatest ponies in history, such as Star Swirl the Bearded, have achieved great things employing spells as a magical conduit. Just don't use them to make ponies fall in love or to cut corners in your assignments.

[poof!]

Sweetie Belle: [gasps]

Princess Celestia: And just to be safe, we should all probably stay away from time travel. But simple spells can still be very useful.

Snails: Whoa!

Princess Celestia: Who wants to turn an apple into an orange? Huh?

Snips: [eager sounds]

Orange Frog: [ribbits]

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Magical Objects

In this short, Princess Celestia teaches her students about various magical objects around Equestria.

Princess Celestia: Greetings, my faithful students. Have you ever heard the legends of the exquisite Crystal Heart? Or the formidable Alicorn Amulet? How about the Cutie Map? Or the enchanted Mirror Pool deep in the Everfree Forest?

Pinkie Pie: [gasps]

Princess Celestia: Though they sound innocent enough, these ancient relics are powerful magical objects, and there are hundreds of them around Equestria. That we know of, at least. You never know if Daring Do is going to discover something new, right? [giggles]

Daring Do: [gasps]

Princess Celestia: Throughout history, these magical objects have been imbued with quite the range of mystical powers by the great ponies that came before us. Some of the objects are meant for good. But some, unfortunately...

[lightning strikes]

Princess Celestia: ...have more sinister purposes. Of course, the fate of each item all depends on whose hooves it finds its way into. So if you happen upon a magical object, handle it with care. And for Star Swirl's sake... [giggles] If it's jewelry, don't put it on.

Pinkie Pie: [gasps]

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When Magic Goes Wrong

In this short, Princess Celestia teaches her students about both the positive uses and negative repercussions of magic.

Princess Celestia: Greetings, my faithful students. As we've learned, magic can provide so many wonderful things for us here in Equestria. It aids the Pegasi in creating our beautiful weather, the Earth ponies in growing our delicious crops of fresh food, and allows the unicorns to create useful items that benefit all ponies. But magical power is not simple. It has the ability to change the pony who uses it. And not always in a good way.

Pony of Shadows: [laughing evilly]

Princess Celestia: [whispering] Discord, I'm trying to teach! [normally] For example, one of the most powerful sorcerers of all time has spent most of his life using his powers to inflict chaos on Equestria. Queen Chrysalis of the changelings sought to use her magic to prey on the love of ponies. And the power of magic even caused my own sister to transform into the evil Nightmare Moon!

Nightmare Moon: [laughing evilly]

Princess Celestia: So, as you see, magic can be a marvelous tool or it can be a heavy burden.

Twilight Sparkle: [gasps]

Princess Celestia: And should you ever find yourself becoming overwhelmed by the dark power of magic, I happen to know a group of ponies that pull you back into the light.

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