Unicorns

Unicorns are one of four types of ponies on My Little Pony Friendship is Magic who live in Equestria. They are characterized by their horns and their ability to perform magic.

Development
Unicorns were introduced after earth ponies in the original My Little Pony toy line. In previous animated series', they had the ability to teleport magically or "wink out", but did not ordinarily have any other magical abilities.

Depiction in the series
As the name suggests, all unicorns have a long horn protruding from their forehead which glows when their magical powers are used. Although they are associated with their magic, a unicorn's horn is strong and sharp enough to have mundane uses: one unicorn in Call of the Cutie uses it to pop balloons, and Twilight Sparkle uses it to charge an opponent on several occasions. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity are often seen using their intellects to compensate for their lack of physical strength, such as when Twilight earns fifth place in the Running of the Leaves in Fall Weather Friends and Rarity overcomes her captors in A Dog and Pony Show. It was stated in Boast Busters most unicorn magic revolves only around their natural talents (e.g. their jobs, hobbies, etc) as seen in Rarity's case, thus making unicorns like Twilight Sparkle unusual for having a talent that is magic itself. However, both Rarity (in The Cutie Mark Chronicles) and Twilight Sparkle (playing the role of Clever Clover in Hearth's Warming Eve) have stated that Unicorn magic itself does not happen without reason.

Also twice in the series their magic has been cancelled out. The first was when Twilight Sparkle was affected by the Poison Joke plant in Bridle Gossip, wherein the plant made Twilight's horn floppy rendering it unable to do magic. In Ponyville Confidential Sweetie Belle simply kicks Rarity's horn to cancel out her levitation spell instantly. The other Pony races generally have difficulty competing with a unicorns magical talent, as seen when Trixie easily bested Applejack and Rainbow dash in a show of skill. This cause Rarity to state that only another unicorn could put Trixie in her place, although Twilight Sparkle was the only unicorn present able to out do Trixie.

Pegasus unicorns
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are called unicorns in the prologue in Friendship is Magic, part 1, and Luna is called a "Pegasus unicorn" on Hasbro's My Little Pony Facebook page. On merchandise the princesses, including Princess Cadance, are called "Pony Princesses"; in A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1, Twilight Sparkle contrasts Cadance being a "princess" with herself being a "regular old unicorn." Despite this, storyboard artist Sabrina Alberghetti calls the princesses alicorns.

Unicorn magic

 * For a comprehensive description, see the unicorn magic section in the article magic.
 * This section is transcluded from the article magic. If you wish to edit this section, click here.

Residence
Canterlot is mostly populated by unicorns in its three appearances in Friendship is Magic, part 1, Sweet and Elite, and The Cutie Mark Chronicles. Notable exceptions are Hoity Toity and Celestia's pegasus pony guards. Ponyville has its share of unicorns, more or less equally with earth ponies and pegasi. In Applejack's visit to Manehattan unicorns are only seen as waiters, and the rest of the ponies there are earth ponies. Since they lack the natural ability to walk on clouds, they should not be ordinarily present in Cloudsdale, but Twilight Sparkle casts a spell on herself and her friends that allows them to walk on clouds and attend a competition in Cloudsdale in the episode Sonic Rainboom.