Much like Yoda from 'Star Wars, Rafiki from 'The Lion King, and King Boomie from 'Avatar: The Last Airbender, Zecora seems a bit strange and mysterious at times (especially upon her first introduction).

However, we also learn that beneath her seemingly strange traits and customs, there actually lies a vast pool of experience and wisdom.

We still however know very little about her;

How old is she?

She said it 'Would be tragic if anyone else had ever beaten her at magic', do Zebra possess their own inherent magical prowess, or are they only crafted through potions?

Has all of her wisdom been passed down to her or is it all from personal experience?

1735990 Well I see the mane 6 as being at least in their early 20's, so Zecora is probably maybe in her early to mid 30's. Also note that in the episode you quoted she refilled her tea cup after it spilled by waving a hoof over it. There's the saying that all ponies have magic and zebra's in nature are cousins of the horse/pony so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume that Zecora has plenty of magic all her own.

However HOW she utilizes it is another story. It could very well be through just potions, but it could also be that zebra's are able to utilize their magic in ways earth ponies or pegasi can't. Not on the same level as a unicorn obviously, but they may have a better understanding of magic and thus can use it in far more noticeable ways than non-unicorn/alicorn ponies.

I actually always connected Zecora's kind of "magic" with the magic in the novel "Eragon". Either the conventional, or the "Spirit Magic".

Conventional:
You need the Magical Talent — that not everyone has —, as well as a wording for the thing you wish to magically happen (in the language of the elves, the Old Language). You "command" the thing you want to happen in the Old Language while simultaneously focusing your will on it. The whole is limited to the things that are physically possible of you (you can't smite a mountain and such, or turn earth to water, but you can condense water out of the air around you or let it ascend from the earth). Also, the words mustn't be actually spoken, thinking them suffices, but is much riskier because a single stray thought is enough to cause serious damage.

Spirit Magic:
A mage calls upon the spirits of the lands via a ritual*. The spirits have innate magical prowess which can be bend to the sorcerer's will. The mage may summon a unlimited amount of Spirits therefore he's theoretically able to gain an almost infinite amout of power. The downside is just that, if your will isn't strong enough to controll them, they'll take over your body and control you instead. These possessed beings are called "Schatten"**, and they're not very pleasant conrades 'cause the spirits who took over their body are normally really pissed because they were basically enslaved for their power. Dursa was one of these punks.

More likely is that she can channel magic through her hooves or something. I mean, people say that a unicorn's magic is focused through their horn, a pegasus' through the wings, allowing them to fly even though they physically shouldn't be able to (wings too small). Earth ponies have them in their entire body, giving them supreme stamina (and farming skills?).

Frankly, these are just connections my mind made because of the lack of actual information of how Zecoras tricks work. It'D actually pretty cool if someone wrote a story that gives Zecora a background and such.

*The whole "how do they summon spirits" part wasn't elaborated in the novel. I'm just assuming the ritual part because it'd be something different from the magic that already existed there.

**I said "Schatten" (~Shadow) because I read the novel on German, and I don't know how they might be called in the original English version.

Maybe Zebra magic is something akin to shamanism.

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That's what I've been lead to believe based on what we've seen from the show.

I would also like Zecora to have her own musical number like this one;

1735990 Ah I should have looked at this before making my post on the forum earlier.

Anyways did you see the season 4 premier of MLP? Cause Zecora seems to look even more capable in that episode. Aparently up to the level of creating alicorn specific stuff.

How do you think she managed to even get to that level?