Quote Originally Posted by PurityIcekiller View Post
"Well, in that case, I think she'll do." Night Jewel gently stroked the sleeping fox. "Is a familiar basically an animal that's a close companion of you, or is there something fancier about it?"
There's something fancier about it, but nopony is quite sure what that is. There are many theories, which I won't go into right now, but nothing definite. The extent of what's known about them is that the caster and them tend to have some sort of special bond, and the name you give them has a power behind it. If you named a Tarantula Shelob, it'd be liable to become much larger than should be naturally possible. If you named a Snake Jormungandr, it would also grow large and have a tendency to chase its own tail. I advise against naming your familiar anything based on something with multiple heads. It's not known how they would react, and it'd be best if it remained that way. She warns the entire class, and makes sure they listen, even if she has to repeat that for the rest of the class.

What is known about familiars is that they are far more intelligent than their brethren, and you can occasionally have more than one. Now, some ponies never attain familiars. This is not a failing, and attaining multiple familiars is not any particular success. If you never attain a familiar, don't feel bad, and if you attain multiple, don't feel superior. She elaborates.