Research log – 13:32 May 5 204X
Author: Dr. Andrew Parker
Subject: Magic

My team has managed to secure permission from the Equestrian government to investigate the so-called magic powers demonstrated by the horned variant. One of our volunteers was able to describe some basics and various other points of interest when asked to do so. From this and simple observation we found the following data points:

1. Magic is channeled through a special sort of keratin-like substance.

2. This substance can be unconnected, idle, or activated.

3. The three most common expressions of the substance are the wings (specifically the shaft of the feather, or rachis), the hooves, and the horn.

4. For a winged or horned Equestrian, the hooves are unconnected, disabling the ability to express magic through them. For all variants, the simple lack of wings or horn implies enough.

5. Only the three known horned variants are capable of consciously controlling the effect of their magic.

Our volunteer was placed in various scanning apparatus with a bowling ball provided by Dr. Garfield and asked to raise it one meter above the floor for ten seconds. From our test results, we found that magic usage produces two kinds of known radiation; most obviously a glow in the visible spectrum, the exact hue varying per user, and a microwave radiation oscillating around 3 GHz, give or take.

This should not be enough to produce the observed effects.

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Research log – 16:25 May 10 204X
Author: Dr. Andrew Parker
Subject: Magic

Having recorded the exact radiation output of several volunteers and constructed a testing device capable of reproducing it, I fear we have gotten nowhere. There must be a third effect in play here. I’ve submitted a request for more funds with which to acquire more scanning devices in the hopes of finding what makes this so-called magic work.

After all, “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

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Research log – 20:02 June 26 204X
Author: Dr. Andrew Parker
Subject: Magic

With a lot of jury-rigging and elbow grease, we’ve discovered that magic works through a special sort of field that we do not fully understand yet.

Actually, we don’t understand it much at all. All we know for certain is that the odd keratin-like substance, now dubbed “magicite” is a key factor, possibly in its structure as well as molecular makeup.

If only we had a separate piece. No volunteers will allow us to cut off a piece, for obvious reasons, and we can’t force them to let us…

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Research log – 13:37 July 2 204X
Author: Dr. Andrew Parker
Subject: Magic

It seems there’s a flipside to everything as thanks to a skirmish between the Royal Guard of Equestria and a certain anti-pony terrorist organization, we now have a sizable piece of horn. We’ve scanned the horn quite thoroughly, and I’m pleased to say that it seems likely both the physical structure and molecular makeup would seem important. Later today, we’ll try to build a wand of sorts and hook it up to our testing device…

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Research log – 15:00 July 2 204X
Author: Dr. Andrew Parker
Subject: Magic

Goddammit!

Look. We know that magic must have a basis in perfectly normal, understandable physics. These people apply it instinctively, and it has clearly observable effects in the natural world. That ball-lifting test? They’re not negating the effect of gravity, they’re actively lifting the ball up as anybody with hands would do, in a struggle between their telekinesis and gravity. Much more interesting is how a pegasus can pull a cart through the air and have it remain upright as it floats behind them. Or how they hover in place, oscillating no more than a few centimeters at most, while flapping those obviously undersized wings at not nearly a high enough frequency.

Screw this. I’m going home early today. During lunch, I made a little pendant out of leftover synthetic magicite that I intend to give to my pregnant wife, Mary.

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Andrew’s personal log, June 26, 204X.

Though my work has got me down, my personal life couldn’t be better. Mary’s pregnancy has gone absolutely fine and little Raymond came to us as healthy as a father could want his baby boy to be.

But if there’s one thing you don’t give to a man of science with a slight paranoid tendency and a bunch of better-than-medical grade scanning devices, it’s a firstborn. With Mary’s approval, I’ll bring a handheld scanner from work next week.

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Andrew’s personal log, July 4, 204X.

You’re not paranoid when you’re right, or so the saying goes.

I can only imagine it was months of constant exposure to magic – at crotch height no less – that’s to blame, but it seems… well…

Little Ray might have magic fingers. It’s hard to tell if it’ll express as a green thumb, full-on wizardry, or hopefully nothing at all, but if there’s one thing I never could’ve seen coming, it’d be that my seed would be affected.

On the flipside, if his grasping reflex is any indication, his fingers should be structurally fine.

I wonder if I should notify Doctor Garfield. He too was awfully exposed, though last I checked he was also awfully single.

Author's Note

Scientific support by CloudHop, heftig, and tiwake. Thanks guys!

Names: Doctor Andrew Parker takes after Andrew Garfield, who played Spider-Man. It all spins out from there.