Limitless possibilities

"If magic can produce produce this perfect there might be no limit to what we can do! We can't cut off a whole planet of possibilities" – Sunny Starscout

"A study of the deleterious effects of earth pony magic"

by Sweets, a senior researcher at Canterlogic.

Introduction.

This is a continuation of earlier research into the basic effects of earth pony magic. The research has already made multiple intriguing discoveries and this batch of tests is aimed at discovering the potential drawbacks of earth pony magic.

A representative from the Royal Gardening Society of Zephyr Heights, Safron, will be participating in the research in an official capacity, at the request of the Royal Society itself.

For the sake of readability, earth pony magic will be referred to as EPM.

In order to prevent any destruction of or damage to Canterlogic property the tests will be carried off Canterlogic property.

These notes will follow a similar structure.

Test 1.
Does EPM negatively affect the soil?

Test Description:
Multiple soil samples will be continually affected by EPM.
After a prolonged period of magical exposure the soil will be assessed.

Test Result:
Soil quality in samples noticeably decreased.
The soil from Zephyr Heights has become completely lifeless after seventeen uses of EPM.
Soil samples from Maretime Bay became completely barren after thirty four uses of EPM.
The samples taken from Bridlewood lasted fifty seven exposures before becoming lifeless.

Commentary:
These findings are troubling. If it took me about an hour to turn a hoofful of soil into dead dust, I fear what might happen to the ground we walk on.

Safron thinks that the draining effect of the magic could be alleviated in real world conditions. Maybe the concentration of magic wouldn't be as high as it would be allowed to "run off" into the earth and not be stuck in a petri dish. I will attempt to secure us a large quantity of soil to test this hypothesis. We must know if it is actually dangerous to use EPM. Magic isn't supposed to be dangerous, but I find it hard to believe that something so good and so powerful would have no consequences. As of right now we'll remain silent on the matter to not alert ponies prematurely.

Test 2.
Does EPM devitilize soil in real world conditions?

Test Description:
A large quantity of soil has been procured from the Maretime Bay Agricultural Asociation.
The soil will be stored in a large Canterlogic container, under the presumption that EPM does not penetrate metal.
The soil will be subjected to EPM for a prolonged period of time.
The soil will then be examined.

Test Result:
After the first EPM exposure cycle there was no noticable effect on the soil. This continued for fourteen cycles.
After the fifteenth cycle the soil started showing signs of deterioration. The soil lost a noticable amount of moisture and shifted to a more sandy consistansy.
After the twentieth cycle those signs became apparent. The soil became lifeless and most insects present at the extraction of the soil have disappeared.

Commentary:
The results this time are truly frightening. I, alone, was able to drain most life out of a container of soil over the coarse of three days. It produced a lot of plants, yes, but the effect on the soil is hard to ignore. It seems that the Sheriff was right to have his suspicions.

I was about to head to the Sheriff immediately, but Safron stopped me. She believes that the Sheriff is not the right pony to tell. He'd just forbid us from using this gift ever again. And I tend to agree with her on that, judging by his reaction to a few overgrowths and a small berry accident.

I still do not believe that we have the right to withhold this critical information. Safron assures me that she agrees and only wants enough time to come up with a good way to present said information without it ruining the public perception of EPM.

Conclusion.

As of completion this batch of tests will be officially documented as "Inconclusive" until further developments.