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// (Noir Report) The Occasional Benefits of Experimental Contamination [Royal Crystal Growth] 
// Story: The Unique Properties of Dark Magic 
// by Shadestyle 
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Entry #3, Day 8


Near the event of this entry's provocation, I had made a mistake, one that was very fundamental, but whose results were extremely pleasing.  I had attempted to force control over SC3, focusing on feelings I had at the time believed were those of Dominion, and wishes that I thought were those of dominion over substance.  The feelings I had actually called on were those of Greed, and my desires were those of enrichment.  I had been attempting to prove to a group of ponies the veracity of my claims in discovering a new, unique substance, and, in my desperate bid to prove to them what I believed the material was capable of, prepared and fired a beam of powerful magic that I had believed was SC3.  The result was, instead of the substance I desired, or a shadowy, dark version of it, a gorgeous purple color that was the perfect shade, dark and alluring.

It's only now that I sit down and write that I suspect the color of this magic is related to which colors I find desirable.  Likewise, the properties of the material born from it are, dare I say it, slightly greater than those I attribute to the substance's mundane form.  In the times this book was written in, I see no need to reveal precisely what the mundane substance was, for the sake of keeping knowledge of a powerful tool from the hooves of my enemies, and will not elaborate upon it further here.  Instead, I will expound on the spell's results on other forms of crystal.

Much like Sombra's Corrupt Crystal Creation, the spell I will label as Royal Crystal Growth is able to produce generic crystal.  Unlike SC3, however, it cannot produce crystal from seemingly nothing.  It requires a visible target with properties suited to the spell in question.  Most notably, properties the user comprehends, and wishes to improve upon.  

Unlike what I have been told of crystal enchanting done by the ponies of The Shadow Realm, this spell is incapable of producing any properties that cannot exist in it's parent crystal in some way.  Furthermore, I am led to suspect that while Crystal Enchanting can produce any color of crystal, Royal Crystal Growth is limited by the user's own preferred colors.  Despite my best efforts, I am only able to make Royal Crystals which are shades of purple. (and in one instance mentioned hereafter, cyan)

The most obvious uses for the spell are those of physical properties.  Further differentiating it from SC3, Royal Crystals lack the correct magics to control and dominate, it's magics being purely internal and improving upon the original substance.  Snowflake Obsidian becomes sharper and harder, Sapphires become flexible and optically superior, and Diamonds melt into a puddle of sludge.  I was very embarrassed at the time, but it seems one possible misfiring of this spell can cause undesirable substances to be destroyed, owing to my strong disdain for diamonds.  

(I have an extremely strong disdain for diamonds.)

Needless to say, this spell is extraordinarily useful, and has quickly grown to become one of my favorites.  Users must be cautious however, as the creation of substances via this spell invokes a strong feeling of possessiveness and avarice towards those creations. In myself, this resulted in a violent reaction towards critique of my creations.  Users should be cautious that they do not discard things which are important in the throes of passion that one experiences during the creation of beautiful objects.

Though I am unsure as to where I have heard of it, I cannot help but be reminded of a certain cursed tome (that is not this one) when I reflect on the properties of this spell.

Unfortunately, with a spell such as this, the explanation of it's uses must be accompanied with a description of it's products, and, indeed, suspecting these products to be the subject of my own personage, rather than something which may be expected for others, you will have to once again forgive me for the inaccurate portrayals you will now bear witness to, beginning with it's effects on a personal favorite substance of mine.  Lonsdaleite.  

When Royal Crystal Creation is cast on this extraordinarily rare gemstone, I had been able to evoke crystals of supreme durability and beauty, and whose inner magic transformed kinetic impacts back on themselves.  Furthermore, though I did not intend this initially, it's harmonic properties are enviable, judging from the beautiful tone that a strike to a rod of it evoked.

Though they once again pale in comparison to equal effort from a crystal pony, I am nonetheless filled with pride at my new dark magic creation, one uniquely my own.  To that end, I name this variant of lonsdaleite Royal Vibranium, after the appealing sound of it's vibrations.  It, alongside Royal Cloth, have made up nearly the whole of my wardrobe since their discovery.  And damn those who call it gaudy.  I've never been more pleased with my aesthetic.  

On it's own, Royal Vibranium is an extraordinary substance whose properties are familiar to me, sharing traits (and it's name) with a fabled substance from my homeland.  A resistance to blows, and strange properties of vibration.  Though I have yet to test it's use in weapons, I am certain it will excel.

Other, less noteworthy experiments I took included casting the spell on crystal sugar, resulting in an intoxicating paste, casting the spell on salt, resulting in a lustrous metallic crystal, casting it on quartz, resulting in a crystal which wails even more loudly when vibrating, and finally, casting it on various, much smaller diamonds, the only one of which to survive was the one that was initially tinted purple.  The purple diamond in question grew diamonds which were a bright cyan, had metal-like properties, and refused to grow in anything but cubic chunks.  What the results of this magic say about me, I do not know.

Perhaps I should refer to the mixture of Royal Cloth and Royal Vibranium as Adamantium?  I'm not positive there exists a substance in this world which bears that name yet...  If there is, I'll seek to obtain some for further testing.