Entry #10, Day 81
Foreword:
As my student has yet to reveal the full scope of her methods and the secrets of Materia, the remainder of this entry will thus be guest-written by Eclipse Flash, as she is currently these relics' only expert. I would prefer it if none who read this tome "spoil" it for me, as I plan on discovering their secrets for myself.
The most important thing about Assisted Spellcasting is that you still have to be capable of the spell. The way these gems work, they carry an imprint of their creator casting it, which is briefly impressed on the user. If you lack the magical power or skill needed to cast the spell, the gem won't work. It's been suggested that I attempt to store multiple, escalating spells in a single materia, so that the user can gain access to stronger magic as they "grow into" using a particular kind of magic, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet.
The way you activate the spell is easy enough. You just need to focus on it, Weiss complains that I don't announce the spell's name when I use it, but he's a dork, so I would ignore him if he tries to tell you that. You don't actually need to shout it out loud, you just need to focus on the gem. After that, you should feel something weird, that's the gem releasing the imprint it has stored of a different pony casting the spell. Let that feeling do what it needs to do, and you'll be able to match it, draining some of your magic to follow through with the spell.
The way to create an Assisted Spellcasting Gem is fairly simple. First, you need a specific type of crystal. Some ponies are already growing them, so you shouldn't have a problem getting one if you really need it. Then, you take the Timeshift Crystal and you cast a spell into it while touching it. The crystal has to be a perfectly round sphere though, or it won't work. And it has to be the right size, too. Bigger spells need a bigger Timeshift Sphere. When you do all of that, the sphere absorbs the spell's imprint, and can be used for Assisted Spellcasting.
I got the first Timeshift Crystal from using Black Flames on Frozen Stone, I thought I was going to get something else, but Weiss said not to talk about what it was supposed to make, and also to stop trying to make it. After that, we've just been growing them from seed crystals. The crystal farmers have apparently been messing with them a bit, seeing what they can do. And that's cool, I guess.
I don't really think Timeapples are going to be that popular, though.
I also found out, due in no small part to Weiss's interference, that Materia Assisted Spellcasting Gems can be used even if they aren't touching your body directly, as long as they're socketed firmly enough in an object laced with Timeshift Crystals. This means if you ask the carvers, they might be able to help fix up something nice to keep your Assisted Spellcasting Gems in!
I've been making some of the gems myself, being able to cast really exacting spells without much variation is actually really useful, with some creativity. Like, some of the decorators have gems with one specific carving spell in them shaped like a cool tile, so they just cast it over and over, and carve tiles into the floor in a snap! And the soldiers have been practicing with these really accurate needle launching spells, since they can do it exactly the same every time, instead of having to spend so much time focusing on aim.
The gems I keep on me have a bit broader applications, though. I've been keeping a gem for "Bellowbore's Strength of Limb", "Surefire's Lucky Shot", and of course, a Crystal Growth spell on me at all times. It's pretty handy when I need to climb up shelves or put away my books, since I can just jump up there, and kick my books right where they should be. My friends all keep a Lucky Shot gem too, for similar reasons, since it's normally a hard spell for an Earth Pony to cast. It's just so much more useful though, when it's easier to cast like this!
This might be conjecture. In fact, it probably is, but I also noticed that the more you use a particular gem, the easier and faster it is to use. Before, I had to take a five minute break after using Lucky Shot to put up all my stuff, but now I don't need a break at all. I guess practice makes perfect. I don't know if the same thing happens with other Assisted Spellcasting Gems, but It's worth keeping in mind, I guess.
One thing that's kind of annoying, we can't take Timeshift Crystals above a certain elevation without permission, since if you break one near snow, the snow turns into saltwater for a while. I don't know why it happens, but when Weiss found out, he looked really annoyed for some reason. Maybe he doesn't like saltwater? It turns back into snow when the time magic wears off though. He said he was going to "Get his dudes to work testing some stuff", but I don't know what that means.
The point is, if you don't have some of these, you should get some. Weiss made it so you can get some for free from some distributors in every zone, though the really high quality ones you still have to pay some GP for. I think it's worth it. Some of the Assisted Spellcasting Gems that everypony's been making are really cool and useful, and even though it doesn't help you learn the spell for real, it's a good way to help ponies really see what they're missing. Maybe this will make more ponies become interested in learning spellcraft themselves, when they can give magic a trial run like this? I sure hope so.