Entry #15, Day 134
I have no choice but to conclude one of two things. Either Pain is an Emotion, or spells may be derived from more than simply emotions. The spell that has taught me this is one I've decided to call Fire Breath, as I am most certainly not the one to discover this extremely widespread magic. When a living creature combines the sensation of pain with the desire to expel pain from their mouth, Fire Breath is the end result. If you have ever spewed flames from your mouth after eating spicy food, you have been the victim of this magic.
I find it at least somewhat shocking that this effect hasn't been studied more in depth. Perhaps it's a consequence of just how common it is, leading to ponies merely accepting it as normal? In any case, I've only made the connection between spice and flames due to research into dragons, and of course, their flames. A dragon's tongue contains a biological gland which produces something very similar to capsaicin, allowing them to effectively burn their own mouths as part of their ability to breathe flames consistently.
Aside from this, a dragon's flames can be further intensified as they eat harder and more brittle gems, due to the abrasive powder restoring sensitivity to their mouths. I can't help but wonder if this is evolution at work, although how quickly an immortal species can evolve traditionally is unknown to me. In any case, although I now know the method by which to cast Dragonfire, I will not be sharing the method here, as an ordinary pony creating Dragonfire would be extremely unhealthy to their mental state.
It was certainly not healthy to mine.
In any case, the uses of Fire Breath are obvious, although I find it strange that pain is not among the feelings associated with Dark Magic. Thus, if you wish to cast Fire Breath, you will likely need a Materia, if you are unwilling to carry a bottle of hot sauce with you. I've ensured that the Materia Shops contain a few instances of Fire Breath, for use in cooking and hobby work. If you wish to obtain stronger Materia for the spell, you'll need to contact Research and Development.
I find it interesting to note that the flames created by Fire Breath are unable to harm the caster's mouth, even though they most certainly appear there, and are indeed real flames. I believe this may be for similar reasons that other spells are unable to affect their casters, namely, that one's desire to expel pain from their mouth will not allow the spell to cause more pain when cast. This serves as yet another instance of one's magic being unable to harm themselves, as the simple fact of the matter is, few individuals desire such.
One intriguing side-effect of this spell is when it is used to enchant an object. The first and most important feature is that any object enchanted with this spell, even if it isn't in the process of creating fire, will turn red, and begin to glow. Ponies that touch objects enchanted with Fire Breath also claim that it burns, although the objects do not inherently create heat.
Tests on the matter from volunteers also revealed a useful effect, namely, that large amounts of kinetic, evenly distributed force are emitted on a pony who lands on a surface enchanted with this Fire Magic, such that they are bounced into the air a sizable distance, at the cost of psychosomatic pain from the spell making them feel a sharp burning sensation. This effect also seems to turn them upright, regardless of their previous orientation.
This may be another example of evolution in action. It makes no small amount of sense that a magical species would develop a reaction like that, in response to landing on a heated surface. While I can only speculate on it, I can absolutely develop methods by which to exploit this ability. Namely, by creating Materia that allow it to be replicated. While it's absolutely not pleasing, a Materia can replicate the sharp, sudden pain that triggers a Shock Leap.
One may question what makes the Shock Leap and Fire Breath better than alternatives such as Prestidigitonium, or Foxfire, and the answer has several components. The first and most important component being it's efficiency and safety. A D-Rank Fire Breath spell produces more flames than a C-Ranked Prestidigitated Flame, while, at the same time, Shock Leap is both cheaper and safer than launching one's body using force from either Foxfire or Prestidigitonium, due to how it naturally distributes it's force evenly.
Aside from one's need to be mindful of the landing, Shock Leap could very well be a spell with no upper safe limit, though I don't recommend stress testing it underground, for obvious reasons.
Entry #16, Day 135
Recent events have forced me to retract my former statement, as I've discovered through several reports that some ponies who perform a Shock Leap of what is roughly the C-Rank will find their tails spontaneously combusting into flames in some situations. I do not know why this happens, or what qualifies a pony as being "Flame Vulnerable" when using Shock Leap, but I suspect it may have to do with their mindset, and whether or not they have a memorable experience of having been burned in the past, causing a magical echo when the spell activates.
Needless to say, if you plan on using the spell in spite of this, a method to extinguish yourself is paramount. Nobody wants to explain to friends and family why they are unable to sit down, I'm sure readers can agree. That besides, it would be no small embarrassment, having to explain the source of the burns to whatever doctor or nurse is required to treat it. Therefore, this is me saying, in no uncertain terms, do not use C-Rank or above Shock Leap Materia, unless you have either been tested for flame vulnerability, or are supervised accordingly.
I wonder, if I create an ejector seat that uses Shock Leaping, would that make it a hotseat?