//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14 - Test Log 1 
// Story: Equestrian Celestial Forge 
// by TheDriderPony 
//------------------------------//




From the Desk of Twilight Sparkle
Apprentice to HRH Princess Celestia
Golden Oaks Head Librarian


Research notes and test logs for Unidentified Magical Artifact no. 001 "Horatic Cube"

Object Description: UMA-001 is a metallic cube measuring approximately 0.5 meters on each side. It is composed of an unknown golden-brown metal with minor evidence of green corrosion. Each of the six sides is decorated with a unique pattern of unknown pictograms and symbols, primarily involving intersecting triangles and circles.

UMA-001 has four identified functions. Synthesis, in which materials with some shared aspect are combined into a single item of higher quality. Deconstruction, in which an object is broken down into lesser versions of itself (Addendum: Or in some cases, base materials). Repair, in which damaged items are combined with raw material or base magical reagents to restore defects or flaws. Refinement, in which an undamaged item is combined with magical reagents to produce a version with improved performance or empowered effects.

Activating UMA-001 is done through twisting one of the four corners of the top face (each corner selects a different mode of use) and placing the materials to be utilized on the top surface of the device. Materials are either rejected (see attached list of recorded conditions for rejection) or are absorbed into UMA-001 and replaced with an output after a period of time which scales with complexity of the task.

Transcription of Hoarder's Eyes Information:


Horadric Cube
A replica of a replica of an ancient alchemical artifact. Its purpose is the synthesis, deconstruction, repair, and refinement of magical and mundane materials on a conceptual level.










Testing log
Primary Researcher: Twilight Sparkle
Consulting Researcher (for output identification): Rarity Belle


Test No. 001
Test Type: Synthesis
Test Material Input: One (1) standard sheet of white paper
Output: N/A
Additional Notes: A test to determine the device's baseline limits. No change occurred after ten (10) minutes of waiting. APparently it needs at least two inputs to activate.

Test No. 002
Test Type: Synthesis
Test Material Input: Two (2) standard sheets of white paper
Output: One (1) sheet of slightly higher quality white paper

Test No. 003
Test Type: Synthesis
Test Material Input: Three (3) standard sheets of white paper
Output: One (1) sheet of higher quality white paper

Test No. 013
Test Type: Synthesis
Test Material Input: Thirteen (13) standard sheets of white paper
Output: N/A
Additional Notes: Device failed to activate after ten (10) minutes of waiting. Papers returned unaltered. I think I might have hit some kind of limit, though whether it's a limit of volume, mass, quantity, or uses-per-hour, I don't know.

Test No. 014
Test Type: Synthesis
Test Material Input: Two (2) mass produced plain white coffee mugs
Output: One (1) plain white coffee mug of higher quality ceramic

Test No. 078
Test Type: Synthesis
Test Material Input: Thirteen (13) bottles of "Quik-Dri Ink"
Output: N/A
Additional Notes: It seems to have a hard limit of twelve distinct input items at once. No limit found yet on mass or volume.

Test No. 079
Test Type: Synthesis
Test Material Input: One (1) stamp-sized ruby, one (1) stamp-sized sapphire
Output: One (1) stamp-sized purple gem of unknown variety
Additional Notes: Rarity has confirmed that the gem is a purple corundum, which is technically still a type of ruby under the Equestrian Gem Grader's Guidebook. She noted that it is of very nice quality, but otherwise not particularly special.

Test No. 080
Test Type: Synthesis
Test Material Input: One (1) stamp-sized citrine, one (1) stamp-sized sapphire
Output: One (1) green gem of unknown variety
Additional Notes: Rarity says this one is just an emerald, which doesn't make any sense. I can understand the logic of the previous test, since rubies and sapphires have very similar chemical structures, but emeralds are nothing like either of the gems I inputted. Is it valuing color theory over chemistry? Or maybe there’s something more symbolic going on. More testing is needed.

Test No. 081
Test Type: Synthesis
Test Material Input: One (1) stamp-sized citrine, one (1) stamp-sized sapphire
Output: One (1) green gem of unknown variety
Additional Notes: Another emerald, though this one's in a pear cut instead of a square. Neither of the input gems were cut that way.

Test No. 220
Test Type: Synthesis
Test Material Input: One (1) half-eaten sandwich (Rye, mayo, roses, swiss), One (1) "Quills & Sofas" brand writing quill with snapped nib
Output: N/A
Additional Notes: An important discovery. Some items do not have enough in common to be combined. This will need further testing to determine the exact limits, but I’m running out of prepared materials to test with as well as quills and scrolls to record the data. 
*Testing to resume at a later date*

Test No. 221
Test Type: Deconstruction
Test Material Input: The output of test No. 012
Output: Twelve (12) standard sheets of white paper
Additional Notes: So it can also uncombine what it made before. That's good to know. Spike wants his Power Ponies issues back.

Test No. 245
Test Type: Deconstruction
Test Material Input: One (1) wooden hoof-carved figure of a royal guard enchanted with a low-power Come to Life spell
Output: Three (3) smaller carved figures of similar quality
Additional Notes: The original was provided enough magic to animate its marching for one minute before the spell collapsed. Each outputted figure marched for exactly twenty seconds. Further testing on subdivision of magic power?

Test No. 277
Test Type: Deconstruction
Test Material Input: One (1) "Sleepy Stomp" badge provided by Fluttershy
Output: Two (2) unknown badges of similar design
Additional notes: Rarity was able to identify the output as "Drowsy Stomp" badges. Fluttershy claims that they "feel" like her other badges, but that she does not know how to make a Drowsy Stomp badge from scratch like she can her others.

Test No. 311
Test Type: Repair
Test Material Input: One (1) 245g lapis lazuli (cracked) enchanted with a basic mana storage charm, five (5) lapis lazuli pebbles totaling ~10g (unenchanted)
Output: One (1) 252g lapis lazuli (undamaged) enchanted with a basic mana storage charm
Additional notes: It repaired it as expected, but where did the additional mass go?

Test No. 345
Test Type: Repair
Test Material Input: One (1) very damaged horseshoe (heavy rusting, multiple cracks, multiple missing fragments), 100g Originite crystal
Output: One (1) pristine steel horseshoe containing a significant unstable magical charge
Additional Notes: Horseshoe was safely disposed of via defenestration before it detonated. Resulting crater measured approximately 1.4 meters across, 0.4 deep in packed earth. An important discovery, but greater safety measures are needed before testing can continue. Given it doesn't seem to take the stability of the material into account, I'm especially hesitant to test the Refinement feature.









Twilight, I found this sticky note stuck to the back of your notes when I went to clean this morning. Thought you should see it first thing.
-Spike






Head Researcher: Pinkie Pie!
Assistant Researcher: Gummy

Test No. My First one
Test Type: Upgrade
Test Material Input: My party cannon and two big hunks of originite
Output: FUN!!
Additional Notes: Pinkie wants Big Boom