Author's notes: This is a quick little story, not really meant to be taken seriously. It was more for me than for anyone else. I just had a lot of fun writing about the mechanics of magic in my other stories that I decided to do a whole fic based on it. So enjoy me writing about basically nothing.
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A drop of water formed on a leaf. Through her mind’s eye, Twilight Sparkle was able to see every detail. She marveled at the perfect shape, the flawless symmetry. She knew exactly how large it was, how much the tiny drop weighed, even what microscopic impurities contaminated the seemingly pristine orb. As it grew, the world around Twilight seemed to slow. She closed her eyes.
Twilight tapped into the part of her mind that regulated the flow of magic through her. It wasn’t a real action, like if she were to move her legs or talk. It was something else entirely, as if she was only remembering what it was like to use magic. However, it was very real and very much in the present. One of the many unquantifiable aspects of spellcasting that Twilight found intriguing and irritating at the same time.
Shivers went down Twilight’s spine as it started. Energy from the surrounding area collected around her horn, and flowed through her body. Normally she would start to cast a spell at this point. However, she emptied her mind. She let herself become a blank slate as the magic pooled inside of her. Twilight let it flow through her, feeling the tingling sensation as it permeated her every bone and muscle. Her entire body had become a conductor for the energy.
Manipulating matter was always a tricky ordeal. To use a spell required a good understanding of physics, with some of the more advanced ones needing proficiencies in chemistry and biology as well. Using magic without a spell, however, was just about concentration. You had to devote yourself entirely to the task, for any stray thought would be transferred to the magic, possibly causing serious damage. This is why Twilight had decided to go for something simple to test out this form of magic. First, she needed to gather information.
Gently, she let the magical energy back out through her horn. It was almost like breathing. As it left, it started to act differently. Twilight could still feel it, just as she could when it was part of her. It had become an extension of her conscious, a real part of her body and mind. She felt a rush of fear. The sensation was disorienting, it felt like she was being pulled from her body. The sensations made her think she was going insane. Twilight quickly overcame it though; her mind was in no danger of leaving her. She was just as likely to go mad from seeing through her eyes.
Twilight relaxed and allowed thoughts into her mind once more, and probed around with her conscious. Through her magical aura, she saw her surroundings. It was breathtaking. There was no limit to how much detail the magic could capture, and the world around her took on an ultra-realistic texture. In lieu of colors, Twilight could sense the energy being displaced by plants and animals. Plants created something akin to blue in her mind’s eye, while the many insects glowed red.
Everything moved slower now. Omniscience had an interesting effect on the relative flow of time. Her brain didn’t need to process images, for what she was seeing WAS her mind. In a way. This disconnect made her thinking incredibly fast. This, in turn, made the world around her appear slowed.
Ignoring the brilliant glow of the life around her, she found the object she needed. It was a small pebble she had placed on the ground earlier. It felt like a lifetime ago. The stone was polished to a mirror sheen, and it glinted in the sunlight. However, Twilight could only see it’s reflection as the energy in the air bounced off of it.
From the corner of her awareness, Twilight could see the drop of water fall from the leaf. However, it seemed miles away. Her focus was devoted to the pebble.
Twilight learned all she could about it. Her narrow focus let her take in breathtaking amounts of detail, things she never could have seen or felt. Her eyes saw it as being smooth as glass. The aura told her differently. Nearly invisible scratches jumped out at her, as if they were vast canyons. On the pebble’s lower hemisphere, there was a miniscule chip that exposed a rough layer underneath the polished surface. It was to Twilight a crater, scores wide, blemishing the beautiful stone.
The drop was still falling. It seemed so far away, Twilight wondered how she noticed it at all. She shook the thought from her mind. Only her pebble mattered. She blocked out everything else, and poured her focus into the stone.
As Twilight studied her stone, it seemed to grow. Every millimeter became a mile as she started to find the particles that made up the pebble. Tiny, insignificant flecks jumped out at her as if they were mountains. Fragments of quartz became towering monoliths of opaque crystal. Specs of life clung to the peaks and ridges, creatures that seemed almost impossibly small. The jagged surface was now everything, larger than she could possibly imagine. Equestria was a tiny village compared to the scope and grandeur of her pebble.
Twilight pulled back her focus. The world reformed around her, and the pebble seemed to shrink until it was its normal size. She could still see the pebble in all its detail though. Twilight now started to focus on an action, rather than the sights before her. Using her magical aura, she pushed the air around the pebble away. The action was instant. A white mist appeared around the stone as the vacuum was formed. Twilight’s task was hard enough without the miniscule air currents to contend with.
Twilight gently tapped the stone with her mind. It wobbled. Smiling, she started to apply pressure underneath it. As she did, the stone rose millimeters into the air. It started to list to the side. Twilight immediately countered the movement with a jab of her conscious. It pushed too hard though, and the stone started to spin in place.
Twilight tried a different approach. Instead of poking it with her thought, she would try to actually lift it. Using the minute scratches in the stone, she was able to find places for her magic to hold. She dug into them, and applied counter pressure. Gradually, the stone slowed its spin and then finally stopped. She kept it there for a moment, unsure of what to do. It was a constant struggle to keep the stone balanced, much less to lift it. She couldn’t stop now though. She tried again, and gave the pebble the smallest push she could with her mind.
It rose. The entire time, Twilight fought to keep it stable. Inch by inch, she got closer to her goal. The effort was daunting. Every slight touch caused the pebble to respond in kind, and keeping it still was next to impossible. There were just too many variables. Every tiny flaw affected the weight distribution, and the pebble was nowhere near a perfect sphere to begin with. Twilight started to grow fearful. She could not hold onto this level of concentration for long.
The drop of water hit the ground.
Twilight gasped. The noise cut through the air like an explosion. Her eyes shot open. For a moment, she had thought she was hallucinating, or that something had happened to her eyes.
The entire area was colored a deep shade of magenta. Her conscious had taken on real, tangible form. In front of her, trees glinted in her aura. Even as she looked at them, she could feel their bark at the edge of her mind. Twilight could see and feel every blade of grass. It was incredible.
In front of Twilight, not a foot from her face, was her pebble. It hovered at eye level, completely still. She looked at it for a moment. The perfect little world seemed to return her gaze. Exhaling, Twilight severed the flow of magic.
All at once, the magenta aura vanished, and the pebble fell. With a pang of longing, Twilight felt her mind return to her, and her new sense vanish. It felt like she has lost her vision. However, she could not maintain the state for long. It required too much concentration. Looking at where the drop of water had landed, she realized that only a second had passed. It had felt like hours.
Twilight looked to her pebble. She had a lot to think about.