Aftereffects of magic- where does it go?

[ManaMinori 4,145]

I’ve been wondering for a while now where exactly does the residual magical energy go after a unicorn’s spell is cast, or a magical artifact like the EoH or Crystal Heart propels its magical energy across a wide range? A quote from Luna in “Twilight’s Kingdom” mentioning that their magic cannot just disappear into thin air makes me think that whether stored within the ponies in an unused state, or after being actively cast or used in some way, magic doesn’t vanish into thin air, and the energy, unseen, permeates the very atmosphere across all of Equestria, much like how due to the Scrub coral (Eureka 7), Transparent Light Particles (Trapar) cover the planet .

What do you guys think?

[Number62 1,258]

Into the writers' notepad(s).

Slightly more seriously, Luna said, "Our magic cannot just disappear into thin air. Somepony must keep it safe." In that specific case, she was referring to the magic from a pony, and that might not quite be the same kind as magic from some object like the Crystal Heart. Of course, that begs other questions that may or may not need answers.

[Mirage 24,771]

Good question. I've always assumed that the magic of Equestria is very much like the mana system - the 'energy' is collected, channeled, manifested, then returns into 'the ether'. The ether in the case of Equestria, is likely the 'Sun and Moon'. The mana of Equestria also seems to have color tones, like 'dark magic' and can be 'corrupted'. That is, the energy could exist in a multitude of frequencies, like a rainbow, that permeates all things.

[Guest]

I think the simplest explanation would be that unicorns harness energy from their natural environment, expel it in casting a spell, then discard the remainder. When you reference a unicorn's 'power' you're talking about how far their ability to harness that energy goes. In the case of alicorns, imagine how much energy it takes a unicorn as powerful as Twilight to move something like the ursa major in the first season. Her reach went far enough to encompass that huge thing in a coat of magic that was strong enough to contain and move it the distance it did, but in the case of Celestia, she can somehow find enough energy to reach out to the sun, envelope the entire thing, and move it across the sky. (Or if she's cheating, move the planet they live on. "Cheating")

That would mean a unicorn's limitation is something like their immediate environment with the energy their planet produces being the limit of how much magic they have a potential to harness, but alicorns perhaps have the ability to leech energy from celestial bodies or space itself. In that case, I imagine alicorns take longer to cast spells and expel residual energy since they have a lot farther to go to get their resource. It's an interesting question either way. 

 

[碇 シンジン 27,433]

Magic is already manifested into the environment where the able casters are able to manipulate it at their will by following  the  set commands known as spells after that the magic simply returns to idle state.

[Hierok 11,832]

Maybe they take the magic out of the sun and the moon and when they use it, it makes heat. Just like energy actually.  

Edited July 25, 2017 by Hierok

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

I had that question in Bats. Does Fluttershy still have that 'BAT SIDE' in her?

[Goat-kun 2,528]

Hey kids, guess what time it is?!

Fanon time!

 

The same way we have capillaries, arterioles, venules, and larger blood vessels, the worlds have ley lines of magical energy that are spread across the world. All raw magic circulates within this system. Mages are just tiny cells scattered along.