@DrNazus  
It’s kind of verified to a degree. If there was no stress on a unicorn for lifting something heavy via magic Twilight wouldn’t have looked so very intentionally stressed and winded - it isn’t as though that’s how a unicorn usually looks when they levitate something.
 
Keep in mind this is Twilight. The strongest magic user in the show as far as we know. Think of unicorn magic like a muscle on another plane of existence. A unicorn can work it out to improve various factors such as the reach, strength, stability and finesse. Which would also support why - except for Twilight - most unicorns don’t seem to do all magic so much as have levitation and a spell or two related to their special talent.

@driver240b  
I don’t agree with it. Sorry. Still, there are probably plenty who think it’s good.

@DrNazus  
sorry i’m late, but thought i’d put this in: is possible that, despite using magic, a unicorn is still put under physical stress? I personally subscribe to the theory that when they lift something, a fraction of that weight is actually put on the unicorn doing the lifting. an ursa minor may weigh in the neighborhood of 50 tons or so, so twilight, in the episode “boast busters” may have been put under a good deal of stress. the more powerful their magic, the more they can do, but they also need to exercise in order to keep the weight from crushing them.
 
Just a theory. _{don’tkillme}

Actually when Twilight was lifting the minor ursa she showed a lot of sweat and strain.
 
It’s impressive such a debate can happen over a topic of the show.

Yeah, actually, it’s very physical, considering that they directly affect physical objects  
Come on man, surely you know I didn’t mean it like that.  
I mean, it’s not like we’ve seen unicorns sweat and strain when trying to perform “difficult” magic or anything  
Oh yeah. Hm. Okay, time to throw theories at the wall.  
So difficult magic takes mental strain. If the brain is like a computer hard drive, it runs the risk of overheating. Sweat happens in hopes of cooling the head down and therefor the brain.  
It’s doesn’t seem great to me but this is the best I can think of right now.

@DrNazus
 
Yeah, actually, it’s very physical, considering that they directly affect physical objects; I mean, it’s not like we’ve seen unicorns sweat and strain when trying to perform “difficult” magic or anything…
 
…oh wait, we’ve seen them do just that! Seriously, the fact they hafta use a special physical appendage to perform magic should be enough to prove that magic isn’t inherently any lazier than any other physical activity.

@archestereo  
my casual observations of nature had led me to believe that using one’s own person to directly affect the environment requires proportional effort  
Mental effort, not physical. You can’t get fit with brain power.  
you don’t have to look any further than Fall Weather Friends to see that earth ponies got the shaft  
I guess that is a point. Best argument I can think of is that Dash is athletic and may have done ground-based exercise too. Also shot in the dark, but maybe AJ isn’t used to running for ages and isn’t as good with that as other physical labors.

It’s so cute watching Sweetie Belle hug her pillow.

She’s so cute~<3

@DrNazus
 
Well, I’m glad to know you’re an expert at telekenisis and the arcane, because my casual observations of nature had led me to believe that using one’s own person to directly affect the environment requires proportional effort; also, you could literally use that very same argument to say a guy in a wheelchair isn’t at a disadvantage to a guy with legs.
 
…seriously, you don’t have to look any further than Fall Weather Friends to see that earth ponies got the shaft; Dash always used the one thing AJ didn’t have as the means to cheat, and something that flies wouldn’t compete in something like a longjump unless challenged by something that can’t.

@archestereo  
Again, there are no muscles in the horn (as far as my knowledge of mythology goes). Using your mind to move things isn’t the same as using your body to move things.  
Earth pone strong and they grow things. As a whole, they are equal to the others. IMO at least.  
Also what’s with all the dots in your comments?

Cute~! X3

@Background Pony Number 17
 
See, this guy knows what’s up.

Yeah, I don’t follow Sweetie-Mom’s logic there. A young unicorn just learning her magic should practice it at every opportunity.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. <3

@archestereo  
Ah geeze, you’re gonna get it now.

@DrNazus
 
…that still isn’t the same as using a machine to do the work; magic is literally as much a part of unicorns as their legs are. You wouldn’t say Pegasi are lazy for using their wings or that earth ponies are lazy for using their…
 
…yeah, Hasbro will never admit it, but earth ponies are cripples compared to the other races…

@archestereo  
No it isn’t. You don’t use any muscles to levitate things. It’s more on par with saying people shouldn’t use lifts so much.  
I remember someone saying he liked the idea of unicorns using their magic for most things causing them to not be as physically fit, thus leading to more squishy rumps or something like that.

…that’s like saying people should stop walking because legs make us lazy…

There are worse excuses to be lazy.

Hopefully your magic won’t make you end up like Willow.