[SOLO] What is magic? (Prince Everfree) fin

[EvilSilverDragon]

(Says solo but if anyone feels they have a reason their faun would be there/could help, by all means you are welcome,no post order though)

Everfree had found an empty corridor towards the base of the tree, it appeared to be empty and away from anypony just waltzing by. He treasured the friends he had, both from before and one one he met here. Just thinking of Twilight Sparkle filled him with more than one conflicting emotion. That was the face of what drove him away, but not the full reasoning. Had the weather not been so bad, he would have left to go out there.

As it stands, it was too cold and he needed somewhere to think. This place seemed as good as any. He could feel the tree around him, like the power that served as a beacon to get him here in the first place. Here, without the distractions of the lives around him, he could just feel. The itch in his feathers had calmed down quite a bit but that wouldn't last.

"What do I do?" he asks the empty space around him, secure enough in his belief that he was alone to think out loud. "How do I protect my home, those within it without power? How can I just use power?" He had discovered, quite by accident, that he still had some magic of his own.

It had been the night he met Twilight Sparkle, when he was alone in the nook Stallion Justmo had offered him. Just like now, he was thinking hard on what it meant to have power. Even harder, he thought on those that just used it so flippingly without any concern. Lost in his thoughts, he had apparently called a cup. How and why he wasn't so sure, there was no active attempt that he could point to but the result was unmistakable.

Floating in the air with a green glow was the cup. In one instant everything he was thinking vanished as a realization hit him so hard one would think he was knocked out by force alone. He still had power.

The cup fell with a clunk on the ground as he forcibly rejected the idea. Walking over to the cup, it had made it a good half way to him before he had become entirely aware of it. He picked the item up and just stared at it. All his questions and concerns focused on that one little cup.

He still had that cup, right where he stood in the corridor. Placing the cup down several yards in front of him, he backed up further and just looked at it. There was no effort to move it, but to understand how he had made it move in the first place. Closing his eyes, he reached within himself, for the first time in a long time. Since before he hadn't had to use magic as much, he reached to where it had been.

It felt like there was a void inside of him, like was a barrel with just a bit of water in the bottom. Not empty, for there was something there, shadows of potential he was too worried to grasp. The dark void too seemed to shy away from his thoughts as if it was afraid of being rejected.

In truth, he rejected magic so hard that being around it seemed to cause a physical reaction, the itch in the feathers. Yet, here he lived in a tree of magic. It wasn't the tree that bothered him. No it was the way some of the fauns used magic. They seemed to use it too freely without restrain. Not all, but just one seemed to be enough to set his feathers on edge.

But then, that was what he was about to do himself. Opening his brown eyes, the green prince looked back to that very cup. All unicorns could levitate back in Equestria, that ability seemed to have followed him. He remembered how to use it, and in an instant, he called to it.

As his horn glowed a soft green, the cup to took on the shade. In a deep breath, the cup rose several feet before he placed it back down. It wasn't quite the power he once had, but it was magic. The itching of his wings didn't stop just because it was his own magic causing it. Lowering the cup again, he never took his eyes off of it even though his mind was swirling elsewhere. There was a better way to use power, only when needed not for everyday things; he felt. More responsibility less a child's toy.

Thinking of what magic meant to him, he shifted his wings bringing them fully out. This was as much royal bearing as he remembered it then a purposeful action. It helped him, for a few moments, to go back in time. Almost as he could see his Forest, could feel the life within it existing on its own. All around him were shadows of the past and a web to what he had done before. The land had existed without magic influencing it. The only things controlled actively were the sun and the moon, done so by his beloved Princesses. That didn't mean there wasn't magic.

He never used it to trim trees or move clouds, but there was magic even still. Had he needed to protect his forest, either from Equestria or Equestria from it, he could have. His reasoning back then was a passive defense. Passive as he may be, he was by no means weak or a coward. In a moment's notice he would have stepped in to protect his home in any way needed with as much force as he needed.

Hitting something with everything he had was not his way, a measure of defense to keep his home safe without going into an attack. That was how he always saw magic, a measure of what needed to be without going over.
 

[EvilSilverDragon]

Magic wasn't freedom, he had never believed of it that way. Magic had a purpose but he always disliked it being used to change the world around him. Change yes, but protect was another matter. If someone threatened the tree right now the worst he could do was chuck a cup at them. That was not the image of a defender.

It was that thought, that somepony might try to harm those he cared for and he would be unable to stop it. Before he had things set up thus did not have to actively use his powers. Not egotistical, he knew he wasn't the only one who would fight for the tree. There were likely defenses set up already. What bothered him was not having anything to do with it.

A much as idle power bothered him, being idle himself bugged him more. As he stood there, his tail twitching but the rest of his body was still. From the casting shadows he could see himself wings out looking threatening to anyone who didn't know better.

The question he asked as vital to him. How could he use magic? He had known it to cause ponies to do things they shouldn't and get themselves in trouble. He had also seen it do some great things. There was no debating what great things Celestia and Luna had done. Lacing his fingers he tensed his muscles and stared still at that cup.

Maybe he could teach? Get a head of the misuse and guide towards something he felt was better? The tree would be safer if those within could defend themselves. It was also safer if they were responsible. If somepony could turn things pink, making the whole tree pink would be horrifying. He was judging, he knew.

There were too many worst case worries, but then that was what he did best. He worried for what could happen and stepped in to prevent that. If there was anything he believed in more than himself, was to prevent before it became a problem. What did that mean for his place here?

Twilight spoke of a journey to get one's power. Here in the corridor, he was on his own journey to come to terms with himself. He was living still in what was and had been.

In many ways it felt like yesterday, just a sunrise ago. Now, he was as much a young colt coming into his wings again as the stallion who was comfortable in his own coat. Maybe that was part of it, he was afraid of himself. He was afraid of what he adored, magic twisting the world. Nothing he had seen thus far seemed like that was a threat.

It was; however, something he felt could happen. One little one with more than they could handle a few taking things into their own hooves. Thats what he thought of, having the ability and not knowing the limit. He wondered if he could teach in some way, use age and past experiences to help.

What could he teach, besides how to float up a cup? What did he have to give to the tree and his home? The endless questions buzzed around his head like horse flies. An ear flickered one way and another as if that would cure the thoughts as it might deter a pest. "What can I do?", he asked again to the empty expanses he had retreated to.

Slow down, the answer came it him. With a deep breath, he thought about the two words to the answer. That simple cup and those two words. He needed to slow down, needed to stop fearing what could happen. It was a moment of silence in his own mind.

He thought of a flame then, almost seeing it within the cup that was his focus, his base. Fire could burn out of control and burn. In a forest like his own, it was deadly out of control. However, controlled, it created life. There were trees whose seeds could only sprout with the heat of the flames. In smaller amounts, fire kept life alive.

With the temperature outside, the stallion couldn't imagine anyone surviving out there by themselves without a home. That was, not without a flame to keep them warm. Fire kept life going by warming it. The flames cooked foods and helped create beauty. There would be no glass, no clear barrier between the uncertain outside world and the inside. To choose between the beauty of out there, and the comfort from the side would be half a life.

A wall of fire in a cave would take away oxygen, in an open area it would deter anything on the ground. To those that could fly and flee, it wasn't as much a threat. He thought of those that couldn't; like Twlight Sparkle. He didn't fear the flames, but fears those that could be harmed by it.

With fire, should someone start it because they could but walked away without taking responsibility the innocent would be hurt. However, in the hands of a master it could create. In his area of relative darkness, he thought between the violence and the creation. If he feared the fire, he would never be warm. That concept he felt as clearly in his bones that he shivered.

Even in the shivering, he didn't move a tight muscle to hold himself. For as long as he could hold this calm, this clarity, he would hold tight to the real cup, and the flame he imagined. He could picture the warm, think of the good it could do. Contained in his mind, contained in the cup, it was safe. That was control, keeping things contained and safe from others and but useful to all.
 

[EvilSilverDragon]

In the calm of his current hiding place, he felt a breeze. Air pulled his attention, splitting his focus between the cup with the imagined flame and the breeze. The flame seemed to dance as he pictured what flames did when the air hit them.

Air was not contained, it could never truly be tamed. Everything in the world above the ground seemed to dance to its movements. Without the breeze it would be just the pegasus to move the clouds. In the forest it was the air that kept the weather moving. Here it seemed to be the same way.

Even with the cursed cold, the air did what it was needed to do. It brought the cold and would eventually bring the warmth. That was a firm breeze, gentle wind on a warm day was a miracle in of itself. He loved the feel of it, memories of standing in the warm sunshine as a comforting breeze blows through his mane and tail.

Even flying, when he took to the air, he would always go against the wind because he loved the feel of it. Tiny invisible fingers through his mane, the scents of fragrant flowers wafting though. For a moment he had to fight closing his eyes just to savor the memories. Instead he kept his focus on that cup, thinking of the flame dancing in the wind.

Though it could not be contained in any ability he knew of, the wind could be pushed to destruction on its own. With strong enough wing flaps, a small flame could be fanned into a raging inferno or snuffed out. Depending on what you needed the fire for, that could be a good or bad thing.

When planting season came, wind could take the seeds were they were not intended. At the same time, that was how some plants reproduced . Those were the good things about wind and air. Just like with fire his mind went to the negative, it was the opposite for the air.

However, wind could be destructive itself. A few determined pegasus could create a tornado that would threaten any who had the misfortune to be in the path of the action. In addition, hurricanes and typhoons could cause almost unlimited damage. While only fire could be started by itself with a lightning strike, wind could be created with much more common conditions.

Indeed, it was a more present threat on its own then what he would think of without introspection. With fire, air was an element they could not live without. Not just the weather, but no one can breathe without air. Well, fish could but even they had oxygen in the water to sustain themselves.

In the focused watch of the cup, the flame kept dancing to wind he wasn't sure he was also imaging or not. With careful balance, both could live in harmony. On in sharp contrast the wind could snuff out a life sustaining flame during a freezing night.

Calm down, he reminded himself again as he focused on his thoughts. The tree had its own magic, and as he focused, he could almost feel it within him almost connect to it like he had been able to in his own forest. That was just his imagination, he was certain, but he was open to it all the same. He asked out again, "What can I do?"
 

[EvilSilverDragon]

Now, he shifted a hoof and felt the earth beneath his hooves. He had always loved nature and for the blessing of his wings, he loved the ground. The cup, with the imagined flame dancing in the shadows, sat still on the unmoved ground as he watched. Earth was a strong element often seen was unmoving.

It moved, shifted but not in any way most perceived. Sure when there was an earth slide or a dramatic earthquake ponies noticed alright. It was the silent steady he had noted and appreciated. Not many besides farmers seemed to really appreciate the earth for what it was.

They took for granted as they walked on top of the ground or saw things grow that they themselves did not. It was a treat for the patient, to see something planted in rich soil and grow over the season until it could be harvested. The earth felt free, it couldn't be contained like fire could because it was everywhere. Even the water had earth at its bottom, it existed everywhere and as he knew it, it could not be created as fire or a breeze.

No, it could be manipulated sure enough, and that was a sad thought. Well, it was when it was done for someone's amusement. However, he considered it for defense. Protected in part by the giant tree that gave them shelter, earth was the closet element to them. One giant wall could protect them from ground forces. No matter the strength, he couldn't fathom the earth protecting from the air.

From the place he stood, he released his focus of the cup and what he pictured within. Instead, he gave the earth around him his full focus on able to get focus on two much at one time. There were benefits. While he didn't know exactly what he was taping into, the earth centered faun reached into a in racial abilities again, pulling the earth around himself in half of a shield.

There was a chance he could have held it longer, memories of what he used to be able to do told him to keep it held. That wasn't his way and he released the earth back to where it wanted to be. It wasn't a sign of strength to move great amounts of earth. No, it was a measure when you had that power yet moved just a single blade of grass.

Back to his cup, he called to the earth the same way he had called the shield before. Only, he moved it below the cup boosting up upwards by a measure. The cup didn't move otherwise, not a wibble or a wobble. He felt that was what took power, to be able to use something much larger but instead focus it to just what you needed.

It would be easy enough to cause so much havoc with the earth. Life giving fields upended, houses eaten by sink holes. Whole rivers covered in earth until it was nothing but muddy muck. Yes, that could happen, their own tree could probably be uprooted if enough focus and effort was used. The thought caused another shiver as he was horrified by his own mental image.

The earth taught him something in that moment, it wasn't the earth that needed to be controlled and contained like the fire. It was also not the earth that went with the quick freedom of the air. The earth required the control to come from the faun. It was too easy, feeling it everywhere, to lose control. That was just as dangerous as the fire or the air.

He reminded himself, magic was much the same way. Power could be beneficial. Creating safe flames for warmth, moving the air down to cultivating the land in a way that wasn't harmful or wasteful. With the right control ground could be more fertile or small streams encouraged to irrigate.

If there was anything he would call defensive, it was the earth itself. Even back when he could do so much more, it was always the earth that he had an affinity for. Now it soothed him and reminded him of what he had thought from the beginning, slow down. Short of when it had to, the earth was slow and there was a lot to learn from it.

Watching the raised cup with the dancing fire he imagined, he started considering the elements he was missing. There were pieces he wasn't thinking enough towards. There was shining light such as his brilliant Princess Celestia. There was the enveloping night such as his luminous Princess Luna. He knew the suns warmth, its light sustaining life as much as the elements. It too, could combine with the lack of to create devastating droughts and sunburns. The dark scared fillies and colts. However, he always saw the beauty and gentleness just as its Princess represented in his mind. Stars shined and gave gifts of their beauty clear against the velvet black. If there was too much dark, nothing would grow.

No pony here controlled the sun or the moon, he felt sorry for the Princesses but couldn't help but be happy for the fact. The events happened on their own without the input of others. Some things just didn't need to be controlled. It gave the Princesses their lives back, he thought. While without the power they could just be. In all her life, when had Celestia ever been able to sleep in without causing a panic?

There was clarity, in understanding that something couldn't be controlled and that it was alright. There was nothing wrong with what you couldn't control and nothing but stress over it. There was relief in that realization as well. Control was vital but wisdom to know how far you could control and let go of what you could not was essential. This time when he asked aloud, he no longer sounded lost or desperate, "What can I do?" The itching of his feathers no longer irritated him. Either he wasn't paying attention to it with so much more to focus on. Or, it just wasn't irritating anymore.  

[EvilSilverDragon]

Finally, he lowered his wings tucking them back against his body. Then with one step after another, he approached the cup that had been his focus. He remembered again, slow down. The two words almost a mantra as they floated in his mind over and over again. Each step he reflected on what that meant. It was more than just this problem. Sometimes he tried to rush too much, into problems that didn't even exist and creating more havoc on himself.

As he reached down to the cup, it was decided that if he ever needed a reminder, this was it. This item helped his focus enough to reflect. With a half smile, he thought it appropriate for a cup that held tea. Right now, it held a little bit of water swirling at the bottom almost like it had a life of its own.

Water, it could be contained in small amounts, but always flowed no matter where it was. Give it a little nudge and it would come alive. Unlike wind, it was as much reactive as it was active. Even with no power at all, anypony could affect water. Any colt or filly could strike the water and cause it to move. Even now, with the smallest of motions, he made it move.

It seemed, even in captivity as it were, the water reacted and came back to him. There was a freedom, even in its current prison. Water embodied that since of freedom. More than that, more than anything else, it was the very definition of adaptability. No matter what forces came against water, it could adapt.

Create too much heat and pressure, it became steam. Times like this, it became ice. There was a certainty of it, water would always be water no matter what forces went against it. With certainty was its own wisdom. Being ridged like the earth did well enough for protection, but to live you had to be like water.

It wasn't his element, he pulled towards the land not the seas. However while water could exist without the land outside of itself, everything needed water. It was a part of everything. Right now it was catching light because it looked like liquid fire with specks of green and brown from his own reflection.

He was being too rigid. Even if he never learned to truly like the free use of power, like a unicorn using it to get a cup because they didn't want to get up and get it themselves. He knew that true strength would be needed in times of threats. There was a strength he had, just had to find it again. There was a place for himself in the tree, much like there had been in Equestria, he just had to find it. He had to slow down. Looking at that cup, he held all the answers in something so small and ordinary. It held so much knowledge.

One last time he asked, "What can I do?" This time he tipped his head to the area and turned to leave, the cup securely in his hand and a better feeling . He was no longer afraid, of himself or of the outside. It was time, time to find his own place in this tree.