My ideas about magic (when it is forced onto characters, or excluded from them) · 8:12pm Sep 16th, 2022
I am greatly interested in stories involving magic, such as those in Equestria.
There are two main story categories most of my ideas are based of.
• A character who rejects magic, but has it thrust upon them anyway
The idea that magic is a force which simply exists to be used by others. A philosophy I often consider ideas around. When a character sees magic as 'cheating' or who doesn't like the idea of using some mystical force to carry out their every whim. But then what happens when the magic itself yearns to be used and tries to force itself into the lives of the unwilling.
Common themes in my ideas include alicorns and clouds. I like to write about alicorns because they represent all things magic in Equestria, the most powerful magical beings whose magic is ingrained in their very essence. Alicorns possess a lot of powerful magic, which is difficult for the character to ignore and reject. Their wings and horn make them stand out and as such, other ponies expect them to use their magic. Many of my OC characters are alicorns, who may be unwillingly so. I like to consider the different ways magic can force its way into a ponies life, despite their best efforts to ignore or reject it.
I also consider clouds, being non-solid objects which can bear the weight of other ponies entirely through the use of magic. You would expect clouds to be very soft, and as such the experience could be associated with being held and embraced by magic itself. I like to consider what would happen if a pony were to get stuck in a cloud. As such, one of my ideas is where a unicorn accidentally casts a prototype-long-lasting-cloud-walking spell, on an earth-pony, and suddenly whenever they come into contact with a cloud, they become stuck to it, and not like the kind of sticky of cotton candy.
I also have created a few characters whose abilities are unorthodox and outside the bounds of what is normally expected from them.
Weather Vane - A unicorn who specialises in cloud-based magic.
Frost Field - A unicorn who cannot use basic spells, not even the most common: levitation. Only able to use magic specifically within the domain of their 'talent' ( powerful freeze-spells (static levitation, not cold variety) and forcefields; but only those exclusively).
I also like the ideas of sentient or semi-sentient magic, magic which works on its own. Like how Rarity's horn dragged her to the rock to discover gems, how the elements of harmony struck Twilight with their magic to make her an alicorn, how the tree of harmony grew a castle out of the ground, or the place that grew for the young six. Also, the Twilight projection that appeared to them under the school.
Also, about Twilight's castle. A magical, potentially living structure that magically grew just for Twilight and her friends. Where magic is used as a simple tool, it is so much more... I have put some thought into Twilight's castle; such as (Is it alive? Can it regrow if damaged or destroyed? Twilight's old tree house was alive, but it likely didn't grow to be lived in. But the castle is different, it literally grew for the specific purpose of being lived in, what happens to it when Twilight moved to Canterlot and abandoned the tree that grew just for her.)
• A character living in a world where everyone has magic, but who themselves are forsaken by its touch and excluded
This is in direct contrast to the above idea. Where magic is supposed to be this force which protects and provides comfort and aid to everyone, but then fails or excludes the character, leaving them abandoned by the touch of magic.
Maybe a pony is born without magic, a unicorn who cannot use their horn, or a pegasus who cannot fly (possibly even going as far as not being able to stand upon clouds despite having wings).
I've been thinking of these ideas a lot today (or since I started reading: https://www.fimfiction.net/story/13034/the-age-of-wings-and-steel). This story followed a pegacorn (not an alicorn, there are differences) who couldn't fly or use magic. At one point in the story {spoiler} he ends up in a forest, which offers its magic freely to him, in order to lure him in and distract him from his quest.
I've found I come up with these ideas better when listening to music about the good of magic (pretty much the new G5 soundtrack). It provides the cheerful and magical atmosphere to juxtapose against the pony left out who watches from the sidelines. The pegasus stared longingly at the cloud hanging low above the field. The rest of her class was having a party in the clouds, and although she was invited too, she knew she couldn't join them. Despite her wings, the clouds would refuse to bear her weight and she was afraid of what would happen when her classmates found out. Of course, it wasn't just pegasi up there, cloud-walking charms had been supplied for the earth ponies and unicorns of the class and she doubted there'd be any left over. Dropping the invitation, she turned her back to the party and began the lonely trek back home. Her friend's called out to her, noticing her lack of attendance and having spotted her on the ground. She ignored their shouts and with tears in her eyes, broke into a run.
• A combination of both
In which the magic desperately wants to help a character, but is unable to get a grasp on them. Image a pegasus, they have pegasus magic, but it's very weak. The magic yearns for them to fly, to be in the sky, to touch the clouds. But their wings can't bear their weight. And neither can they cloud-walk, as they slowly sink into it, the magic tugging and trying to hold them in its embrace, but them slipping through despite its best efforts.
The idea of land of peace, friendship and harmony where everything is happy. And the magic wants everyone to be happy, but it still fails. The character is invited to the grand galloping gala (equivalent), an a chariot is even supplied to them, but they end up running into issues and arriving too late. Like missing the bus. Or when an opportunity presents itself, only for it to be pulled out of reach at the last second
A character whom destiny planned out a great life, maybe they were destined to be one of Equestria's most powerful unicorns, and they even earn their cutie mark in magic. Only for a disaster outside of destiny's control to strike. To discover one's true calling in life, only for they're horn to be destroyed. A pony with a broken destiny, whose cutie mark represents a destiny never to be fulfilled. The character retains their immense magical power, but has no horn through which to channel it. A vast well of magic, with no way to vent out. A pony may surge to expel excess magic, but what happens if there is no horn to channel that surge, what does the magic do then, building up in immense concentration and magical pressure within.
A family who are cursed with the cutting off of their magic. They still have the magic, but the curse works like a magic inhibitor ring, placing a barrier between them and their magic. Their magic always present, but just out of reach. Generation after generation of ponies with no direct access to the magic. As shown above, while they cannot use their magic directly, it'll still leak out at the seams into the ambience of the nearby area. As such, they may end up with a much more subtle and indirect aura of influence with their magic.
G5 especially plays right into a lot of my ideas. Pseudo-alicorns (Sunny), glitching/malfunctioning magic etc. While I agree that it falls short in many areas, and might have been better off being its own thing rather than riding in the wake of G4, I am intrigued by the new mechanics of magic it is bringing up, especially its flaws and double-edged nature.
Also, for those interested in story progress. I know I haven't updated Clouds or AiC recently. I've actually marked [Clouds] as on hiatus now. In terms of Alicorn in Canterlot, I actually had a lapse in confidence and inspiration in the story last weekend, combined less time due to college. But I do actually plan to continue it, regardless of any flaws I fear it may have (the best way to improve is to keep practicing and it is still my most popular story so far). I hope to complete the new chapter this weekend however and maybe it'll even be twice the length of a normal chapter to make up... maybe...
So final question. What are your thoughts, opinions and head-canons surrounding magic?
Interesting Ideas 🤔
How the forces of Harmony created Chaos
Chaos Invents time and space and lives in it
Harmony fights chaos by alicorns
the first few failed and are just unstable magic which is now the sun.