Gilda and I spent a few days showing Seth the island life. When you're on vacation, specifically an island, there's one thing that people do more than anything else.

You EAT.

To be in a location that has such a fundamentally different culture and cuisine means there's an unending cornucopia of pure, savory deliciousness available to you. We ate clams right from the shell, then in chowder, and then as the little meaty chunks in stuffing, except instead of a turkey it was in a tuna, and we had tuna salad, as a side for lobster. And then we ate fruit. Mangoes, bananas, cinderfruit, oranges, avocados, cocoanuts and rambutans! All served in as many different ways as you can imagine. Just like cooking food changes it's flavour, so does freezing it, and frozen banana tastes fantastic.

So, once we had eaten about a week's worth of food, we went to a bath house. Seth had about as much food on his face as in his belly, and refused to take a bath unless we all took one, so we headed off to a hot tub. Sinking ourselves into the bubbling water, in the shade of palm trees, gave us some time for reflection, but the best way to spend time is wasting it.

"Griffin." Gilda began.

"Hmm?"

"You have that look on your face again. You're thinking about things."

"So?"

"Ever since you got back, you spend way too much time dwelling on your thoughts. You need to let go for a while. Don't think about stuff and just enjoy yourself."

"You're right." I smiled. After all, we were on vacation. I had every reason to indulge. If I was constantly worrying about other things, I wouldn't be able to enjoy the moment. Here I am, with Gilda and Seth, having a nice hot bath, with full bellies. No outside threat, no rush, no nerve-wracking problem. For all my knowledge and skill, I'm no good at relaxing, and the only way to get better is by practice.

So, we took our time and bummed around a few days, trying to unwind. It did a world of good. Feeling all the tension melt away was an ever pleasant sensation. Bluster and Gale seemed to enjoy themselves as well if the way they chirped and buzzed was any indication. Still, it felt as though it was not meant to last. The lot of us soon grew bored, at which point we decided it was time to leave before we became fat and lazy. It was then that we packed up what few things we'd brought with us, and headed to Na'yy Jhaka, the island of 'New Friends'.

Na'yy Jhaka, despite being at a similar latitude to Signal, was vastly different. While Signal had thick forests and deep fresh water pools, Na'yy Jhaka was a boundless grassland and wheat fields, with flowing rivers, lacking in trees, instead had a large number of bushes and shrubs. Their houses were made with wood, rather than the typical thatch huts customarily used on other Zebrican isles, but that was due to the griffin lumberjacks transporting it from other islands.

When we arrived, the village elder came out to meet us. He was, in all senses of the term, and elder. He walked with a cane and a struggled stride, huffing with each step, his eyes white with cataracts. We landed in front of him and he let out a distinct, hacking cough before he began to speak.

"Hrmmmrm... so you're the king. Eeeh... I've seen worse. I am Elder Zih Gin."

"Many pardons for the delay. I would have come for the naming ceremony, but I was otherwise occupied."

"Yes yes, enough about you."

'Self centered much?' He grumbled to himself.

"Well, you're here now. This is Na'yy Jhaka. We zebras mostly keep to ourselves, but having a new neighbour has brought great prosperity and security to our people. Now then, lemme get a good look at you."

He took my head between his hooves then tilted his head this way and that, as though trying to see me past the haze in his eyes.

"Yep, as I thought, you're an idiot." He grumbled, to the gasps of the younger members of the tribe.

"Um... I... already kind of... knew that..." I replied.

"Yeah... when we first met he insisted I call him 'Dumbass'." Gilda added.

"What? No no... when it comes to intelligence, I'd say you're above average, but you like to over complicate things. Most of your problems have simple solutions. Take your magic for one."

"You mean you know how I can control it?"

"Bah, control. Listen up youngster. What do you think magic is supposed to be used for?"

"To do things you normally can't." I replied.

"Can you pick up a book in your claws?"

"Yes..."

"They why the heck are you tryin to use magic to do that you idiot!"

"Umm... How do you know what..."

"Bah, for you, picking up a fork without crushing it is harder than picking up a mountain, so why are you trying so hard to do the little things?"

"Because power is nothing without control, but no, seriously, how do you know how I've been practicing?"

"I can see it in your face."

"You're BLIND!"

"The blind can see more than those that still have their eyes."

"You're not making any sense."

"And now you understand how it works!"

"... no, I really don't."

"Yeaaaah you do. You just don't think you do, which is why you don't."

Gilda and I looked at each other. We said nothing, but it was easy to tell what the other was thinking. 'Old coot is senile.' Or something along those lines.

"Bah, your young one gets it, just let him explain it to you. In the mean time, welcome to Na'yy Jhaka. Enjoy your stay." Then he huffed and made his way back inside his house.

Later

"So... Seth... did you understand any of what he was saying?"

"Hmm... well... umm... hmmm." He pondered as I watched the gears turn inside his little head. "I think you just have to fwweeeeeeee your minnnnd."

"What?"

"Umm... I think the old zebra can see because he thinks he can see?"

"So wait..." Gilda stopped. "Seth, are you saying he's deluded himself into believing he really can see, and because of that, his magic is making it real?"

"I guess." Seth shrugged.

"In which case..." I began. "I think what he said makes a lot more sense now. It has to do with an old philosophy. The philosophy states that it's impossible to be 'wrong' because whatever you think is real is real to you. Your perception of reality makes it your reality. If your perception is different than everyone else, then you're crazy, or hallucinating, BUT, if you have sufficient magic, then it alters everyone's reality to match yours. Even if you lie to yourself, eventually you delude yourself into believing the lie, it becomes your reality, and if you have magic, it becomes the reality."

"By the gods." Gilda proclaimed. "Well, we know how Discord works now. He just rejects reality and replaces it with his own. Him snapping his claws is a mental trigger so it doesn't just happen automatically."

"Gilda, when I was in the hospital, Dr. Exotic told me that my magic was 'Similar to Discord's' Even though there was more different than there was the same, it was closer to that than to unicorn magic. Not only does this explain why I'm having so much trouble controlling it, but there's something else that elder said."

"Yeah?"

"If magic is used to do the impossible, why am I trying to use it to do the mundane? The reason I keep applying way too much force in my spells is because I'm trying to do too small of a task. I should try to do big things. I'll still practice doing small things, after all, power without control is dangerous, but I should try doing more extreme things with my magic as well."

"There's one more thing Griffin." Gilda added. "If this line of reasoning is correct, that that old zebra, Zih Gin, is far more powerful than I care to imagine. He lacks raw force, but if he can change reality at a whim, even on a small level..."

"Which is why Dr.Exotic told me not to 'feel rashly'. If I get into a certain state of mind, my magic could alter reality, like making someone cease to exist just by wishing it. It's kind of scary."

"... Mommy, Daddy, do you always finish each others' sentences?"

"It just means we're thinking the same thing." We replied together. Seth giggled at that.

We stayed a few more days on Na'yy Jhaka, going over what happened since it was founded, different aspects of the island's maintenance and economy, boring politics stuff. I saw the elder one more time before we left though, and thanked him for his insights. He let out a huff and called me crazy, thinking the ramblings of a senile old zebra had any meaning, but the smile on his bald, wrinkled face as I left was unmistakable.

With our business on the islands complete, we headed back to Equestria. After all, I had a duel to prepare for.

Author's Notes:

Follium Discognitum,