Pondering upon Ponies (& News of New Happenings)

So. A thought struck me today when I finally–as the "man-stuck-in-a-barrel" I tend to be–saw that the Gen 5 leaks people occasionally talk about on YouTube seem to indicate that, while the Main 6 cast will be returning, they will be either in many ways altered or changed completely, and that among these are signs that Twilight Sparkle may be getting changed from having been a Unicorn to being an Earth Pony. Now, these are all, of course, simple speculations at this points, as word is that Gen 5 won't be coming until sometime in 2020, but it did raise a few questions in my mind, and these have led me bouncing around and around in circles. So I figured I would share these questions and thoughts with you guys, and see what you all think–assuming, of course, that someone actually bothers to read this blog.

First, the Questions:
1. If Twilight Sparkle started off as an Earth Pony, do you think she could have still become a student to Celestia, much less a protege?

2. If all Equestrian ponies have some form of magic–and they do, considering Tirek could suck magic out of Unicorns, Pegasi and Earth Ponies as well as Alicorns–do you think it possible or sensible for all three of the common tribes to have some way of channeling their magic consciously to invoke proper spells?

3. If some of the Main 6 did start off as different species of pony that what we know them for being, which do you think would be best to change, if any of them, and what would you expect to see them be instead of their original species?

With the Questions asked, here are some thoughts that derived from considering them.
First off, I really hope that, even if their voices, origin stories and species get shifted around, I hope that Gen 5's Mane 6 incarnations are still the same ponies we know from Friendship is Magic in terms of their personality. And that's all I have to say on that matter.

Now, here's the actual derivative thoughts:
*Most of my wonderings lately have been on the magical abilities of the Equestrians in general, and on stereotypical or else common methods used by magic wielders depending on the universe they're a part of. I also considered some of the magic usage methods I've seen other authors on this site have ponies use, both in quadruped and anthropomorphic AUs. I personally think all three species of Equestrian pony who are not Alicorns should be able to use spells.

Here's my reasoning on this: they all have magic. Yes, it's three different strands of magic, but it all comes from some form of Equestrian bloodline which dictates what they are, and even families that are primarily one of the species can give birth to others, whether due to a mixing of different species by marriage or by simple chance and previous mixing that is left undiscussed. At the root, all Equestrians are Equestrians, regardless of their more defined species, so I feel it should be that all three can channel their magic willfully to conjure the effects of spellwork.

Now, do I feel it should be different in how it works exactly from species to species? H-E-double hockey sticks, yes! They are all Equestrian, but though their magic has the same root and should be usable for spells, they're still different. Like individuals, no two different species work exactly the same, no matter how closely related they are.

So I figure it would work like this: Unicorns, as already established, have the ability to channel their magical energies into their horn for conscious use to form the framework of spells; I feel Pegasi should be able to do the same with their wings and Earth Ponies should as well through their hooves. Of course, all three methods need to be triggered and aimed somehow; this is easy, really, when you think about it, but also something that can be made difficult for most non-Unicorns to achieve so as to keep the original status quo of FiM's previously established rules on Equestrian magic.

I think Pegasi, though they channel the energy into their wings and can use them to aim the spells, must do so in such a way that equal amounts of the energy enter each wing for the more powerful spells, or else they risk losing control of the spell's direction, power and stability. Earth Ponies, on the other hand, have an easier time because they can focus the spell into just one hoof, but they must still be careful to focus a complex spell to a finite point as they aim or else it may diffuse itself and thus become destabilized on the way out of their hoof. Unicorns already focus it to a finite point, but they have to force the energy into a much smaller focal point then all the others, so their ability to harness more advanced spells still often comes with a struggle, and is taxing. In all cases, continuous spells are a struggle akin to exercising a muscle, and must be focused through the appendage their magic naturally focuses most prominently into. This means that Pegasi and Earth Ponies cannot use continuous levitation unless they have a wing or hoof free to aim focus the spell, so flying is out of the question for Pegasi actively harnessing a continuous spell and walking becomes more awkward for Earth Ponies using the same manner of spells.

In all other ways, the magic natures would work the same. Unicorns can use less taxing continuous spells most easily because of the way the energy focuses into and out through the horn into the world, Pegasi have control over the weather because of the energy constantly flowing into their wings to grant them flight and keep them from falling through clouds, and earth Ponies have an enhanced level of endurance and physical strength due to the way their magic focuses and cycles through the limbs and muscles along the main body.*

That's my opinion on that.
Now, I also considered my question about an Earth Pony Twilight for a bit on a more serious level. In FiM, we know Twily became Celestia's student and protege because of how powerful her magic was. It wasn't just the talent she had for it, but the sheer magnitude of her power for such a little filly. Celestia saw her potential, and sought to help her learn to tap and control it. I personally feel that an Earth Pony (E-Pony) Twilight would be no different, as it's still her innate magical potential that was brought out during the first Sonic Rainboom, the very thing which first caught Celestia's attention. The reaction would, inevitably, be different some how, as E-Pony magic is tapped passively most of the time and revitalizes them and any plants, crops or possibly even animals that they work with more rapidly than is normal. I think that this would make it so that something inevitably would happen during the Rainboom which would cause Twilight's magical potential to be made apparent and draw attention to her. Now, it might not neccesarily be Celestia's attention that's caught first–the Sun Princess is a busy mare running Equestria, and was even more of a busy mare back during the first Rainboom since Luna hadn't yet returned from the moon and been cleansed of her Nightmare. But someone would notice, and seeing as how her family lived in Canterlot, the news of such a powerful, magically talented E-Pony would likely spread like a wildfire across the city and outward into the nearby regions. But it's guaranteed that Twilight would inevitably end up learning how to use her magic somehow, from someone, and this would lead to her truly embracing her talent for mystical arts and abilities.

So, what are your thoughts? What answers did you have for the Questions? What were your opinions on the magic of Equestrians as I outlined its potential? Did any of this inspire you at all (as I seriously hope it did for someone, and as it did for me to think on it)?

Let me know your thoughts down in the comments and see if anyone else's opinions match up with yours. This time around, I genuinely would like to see whatever you have to say and implore you to share. Of course, keep it Kind down there, but Honest–we don't wanna tempt Discord into giving us all headaches, do we? Friendship is Magic, folks, is a true statement in and of itself, and we wanna build them instead of break 'em.

Also, a little note: the discussion on magic, enclosed as it is by asterisks (*), is actually something I'm going to be using soon for a new project–a couple of new projects, in fact. There's a lot of new stuff soon to be written, and it's going to be a lot of fun for me, so keep eyes open–when I have fun with it, my writing is often pretty good, though I'm honestly not trying to brag. Other than that, I hope you're all doing well and will see you in the next posting.

Happy Valentines/Hearts n' Hooves Day, everypony!