Phoenix and I have reached an impasse. Please help us settle the battle, no hard feelings either way, just honest opinions.

Topics:

1. Do earth and Pegasi ponies possess mana(magic)? If so, would they be able to absorb it directly from an artificial source without the aid of magic?

2. Would a mana-absorbing armor be able to withstand a weaponized blast of pure mana?

VALREK'S ANSWERS:

1. First of all, I do not believe ponies other than unicorns have mana. This is specific within unicorns, and even if it is present in all life, then unicorns are the only ones able to wield it and control it. Also, a charged crystal(magicalite) contains an artificial charge of mana. I do not believe it would be possible to use it without the aid of some sort of medium(something that actually transfers the mana to the user). Like a battery- you cannot just put a battery on a tool and it works. You have to put it within a specific area/medium that is able to extract the charge.

2. Even if armor can absorb mana, weaponized mana would be too destructive to contain. And in the volume I described(A bolt the size of a grapefruit), the armor would either not be able to absorb it at all or explode from the inside as it attempts to contain the volatile energy. Since it is not an advanced piece of technology, then it cannot just say "Stop absorbing. I cannot hold any more". The resulting blast would A. Incinerate the one who has been fired upon, B. Blow them to bits, or C. Mortally wound them.

PHOENIX'S ANSWERS:

1. Earth ponies and pegasi have mana because mana is the energy of life. They have a really small amount while unicorns have larger amounts and can wield it. This small amount of mana is what allows pegasi and earth to use the magicalite crystals. Phoenix's using the magic of the crystal to enhance his metabolism, which like all functions of the body uses energy, and energy is mana.

2. The armor is able to absorb magic, but once it reaches the top of it's capability it stops, the armor then would receive the hit of the blast but in a reduced scale. Since it absorbed a great amount of the mana, the reduced blast shouldn't be enough to neither destroy the armor nor stunt Phoenix.

ALRIGHTY

So, read and analyze, and tell the absolute truth of your findings. We both won't take it seriously, for this is just a game. Thank you for your participation.

Reminder: Neither I or Phoenix can comment until a conclusion is reached. Don't ask us anything, just come up with your own opinions.

1. I think that pegasi and earth ponies do possess mana, just not to the magnitude that unicorns do. Otherwise, how would ponies like Snowflake/Roid Rage, with a huge body and tiny wings, even get off the ground? (And fly well, for that matter. He got into the Wonderbolts Academy. He's bound to be good, and I don't think they'd let in a pony who's just good because of steroids, contrary to most people's headcanon for him.) We've also seen that mainly earth ponies have a connection with the earth. Could that be the mana they possess? Could it somehow link them partially with nature, allowing them to grow plants better than any other species of pony? So yes, I think other ponies besides unicorns have and can use mana. I just think they use them in different ways. For example, a pegasus would use it to fly, an earth pony would use it to work with nature, and a unicorn would harness the mana to perform magic. Even so, I don't think a pegasus or earth pony could use mana in the same way as a unicorn, such as carrying out spells, or levitating objects. I still think they would be able to absorb it from an artificial source without the aid of unicorn magic. If you think about it, the Elements of Harmony are magic. As we've seen in other episodes, while Twilight originally needed to use her abilities to activate them, once powered up they were able to be used at any time, using a different sort of magic (friendship) from within all the ponies; earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn alike. While the Elements are not the same as a crystal charged with magic, they have the same concept. Does that answer the question??

2. As for this one, I'm half and half. One one hand (hoof), pure, weaponized mana would be way stronger than the mana in ponies, or the mana unicorns use. It's like how you can breathe, but if you inhale pure oxygen with nothing else, you die. So I think the armor could take a sliver of the blast, but not enough to cause a significant change. On the other hand (hoof), the armor was specially made to absorb mana. Wouldn't the manufacturer(s) take pure mana into consideration? But on this one, I have to agree with Valrek.

Hope I helped!