I can not get this to post any other way, so I'm putting it here
TIME LINE
Pre S1: [Before the show]:
Lazy River
[Pinkie Pie and Applejack are just entering puberty]
Season 1:
Summer:
Fall:
Permanent Record
[Starts here as school starts and shortly after the forming of the CMC, but ends on Season 3, during Fall after Bab Seeds forms].
Winter:
Blessing
[Celestia's first bout of despair since The Return.]
Twilight's Escort Service
Spring:
100% Move - 50 % Fire
[Takes place after Fluttershy's Modelling career, but before the Gala. Snowflake hasn't moved to Ponyville yet].
Season 2:
Summer:
Fall:
On the Application of Time and Motion Efficiency Studies to Initial Relationship Formation
[Before Discord's return.]
Pony Up a Tree
[Sequel to On The Application of Time and Motion Efficiency Studies to Initial Relationship Formation]
Winter:
Naked Lunch
[Luna has been freed for two and a half years.]
Spring:
One Tenth Bit
Total Eclipse of the Fun
[A few weeks before the Anniversary of the Second Summer Sun Festival, and the second annual Return Day. Spans between S2 and S3.]
Season 3:
Summer:
Princesses Can't Cook
[Takes a week after TEotF.]
A Mark of Appeal
[Set one week after Princesses Can't Cook]
Fall:
Stupid Direction Face
[Late Summer, Early Fall. Set after Spike's failed attempt to join the Dragon Migration.]
500 Little Murders
[Set in early Fall.]
Luna's Lottery Lunacy
[Set after Nightmare Night].
Winter:
The Hypocrisy of Tolerance
[Set a while after 500 Little Murders. Hearth's Warming Eve has long since past. So that puts this at late winter, almost Spring.]
Spring:
Sonic Rainbigot
[Set early Spring.]
If Rainbow Dash Can't Sleep
[One week after Sonic Rainbigot].
Mechanical Aptitude
[Ratchet has been in Ponyville for two years now.]
0G Network Coverage
[Set after Magic Duel. Trixie is under heavy probation, and the Alicorn Amulet is under custody. Trixie and Twilight have been sending letters on magic to each other for a while now.
Scootalift
[School is in session and Scootaloo is fed up with her lack of flight. Might overlap with A Confederacy of Dunce Caps.]
A Confederacy of Dunce Caps
[Week before finals, set in Late Spring].
Cutie Mark Crusaders Alpha Pack Leader
[Early Summer [still in S3].
Orange is the New Blue
[Set 3 weeks before Twilight ascends.]
Dear Friend
[Ties together earlier stories together. Is set right around the ascension itself.]
Season 4:
Summer:
Pinkie Pie vs the Souffle
[Takes place one week before Triptych. Two weeks after Twilight ascends.]
Triptych
[One week after PPVsTS. Phases from Late Summer to Early Fall.]
Snowflake-Shoe Hare
[Takes place right after chapter 4 of Triptych].
Fall:
Winter:
Spring:
___________________________________
These stories don't have where they take place in the Time Line. Just that they are part of the timeline. If anyone knows a clear point in time where and when they take place please let me know so I can organize them properly.
Also when a new fic comes out please add it to the comment box so I can add it to this list here. Thank you.
Jury Duty
Preshowhistory
The deep, dark past: Twilight's school years, Pinkie's flight from the rock farm, and all the way back to the Discordian Era.
Nothing's actually been set here yet as a full story. Two are tentatively planned, and one is a very long way off -- if it ever appears at all.
Season One
Extremely early summer: You all meet in the middle of a planetary extinction event...
Autumn:
Permanent Record
Starts at this point, but covers a couple of years, ending sometime after Babs visits Ponyville.
Bobbie's first encounter with the CMC is when they're rehearsing for the talent show, so school is in session and the Crusade has been going for at least a few weeks.
Late winter:
Blessing
The first time Celestia's been thrown into the despair of helplessness since the Return. Just before equinox.
Early spring:
100% Move = 50% Fire This one is signposted all over the place. Fluttershy's modeling career is over, the Gala has yet to hit -- I have it as a late spring formal -- and Twilight's been in Ponyville for something around a year, or at least way too long for the Archives to still be putting up with her stuff remaining in the on-site apartment. Note that Snowflake hasn't moved into town yet (as it's pointed out that Fluttershy has nopony who can regularly cover for her): as he's present for the next story, figure him to arrive shortly after Return Day.
Season Two
Mid-autumn:
On The Application Of Time And Motion Efficiency Studies To Initial Relationship Formation
A critical Nightmare Night has passed. (Yes, in this continuity, Luna didn't reemerge into Ponyville for a long time.)
However, Twilight's second Running Of The Leaves is a few weeks away. This may take place just a week or so after Luna's visit.
Spring:
One Tenth-Bit
Note the climate shift as nightfall approaches, along with Rarity and Luna having a good level of familiarity with each other.
Late spring:
A Total Eclipse Of The Fun
Actually spans the bridge between Season #2 and #3, beginning a few weeks before the Summer Sun Celebration and second annual Return Day, finishing a little less than a week after.
Season Three
Early summer:
Princesses Can't Cook
No more than a week or so past Luna & Celestia making that second agreement: everypony who was going to be rehired has been,
Anise has effectively been kidnapped to the Solar staff, and Blending Stock is just starting as junior sous.
A Mark Of Appeal
Starts about a week after the above.
Autumn:
Stupid Direction-Face
This one's pretty direct: it's fall, late summer brought a parasite infestation, and it's the year after Spike and Garble met. Year Three all the way.
Five Hundred Little Murders
This one's a bit odd, timewise. There are points when it feels like a story of spring, and others when it turns into autumn.
I'll keep it in the fall for now because it gives us a timeline for Killer's growth.
Luna's Lottery Lunacy
Sometime after Nightmare Night: the Gifted School is in session with no breaks on the horizon, which means Celestia can't even hope to send the students home for a couple of weeks.
Winter:
The Hypocrisy Of Tolerance
Flitter's had Killer for a while and he's been taken to Fluttershy for a checkup, while Hearth's Warming Eve has been over for some time.
From this point on, things start getting a little crowded.
Early spring:
Sonic Rainbigot
The press knows who the Bearers are: locally, that happened after the Cadance/Shining Armor wedding at the end of Season #2.
If Rainbow Dash can't sleep...
About a week after the previous wraps up.
0G Network Coverage
Following the events of Magic Duel, Celestia has taken custody of the Alicorn Amulet and Trixie is back on the road, under heavy probation.
At this point, she's been exchanging notes on magic with Twilight for a while. A letter probably got launched from this...
Scootalift
School is still in session, but the grass is green, the fields are blooming, and Scootaloo is completely fed up with her lack of flight progress.
Might wind up overlapping somewhat with the below.
Late spring:
A Confederacy Of Dunce Caps Starts one week before finals.
Early summer:
Cutie Mark Crusaders Alpha Pack Leader We get the time of year in the first sentence.
Orange Is The New Blue
Perhaps three weeks before Twilight's transformation. Tourist season is underway, the younglings are on the loose...
Dear Friend,
Right around the ascension itself.
Season Four (The Local Version Only)
Late summer:
Pinkie Pie vs. The Soufflé
Pinkie directly notes that it's been two weeks since Twilight's change.
Triptych
One week after the prior. Phases from late summer towards early autumn.
Snowflake Shoe-Hare
Starts right after Chapter Four of the above, once Snowflake has been hired to watch the cottage during the latest mission.
The odd duck
Pony Up A Tree I'm not still not placing it exactly. However, it's an autumn story and the Bearers have been having their once-seasonal card game for some time.
Given that Luna has become an occasional part of that gathering and they've cycled through everypony's home as a host site, we're at least a couple of years in.
It will be tacked down -- eventually.
Does that help?
(I'll cross-post this to my blog for those who aren't in the Group.)
Season 3:
[...]
Spring:
[...]
Cutie Mark Crusaders Alpha Pack Leader
[Early Summer [still in S3].
Orange is the New Blue
[Set 3 weeks before Twilight ascends.]
Bit confusing. I think you might be causing unnecessary confusion (for us, and possibly for yourself)
by trying to present a "Season" as a concrete unit of time, consisting of exactly four lowercase seasons.
As Estee says, "there's a little flexibility" (edit: fixed quote). If you want a clear timeline, I think it's best to just use years.
That also avoids giving the impression that the "season 4" stories are set in canon season 4.
Permanent Record
[Starts here as school starts and shortly after the forming of the CMC, but ends on Season 3, during Fall after Bab Seeds forms].
What's "Bab Seeds", and when does it "form"?
Stupid Direction Face
[Late Fall. Set after Spike's failed attempt to join the Dragon Migration.]
500 Little Murders
[Set in early Fall.]
Luna's Lottery Lunacy
[Set after Nightmare Night].
Posted As A Blog Because FimFiction Forbids Stories That Are Lists
101 Basic Things To Remember About Pony Sex: A SFW Guide For Equine Reading Virgins
Basics: Full Population
1. You do not go into estrus.
2. The follow-up lie about your having gone into the kind of estrus which will prove fatal without sex is a self-fulfilling prophecy, because anypony who hears it is legally permitted to kill you.
3. It is not a 69. Your body shape does not permit a 69. At best, you look like a pair of misaligned brackets.
4. Just keep on trying to tell them that the natural destiny of a herd species is to have a full harem of mares fighting over a single stallion. See how that works out for you.
5. According to multiple species, the minimum requirements for successful intercourse are 'fingers and a tongue: everything else is gravy.' This would seem to place you at something of a handicap. Also, gravy. Bleah.
6. Adults have sex with adults. Adolescents sometimes have sex with adolescents. Anypony mixing these categories may find themselves having sex afterwards, but the prison is not obligated to provide you with a full-sized mattress.
7. Nopony has ever manifested a mark talent for having sex, and we would really appreciate it if you would stop trying.
8. As you are a pony, they're pretty much all that size. So what exactly are you boasting about?
9. You have four legs. The basic anatomical design for your posture can best be described as 'horizontal.' With a little thought, you will see that this makes a number of positions rather simple to use. With no thought whatsoever, you will continue to keep the nation's chiropractors in business.
Pony w. Pony: Same Race
Earth Ponies
11. In public, it is called 'sex' or 'lovemaking'. Everypony gets a little bit sick of hearing you refer to it as 'destructonookie.'
12. We know you were in the pasture together. In the sense that it burned calories, what you were doing can be described as 'work.' Beyond that, you're not fooling anypony.
13. It's better when you take off the yoke.
Pegasi
14. On a related note for #12, clouds have a particular way of vibrating when somepony is having sex in the street. And we mean in. Literally. Everypony knows exactly what you're doing, and we mean everypony within a three-block radius. Also, while it's true that you are capable of using a cloud hollow for your encounter, your lungs are normal and you are having sex in an environment with the humidity level of extremely thick fog. Enjoy your pneumonia.
15. We are aware that certain sexual positions available to you could be described as 'excessively mobile.' Clearing the window means the same is now true of your neighbors.
16. It is possible to have an orgasm at ground level. This happens to other ponies all the time. You are making a very visible excuse. Gut it out, stone foal.
Unicorns
17. As horns can spontaneously ignite during sex, your bedroom should be clear of all small, unsecured objects. In the case of more powerful specimens, this may be upgraded to 'any other furniture.' Those at the top of the scale may wish to place their homes in isolated locations. Like Prance. We hear it's nice this time of year.
18. The sound of collision is nature's way of telling you that you're both leaning too far in.
19. That is not what the Gifted School teaches, and everypony knows it. Also, they weren't testing for that. So not even as a joke. The Princesses are pissed.
Pony w. Themselves
20. It's just that complicated.
21. Everypony else found a way and you will too. We are not obligated to provide hints.
22. There is a reason we ban all fillies and colts of a certain age from the produce aisle.
23. However, if you see a lightly sweat-covered adolescent unicorn smirking, you are permitted to kick them. No questions asked.
Pony w. Other Sapients
24. Despite what you may be hoping for, there are only three possible reasons for a griffon to have sex with you: honest interest, attempting a form of dominance, and have you ever seen the way a cat bats their food around before they eat it?
25. You are cross-fertile with zebras. You are going to use protection. There is something more complicated than zebra road law, and it's called 'foal visitation rights.'
26. Two things to know about Yakyakistan culture: they invented the concept of the sex toy and incidentally, that's you.
27. Please do not discuss the concept of centaur sex. We are aware of the possibilities which might potentially be offered by a sapient with access to both hands and hooves. So is the centaur. You're scaring her.
28. There are two possible terms which apply to ponies who have sex with Saddle Arabians and due to the way their legal system regards intimate relationships with outsiders, the one you're hoping for is 'survivor'. Or, to use the the more realistic term, 'escapee'. Incidentally, our extradition laws fully protect you. Just don't cross the border.
Pony w. Alicorn
29. You should be so lucky.
30. There is no real chance that you will ever be that lucky. Stop dreaming. There are plenty of good ponies out there. Find one.
31. Shining Armor is a Tartarus-freed moron.
Pony w. Artificial Aids
32. This Space Paidly For By Steath's Erotica Emporium at 19 Warmblood Way in Canterlot!
Mention This List And Get Ten Percent Off Your Next Purchase!
Pony w. Pony: Interspecies
Earth Ponies
33. As a general rule, your partner is more breakable than the bed.
34. We've all heard the one about 'increased strength and stamina'. You can shut up now.
35. Wow. If it wasn't for that increased strength and stamina, you would have lasted nine seconds.
36. If you find somepony who falls for "And we both have to be covered in mud" twice, marry them.
37. Haystacks contain ticks. Always.
38. That you can readily lift your partner makes certain positions easier. That you can also gallop down the street with them makes a certain amount of jail time inevitable.
39. Laying them down in a bed of roses stains the fur and your sheets. Growing the roses on the spot just means you are laying them down in a bed of thorns.
40. If they ask "Did the earth move for you, too?" You are in deep trouble.
Pegasi
41. Stop bringing unenchanted partners into cloud bedrooms. No matter what you may think of your ability to manage a pressure lift, there is no sexual position where you will not eventually drop them.
42. For you, spontaneous static discharge is a sign of arousal. For them, it's an electric shock.
43. If they haven't been with a pegasus before, hearing the bedroom starting to rumble is not going to be particularly reassuring.
44. You are not 'spontaneously condensing moisture'. That's flop sweat.
45. Your partner is not used to the concept of somepony having two extra limbs to work with. They will not automatically think to play with your wings, which means you should suggest it. Additionally, the fact that the last one screamed "THERE'S SOMEPONY ELSE IN THE ROOM!" and sprinted away after you brushed feathers across their back was pretty much your fault.
46. Let them down slowly. And by that, we mean bring them back to ground level and do not let go until all four hooves have touched down. You're both tired and if you let them drop across the last part, it is going to be a one-night stand. And an eight-week fracture.
Unicorns
47. Your horn has exactly two choices for positioning: exactly where it should be at all times or '...I'll get us to the hospital.'
48. Other ponies are not used to the idea of a horn spontaneously igniting during sex. It is your responsibility to inform them of what it means, along with listing every trick you know and how they might impact sex. You may think this is being overly cautious, but they have no ability to counter you and Laffin's Tickler has led to lawsuits before.
49. On average, you are the physically smallest race. This still does not make "cute" into a speciesist insult.
50. Think about all the times you've bumped your head while having sex. Got that? Good, because somepony having sex with a unicorn for the first time has about a 40% chance to raise that number by one. You think you're just showing them what casting can do in the bedroom. They're thinking about where the hospital is again.
51. There is no such thing as a Sexual Prowess Surge. If you couldn't lift your partner before sex, you can't manage it during. The best possible result is that you look very stupid. The worst is the emergency room.
52. If you haven't figured it out by now, you need to keep a full list of medical contact information next to the bed. Or you could, you know, try not using magic for a change.
53. We know. Let it be a challenge to you.
Bearers
Rarity
54. Just once, would it be possible for you to let a partner leave the Boutique with a shred of their self-esteem intact?
55. You may be interested to know that we recorded your last act of "simply giving you some advice, darling: after all, one would hardly expect to bed down with a lady without knowing her tastes and desires, now would you?" The full transcript is seven hundred pages. Single-spaced, small print.
56. It is certainly possible for a pony to become inspired during sex. Leaving in mid-act so you can spend six hours with your sketchbooks is getting very old.
57. You call it 'placing your intended within a perfectly suitable bedroom garment, regardless of whether they had ever considered that they might need such.' The law, however, will continue to treat it as assault.
58. Also, you know all those ponies in books whom you keep comparing your lovers to? Out loud? Those ponies are fictional. Their prowess? Fictional. Stamina? Fictional. The positions? Physicians across the realm assure you that the required joints are also fictional. This means allowing your partner to remain in the realm of reality is not considered 'settling'. Equestria. You live here. Now try having sex in it.
Rainbow Dash
59. Due to the only revision which ever passed with 100% of the vote, while you and a partner are within your bedroom, it is now constitutionally possible for you to shut up.
60. Have you ever considered that your partner might want to remain on the bed? And on a related note, the crash cushions will remain in place underneath your home. Suffer.
61. If you are going to continue telling the lie about your having The Most Orgasms Ever, try to keep the number consistent.
62. Please explain the water table incident. Slowly.
63. Tortoises are not legally capable of giving their consent to serve as 'sex stunt equipment'.
64. For the last time: while the Sonic Sexboom may be a theoretical possibility, our analysis shows that when it comes to the protective field aura cone generated by the technique, your partner would be on the exterior. We are uncertain as to whether the actual cause of demise would be lack of ability to breathe at high speed, air friction burns, or the fact that you generally tend to crash snout-first. We would very much appreciate it if you would cease all attempts to find out.
Pinkie Pie
65. All partners must leave in the same condition they entered. This includes-but-is-not-limited-to number of working joints, functionality of pancreas, relative dimensional position and, whenever possible, remaining level of sanity in so far as it can be established after they were already willing while knowing the risks as outlined in the brochure which you are legally obligated to give them to have sex with you.
66. Your snout is no longer permitted to materialize in that location. The surgical team is still in therapy.
67. Any bouncy castle being utilized must have all sides draped in fully-blocking fabric. We are still trying to fend off the last five lawsuits.
68. We understand that for you, it's an expression of joy and shows how much you're looking forward to what happens next. Regardless, when somepony first shows it to you, please stop laughing.
69. You may feel it is unfair to have the freedom of expression laws rewritten specifically to prevent you from writing about your preferences. The palace considers it a reasonable response to the first draft. Also, the therapy team is now in therapy. We don't even know how that works.
70. No. More. Party. Cannons.
Applejack
71. The hat does not go there.
72. Legally, the fact that you wear the rope loops in public does not mean "It ain't mah fault 'cause they should've guessed that part before they ever got that far."
73. Regardless of your original inspiration, the springboard does not function. And if you're going to keep trying anyway, would you at least move that thing indoors?
74. That is not what anypony means by 'work ethic.'
75. There are approximately 12,947 possible uses for apples. What you just tried to do qualifies for none of them.
76. As of today, Ponyville's coroner will no longer accept Cause Of Death: Twelve-Hour Acres Shift. We are no longer sure how you meant that.
Fluttershy
77. Just because you're used to having animals watch everything you do doesn't mean your partner is comfortable with it.
78. The thousands of sexual techniques you memorized through direct observation? Are all for the wrong species. Please stop doing the porcupine thing. We've heard about the porcupine thing. Even the porcupines are disturbed.
79. On a related note, it is not a mating dance. It is a mobile concussion looking for a place to land.
80. For purposes of knowing how things are going, your partner requires more feedback than "...eep!"
81. Please bring out the tail slowly. Not only are you are ruining your date for all other ponies, but Barnyard Bargains is out of extensions.
82. When experiencing the sort of reaction which makes you temporarily leave the area so you can gather your strength before resuming, please be sure to do two things first: tell your partner exactly what's happening, and make sure they're detached.
Twilight
83. There are spells which can potentially enhance sex. Please stop trying to spontaneously invent them during the actual act. We're sure that having an orgasm loop into itself would be interesting. We are equally sure that having every toilet trench in a quarter-gallop radius doing the exact same thing didn't work out for anypony.
84. As a general rule, the bed should remain within the tree at all times.
85. You are no longer permitted to pause in the middle of the act in order to send a letter to Princess Celestia about the lesson you just learned. Or at the end of it. Or beforehoof in the hopes of getting some advice. You also may not be aware that all of your scrolls are stored as part of the nation's historical record and we cannot afford another new Archives building this year.
86. There is now a legal limit on the number of times you can ask your partner if you're cute, adequate, worth this, or anything else intended to boost your confidence. It is known as "once."
87. Currently, you are the only alicorn who is believed to be potentially available. We recognize that this makes you the main recipient of fantasies recorded as letters mailed directly to you and in the name of bringing the suicide rate down, you are hereby ordered to stop sending them back post-editing.
88. Time travel spells do not mean that you are allowed to have sex with yourself. You may know exactly what you like, but we all remember what happened the last time you knocked yourself up. There have been five judges who have tried to work out who's paying foal support, and they have all gone mad.
Princesses
Celestia
89. The reason you don't get to be on top is called 'the square-cube law.' Additionally, nopony has one that big. We've looked. The last six expeditions didn't come back. Please consider seeking partners based on their technique.
90. Would it be possible, just once, for you to get through it without setting something on fire?
91. On a related note, burn cream does not work preemptively, nor can it be considered as a lubricant.
92. Please stop imprisoning everypony who asks if you're having sex with your sister. Not only is it doing nothing to stop the idiocy, but we are out of cells and are currently storing morons in the legislative offices. This is redundant. Also, three of them have already been reelected.
93. The palace attorney responsible for getting the charges dropped when you roll over your partner in your sleep just quit.
94. Everypone was already aware that it's the largest and hottest such portion of anatomy in the realm. The commemorative coin was overkill.
Luna
95. The Canterlot Royal Voice is not to be used during orgasms. Also, we're all deaf now. So thanks for that.
96. We are aware that if anypony makes one more 'world's most frigid mare' joke, you will freeze their genitals. Nopony's sure if you've spotted the irony.
97. In terms of your next period of interest, would you please explain if you meant "When the stars within my mane are in alignment" as a joke? There are ponies queued up forty deep outside the planetarium and the lead astronomer also just quit.
98. The palace no longer keeps Royal Concubines on retainer. We recognize your disappointment, but we were frankly getting a little tired of seeing pick-up artists use it as their primary excuse for trying to start harems.
99. You are still not permitted to kill anypony who asks if they can have sex with the Nightmare instead. However, in accordance with the law which you somehow got through the Night Court, non-fatal defenestration is now fine.
Cadance
100. You see it as 'a simple, casual explanation of just what being the Princess of Love can mean within a relationship.' The rest of us would like you to stop bragging.
101. Did you know your husband is a moron?
Blueblood
You are not the creator’s gift to anyone. The number of your former partners that have become devout atheists is proof of this. We didn’t realise it was possible for someone to be a devout atheist until you reached adolescence.
Your claim of being Princess Celestia’s nephew is being investigated. By Princess Luna. Be prepared to run away.
There is a reason you have been blacklisted by the escorts of the city. Yes, both kinds. Stop it.
It is not hard to find good groomers. What you are asking them to do is classified as sexual harassment. Also sexual assault. And a war crime.
We know that the Gala awakened a kink you were previously unaware of. Food play does not start by critiquing the food. It also doesn’t occur in public restaurants.
Arranged marriages are a thing. Arranged one-night-stands are not
Fancypants
There is such a thing as too much foreplay.
We fear you may be suffering from a form of OCD. When informed of your partner’s multiple orgasms, you should not respond with an attempt to achieve “a nice round number.”
When approached on the street by one of the city’s escorts, you are permitted to say no. You should not feel obliged to go with them and pay their fee out of politeness. Yes, both kinds.
What is the product you use on your moustache? Nothing I’ve tried on mine gets it anywhere near your level of neatness, and my marefriend is complaining about how scratchy it is... Ahem, sorry. Professionalism.
According to Princess Luna, the position of seneschal was how they each called “dibs” historically. She wishes one of you would get a clue.
Spike
102. Having a hemipenis does not entitle you to work on both holes at once. Ask your partner first.
103. You are legally required to inform your partner of the risk of abrasive injury. Both internally and externally.
104. The same applies to heat and fire-related injuries.
105. Thoroughly rinse your mouth out if you are going to use it. Gem shards are no fun.
106. We are aware that your upbringing has drastically affected your taste in partners, but would it kill you to try getting it on with an actual dragon?
107. At least meet us halfway and go for a Kirin. That eliminates half of the problems on this list.
As Complicated As Black & White:
Zebras & Pundamilia Makazi [/cent
One hundred kraals gathered within a single camp named as the world
~ famed local way of describing zebra politics, original source unknown
"Zebras don't have a nation: they have an argument."
~ pretty much every single ambassador to Pundamilia Makazi, eventually
To step across a border is to change the very shape of the world. Protocera isn't Equestria. Mazein isn't either of them. And we're not going to talk about Yakyakistan, because ponies generally want to discuss Yakyakistan just slightly less than they feel like talking about Prance. But the point holds: every country is different. The species of majority shifts, the culture changes, and the social environment twists. For the majority of ponies, many of whom have never left their own settled zones, visiting another country is the equivalent of traveling to another planet. Picture the nations of the world as their own cultural orbs twirling around Sun in an intricate dance, connected by the gravity of social expectations.
Pundamilia Makazi, the homeland of the zebras, then turns into the asteroid belt.
The oldest tales say they were once truly united as one. But then, none can track just who first told that tale, and a tale of history for which none can attribute an ultimate source might also be known as a lie.
Still, there are zebras who believe it. That at some point before the Discordian Era, before unity fractured, there was but a single kraal, one which stretched across a nation. A civilization operating under a single agreed-upon set of rules, gloriously advanced, working in perfect harmony with the world around it. Masters of predators and prey alike, ruling without interfering, moving within the rhythms of the world. Others would try to conduct the music and find their clumsy touch producing discordant cacophony: zebras danced inside the notes.
But then he came: the breaker of tales, and so much else. The Great Kraal was shattered, and the little shards which survived found it almost impossible to reach each other. Those few travelers who risked the journey often arrived at their destination incapable of any communication other than babbling. Isolated, the little kraals began to twist away from unity, each developing along its own course. And when the storm ended, when it was finally possible to truly venture out and make contact once more... they found tidal pools of strangeness within what had once been their land. Different customs, different cultures, different beliefs. Nothing offends like one who refuses to believe the same things you do, and does so on an equal lack of visible foundation and true evidence.
The wars went on for some time. There's an argument to be made that they never truly ended. Things have simply subsided to the point where the conflicts mostly take place on the verbal level, with blades launched as piercing stares when someone does an act the (locally) wrong way. And most of the time, that's where it stays.
Most of the time.
Equestria has settled zones: the little lights of carved-out civilization within the wild, connected by the ley lines of roads, air paths, and railway tracks. Some settled zones have retained a portion of the customs that arose prior to the Unification, while a few retain regional accents or, in the case of Eastern Saddlezania, trotting arguments for translation spells. But no matter how old or distant each settled zone is, regardless of how many layers of fine social complexities exist, every last one ultimately turns to Canterlot for the final level of rulership. Culture is regional, but law is national. An illegal act in Windicity is, for the most part, an illegal act in Ponyville: the exceptions are a few pegasus-intended statutes which seldom need to be enforced at ground level.
Pundamilia Makazi has the kraals. And at first glance, things might seem similar enough. Each kraal is a portion of civilization. Of control, although zebras move with the flow of the world more than they ever try to dam the river. There are roads which connect them, and some tentative discussion of whether to add a railway system is being conducted. (There are extant lines which reach to the borders -- and then stop.) Cultures are regional. But languages twist. There is a trade tongue, something just about every zebra speaks, the language taught to the rest of the world -- and then there is the real speech, the language of a individual kraal, so seldom passed along.
Cultures are regional -- and so is law.
The first thing to understand about Pundamilia Makazi is that those two words indicate the homeland. They don't mean the nation.
The nation doesn't exist.
Sedimentary Layers: Earth Pony Public Magic & The Cornucopia Effect (Blackbriar) · 12:40pm
Ponies forget. Even without centuries of careful storytelling, progressive distortions built up until only the barest tip of truth can be seen poking through the soil, ponies forget.
Many Equestrian schools, especially mixed ones, will have a few short lessons on the magic which can be found within the three main pony races. But they're short lessons. A unicorn-exclusive school will have exhaustive semesters exploring possibilities, pegasi devote entire seasons to flight camps in the name of making sure everypony knows what they need to do. But when it comes to the magic of others... unicorns cast, pegasi can manipulate weather, and students frequently learn just enough to get past the test, while retaining the information for exactly that amount of time. There is a portion of earth pony magic which exists in the open, aspects freely taught to unicorn fillies and pegasus colts. And if you were to encounter one of those former students a decade after the fact, asked them what earth ponies could magically do... the near-universal response would be along the lines of "They're strong and they can grow stuff a little better?" It's not your magic, and so there's generally very little need to concern yourself with it -- especially when it seems to be so relatively minor in both scope and power.
It's rare to find a pegasus or unicorn who takes much of an interest in earth pony magic, especially at the scholarship level. (It's even more rare to find an earth pony operating on the academic plane with thaumaturgical studies of their own abilities: after all, there's only so much they could even theorize about. However, being in the right place to shut down the theories of others is invaluable.) It's background magic. The fruit is on your plate, and the most you generally care about regarding how it got there was the cost. Especially if it's a cherry. Cherry commodities are weird.
But still, for the pony who cares to learn, there is that surface layer: the things earth ponies freely permit others to understand, for the rare individuals that take the time to look. And so the following could potentially be learned by anypony in Equestria, few of whom would ever think to seek something deeper.
The following is what a 'scholar' of earth pony magic would know about that species' potential abilities. And all of it is true. It's just not true enough.
Universal magics
Enhanced strength and endurance: Any earth pony will be at least somewhat more physically powerful than a unicorn or pegasus of approximately the same build. (They will also be measurably heavier: not distressingly so, but an earth pony has a little more density to their body.) This aspect of magic builds with time: a foal won't be noticeably stronger (and even the Surges don't grant musclepower), but by kindergarten, an earth pony will have at least a degree of edge in place. They typically reach their full boost level shortly after finding the rest of their magic, and that overcharge will remain consistently proportionate to any extra physical strength they might gain through exercise. As with all magic, this varies by the individual: there are earth ponies with skinny builds and stringy muscles -- who can still kick a little harder than you'd expect. Earth ponies are typically aware of just how much they're physically exerting themselves, but can lose track when distracted, in the same fashion which allows a startled unicorn caster to let a little extra resonance leak into a working.
It's generally safe to assume that a given earth pony is at least 40% stronger than they look. (Keep in kind that in A Confederacy Of Dunce Caps, Diamond was easily capable of separating Snips and Snails to end the play-fight -- and she doesn't exactly give off the physical impression of being Miss Junior Weight-Dragging Champion of 1274.) Some ponies are under this number, others go beyond it, and there are some examples out there who really shouldn't be crossed. In theory, this makes just about any earth pony into a devastating direct combatant -- but they still have to land their kicks, while being close enough to make an impact at all. Still, the first rule for unicorns and pegasi facing a truly angry earth pony is to create some distance.
The endurance is somewhat less noticeable. This is because the Cornucopia Effect is generally continuous, and so a portion of that extra energy is dedicated to powering magic which runs at all times unless shut down. A typical earth pony will need just as much sleep as the other two races, and retains the need to recharge themselves through consuming food. However, if they put their minds to it, they can typically push on physically for longer than a pegasus or unicorn could. (Truly dedicated efforts may require turning off the Effect for a while, making that strength available for other things.) But when they're worn out, they drop -- and extensive burning of calories on more intensive magic will exhaust an earth pony just as surely it would a unicorn or pegasus.
(For what it's worth: on truly minor efforts, an earth pony can keep going the longest, and is the only one of the three races known to be capable of doing something in their sleep. However, as more intensive tool use can sometimes mean shifting large amounts of mass... well, there may be somewhat more base endurance to utilize, but a lot of it could wind up going to heavy lifting.)
Because they're stronger and more durable, an earth pony can typically go through more injury than a pegasus or unicorn before falling unconscious. However, their healing rate tends to be the same -- and as with the other two pony races, some medicine has to be reworked in dosage or composition for them, while other mixes won't operate at all.
Energizing the soil:
The Cornucopia Effect is the longest-term casual magic known to ponies (and will remain so until some serious research is done into the crystals). Unless an earth pony deliberately turns it off, it's active at all times. As with physical strength, the Effect increases with age: a filly entering her school years, with no active access to her other tools, will still be capable of aiding a group effort. The magic radiates, and this radius is generally described as a huge circle which moves with the pony. (In reality, it's a hemisphere, soaking down into the soil: there's rarely any need to radiate up.)
The shorthoof way to view the Effect is that it allows any kind of earth to host any variety of plant life. However, this simply fills in for a plant's nutritional needs. (The Effect does not directly create the chemical compounds which make up those nutrients: the local vegetation is partially living on magic.) It does not account for climate, air, and moisture requirements, although it will provide a partial substitute for sunlight. (A plant without Sun will still ultimately die --but it'll take more time.) An earth pony who digs down to the soil under the Empire's border ice will be able to place a seed -- and the resulting plant will die in the cold. As such, some earth ponies will use greenhouses, and a pegasus assist is required to make the temperature and humidity suitable for many kinds of misplaced crops: the Appleloosa settlement is going to need some help with that orchard, and soon.
The Effect, while long-lasting, is slow to take full hold. It can take years to fully sink into something the size of a full settled zone, at least to the extent where earth ponies can freely come and go without having too many worries about the background power level dropping too low. (Dedicated farms still have to sweat it out a little during long trips, and 'The farmer is the land' can apply when a family is establishing a new, isolated homestead.) However, it will intensify if the local earth pony population increases -- and, should that population permanently drop, diminish. It is additive: every earth pony in the area contributes. It's automatic. And if you lose all your local earth ponies, it will eventually go away. There's a fade-out period proportionate to the original strength, but the only way to stop the process is to restore that segment of the local demographics. Ponyville, which has an earth pony majority, would get about two years. (And yes, they're much too far away from Canterlot to receive the negligible benefits from that population.) At least in terms of workable farmland, any settled zone's true maximum size is directly dependent on how many earth ponies reside there -- but if that's not what you care about, then go ahead and set up anything you like. However, there are mathematical formulas which can calculate how many adult earth ponies you need at an average field strength of X to get a long-term settled zone which takes up Y% of a square gallop, and those are sometimes brought out when planning new settlements. Remember, even with mixed settlements, the earth ponies generally get there first -- something very close to tradition, and necessary to buy a little precious private time for the earliest stages.
A settled zone with a fully-established Effect will possess soil suitable for pretty much everything, and normal plantings require no conscious notice from an earth pony. (Truly complicated setups benefit from having a friend drop by every now and again.) As such, pegasi and unicorns will be able to plant some fairly impressive gardens. But as very few pegasi and unicorns truly understand the Effect, criminal earth ponies occasionally use that lack of knowledge against them. Triptych sees Quiet note the existence of con artists who collect bits before walking around the property a few times, then flee before the first seed fails to sprout. Similarly, soil removed from an Effect zone will retain its charge for a time and be able to support plant life, but that magic won't replenish itself: "selling dirt to Cloudsdale" is an occasional fraud problem.
Soil untouched by the Effect is fully normal and will support whatever plant life it normally would. However, one of the consequences from the Effect is that Equestria views its food supply route as 'earth ponies'. As a science, agronomy is barely recognized within the borders and, but for a few rare scholars, hardly ever understood. The vast majority of earth ponies wouldn't know how to work with a magic-free environment. There are earth ponies who learn about supplemental scientific tactics which boost their own efforts, and some scant unicorns and pegasi are stubborn enough to truly go at it alone. But for the latter, we're talking about a few dozen individuals -- tops. Most of the other nations use crop rotation, fertilizers, compost, and the rest of the necessary aspects normally: Equestria doesn't. There's no need -- until the moment there is.
Soil sense: This is an example of an ability which doesn't quite work as pegasi and unicorns believe it does. Some believe an earth pony can just glance at dirt and be able to tell what would naturally sprout from it. It's a little more complicated than that...
Uncommon effects
Wasteland:
Looking deeply into the Effect will suggest the possibility that it could theoretically be kicked into reverse. This is absolutely true. Any earth pony can shut down their magic: a few who truly make the effort can warp it, poisoning the soil. (Again, this doesn't create actual compounds: it's forcing the plant life to feed on negative energies.) This is almost exponentially faster than establishing the Effect itself. However, it's also extremely vulnerable. Poisoning soil requires a deliberate effort, and it's a draining one: a single earth pony can't ruin the land within anything close to their full radius. If they're in a settled area, the central Effect will gradually wash into the poisoned zone and clean things up: an earth pony who wants to keep wrecking a portion will need to stay close and continue working -- which, even without identifying their echo, can make it very clear who the culprit is. The inversion of the tool also disturbs an earth pony's internal balance: somepony using it will feel ill, and this grows worse as the magic continues. (As with shutting down a mark, it's effectively magical blasphemy: there's a price to pay for that.) And using this magic in an area with a lot of earth ponies about will have the wasteland tool effectively fighting off the entire population just to get anything done.
As such, this is generally only used by modern ponies with deep grudges and the overconfidence to believe they won't get caught, taking out a neighbor's precious rosebush. In ancient times, it was mainly utilized as an 'If I can't have this, then you can't either' tactic, ruining land which would have been used for future settlements, or poisoning a just-conquered barricade point on the way out.
(Horror stories persist about earth ponies whose magic only works this way: living inversions, trotting blights who destroy everything they approach. To the best of anypony's knowledge, they're only stories.)
Plant growth acceleration:
This requires direct effort and is most frequently done by teams. Affected organisms will reach maturity faster than they normally would: the most powerful public casting might be able to bring the time down by 80% or so, and the remainder of the plant's lifespan will be normal. A subset of this tool allows fruits and vegetables to ripen at an accelerated pace: the Acres enjoy considerably more harvest times per year than they strictly should.
The casting needs to be repeated periodically over the acceleration time, but doesn't have to be continuous. For forced growth, it's generally only used when establishing new farms, initial crops, and settled zones: there's some worries about what could happen to a plant's health if you just kept pushing it. In theory, it should be possible to create extra-large versions of normal plants, but you'll seldom see it done -- mostly because contest judges know exactly what kind of traces to listen for.
Plant growth retardation:
This isn't using the wasteland effect: it's creating a perfectly healthy version of an organism at a smaller scale. Essentially, with the right earth pony on the job, you could theoretically get a bonsai version of anything in the plant kingdom. It's a rare tool found among only a few ponies, who generally make their fortunes through selling miniature redwoods to anypony rich enough to believe it's a good idea. Requires frequent attention and effort at the outset, but the ultimate results are stable -- if done by a competent pony. Plants which start growing at their normal pace after a few months are known to happen. Ones which achieve full size in five minutes are decidedly unlikely, but at least make for interesting stories about why you shouldn't buy bonsai redwoods.
Doesn't exist
There's also a few bad assumptions which occasionally make the rounds, most of which ponies decide are fact through A. imagining them and B. telling themselves they're right. These include:
Poison detection
"So if you know so much about plants, can't you just tell which ones are deadly to eat?"
"No."
"Taste bad?"
"No."
"Allergic reactions?"
"Is there a part of 'no' you keep missing?"
(Does occasionally show up as an aspect of a plant-related mark talent -- or, with poisons, a chemistry one may let you know that a given edible is bad for you. (Finding out how generally requires doing it the hard way -- or having somepony else go through it on your behalf.) But it's not a tool.)
Animal empathy:
It's out there, but as with the one above, it's not an inherent aspect of earth pony magic: it's a mark talent -- one admittedly much more common among earth ponies than the other two races (pegasi generally manifest for something airborne and unicorns virtually never display it), but it still requires a mark. Winona isn't magically communicated with or controlled: she's trained
