I got your earth pony magic right HERE · 9:38am Jun 5th, 2013
So, let's talk earth ponies.
pictured: delicious earth pony magic.
In some ways they are more interesting than unicorns or pegasi, because they don't have any overtly fantastic features (aside from the fact that they're Little Ponies and all that that implies). By far the most interesting thing about earth ponies is "earth pony magic." People who are--quite reasonably--dissatisfied with the idea of earth ponies getting shafted out of the awesome powers of the other two types have made plenty of different attempts to make earth ponies look better. Simple ideas about earth pony magic, all of which suck, include super strength (most powerful hindquarters in Equestria, right?), longevity (When I was young THERE WAS NO PONYVILLE), and being jacks of all trades (how does this count as a racial trait?).
Examining earth pony canon is difficult because just about none of it is explicitly stated by pony-canon. Earth ponies and their lifestyles are taken for granted, because they don't have weirdo powers that need explanation. Most earth ponies that we see are Ponyville extras--so basically any background pony who doesn't fly and isn't a Canterlot-specific pony.
Let's start with some Word of Faust concerning earth pony magic.
... All right then. I think she contradicted this by referring to this "connection" as magical at least once, but at any rate, this is what we're working with. Folks who want to be satisfied with Word of Faust can go ahead and run things that way, but I'm going to seek a more satisfying answer, and you're not gonna stop me.
I want earth ponies to have something that unites them; something like unicorn telekinesis. Even unicorns whose professions don't involve fine manipulation or spellcraft HAVE and USE a distinctive unicorn trait; the same should go for earth ponies. That's not true for Hoity Toity and "connection to the land."
Some of you may have noticed my headcanon* that all ponies are gifted with an actual Magic of Friendship, or as I call it, the Fire of Friendship--you know, the one that Lives In Our Hearts something something Not Be Apart. I propose that the basic goodness in all ponies is the source of "earth pony magic." We see earth ponies as laborers and artisans along with the occasional professional. They make good artisans and laborers because they have the patience and dedication for it. They have a strong sense of family and community because they have such a capacity to care for each other. I guess the general idea is that all earth ponies have a bit of Applejack in them, no, stop, don't make the innuendo or I'll stab you in the face with a giant horsecock.
Pictured: laborers and artisans. I think my theory manages to not fight the fact that there's an obvious tradition of earth pony farmers.
So I've given them magic, but a kind of magic that all ponies have anyway. That's something, but they still stick out from the other two that actually have special traits. There's a shadow of an idea going around that earth ponies are generally tougher and stronger than the other types, but I say screw that--why is so odd that ponies who spend their lives doing stuff like kicking trees hard enough to shake all the apples out** would have more powerful bodies? More importantly, "physical fitness" is not satisfactory at all as something that sets them apart. Are you really happy with writing Earthers off as "better at manual labor?"
The more I think about it, the more I actually like the idea of earth ponies really not having any unique powers at all.
There's something to the idea that earth ponies are special because they aren't special. I'm can't decide whether they're aware that they aren't special and they're proud of it, or if they don't even see themselves as lacking anything. Both are appealing ideas, in my opinion. Makes me want to start using the term "earth pony magic" ironically. Actually, I officially love the idea of ascribing powerful "earth pony magic" to a character despite earth pony magic being established as not-an-actual-thing.
Faust is on my side here. She mentions the fact that earth ponies aren't looked down upon for not being special. That matters. The ponies are almost certainly not aware of the Fire of Friendship crap that I'm pushing, so it's not that unicorns and pegasi recognize that earth ponies are magical just like they are; it's more that they don't have any trouble thinking of themselves as "all equal in the eyes of Faust," as it were. That's despite the fact that they clearly understand themselves as three distinct communities. Faust herself would surely be pleased by this analysis.
In conclusion, my proposal for earth pony magic includes two points:
First, that so-called "earth pony magic" actually is, on some level, magical.
Second, that earth ponies are special not despite but BECAUSE they lack any kind of signature magic. All they have is positive traits that you and I would take for granted as mundane, unremarkable things. Ponykind, however, acknowledges earth pony not-magic as being just as valuable and as beautiful as Twilight Sparkle's incredible god-powers.
Okay, maybe not quite THAT valuable, but shut up, you know what I mean.
*oh who am I kidding nobody pays that much attention to me
**No, I don't have an answer to the notion that applebucking is enabled by earth pony magic.
Huh. That... Is well thought out and worded.
And, well, it makes sense, actually.
A LOT of sense. Welp.
NEW HEADCANON FOR ME! Thank you!
~Skeeter The Lurker
Yep. I can run with this. (kinda already am, in my earth pony way
)
And dang, do you have a knack for finding useful pics of earth pony magic
In fact you might have just helped me make conscious some underlying book-threads that I've been handling unconsciously, and am just starting to wrap up, so this was REAL helpful…
*Raises hand and tries to think of how to word without being creepy* I care about your headcanon...I think it's really awesome.
Anyways You mention the whole connection to the land thing not applying to Hoity Toity, but why can't he be an exception to the rule, akin to Fluttershy's connection with animals being distinct?
Mudponies are dumb. :B They get what's coming to them.
On a more serious note, earth pony magic is showcased at its awesomest in My Little Metro, if you want my honest opinion.
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"mud ponies"
Hee hee. Good memories.
Well then. Headcanon accepted.
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Rereading this has brought me to a point of clarification on it: the idea of "earth pony not-magic" would be ruined if earth ponies DID have some kind of cool plant power, like if their ability to raise apples in Appleloosa was actually supernatural, or if they had could talk to plants and make them grow and move.
What i discussed here is all they have. And they prefer it that way.
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Hurp didn't mark you