A Bur Under A Saddle: Ponies and Tech Thoughts 1

Axiom one: A species technological development is determined by four major factors; the laws of physics of the world they live in, the materials they have access to, the inborn abilities they can harness, the physiology of their bodies and minds.

Axiom two: Necessity and curiosity are the mothers of invention; but practicality is the father of it's propagation.

To often I read and look into fiction and see that writers have aliens, magic beings or even worse humans who live in wildly different worlds or an alternate of earth and yet have the same technology curve that our mundane world has. It's like the world is exactly the same except with the addition of the fantastical. Worst if the story is on another planet or reality. Somehow the exact same conditions, ideas and people show up exactly or around the same time to make each age follow in a row. This to me is both illogical and foolish to me and here's why.

If the laws of physics change, even a little bit, will have far reaching consequences. For example, the basis for the fixed wing craft is thrust plus a lifting body. Change Lift, make it stronger and Drag weaker, and flight becomes easier. To the point that it might make a man powered aircraft feasible. Change the speed of light in a vacuum, and suddenly the maximum speed a object can be accelerated effected is either lowered or raised. Either way this will change what may even be possible to build. As what this does with ponies, I've seen many stories have Princess Celestia's ability to raise the sun as something impossible just due to the mass of a star. However nothing says that the spell she uses can be used to do anything else but moving the sun. After all Sweetie Bell first had to learn how to move a broom so it might be that each object has a spell form that moves that object. There are spells that jump mass back though time, and from what we know that's most likely impossible in our universe.

Now if there is there some thing like Orichalcum, Adamantium, or some other type of Unobtainium will again change the rate of technology change. The same if there is a lack of substances that are found on our earth. The Bronze age was only a age due to the abundance of Tin and Copper. And Tin is actually uncommon on the earth's surface. Now think what happens if instead of iron as the most common metal, we had Adamantium. Something that has, in fiction, greater tensile strength and malleability. Think how much easier it would be to build skyscrapers, ships, and various other machines. If there are things like working alchemy or potions, chemistry and pharmaceuticals could be advanced be decades or even centuries. Zecora using some forest herbs made a potion to regrow teeth. The very existence of this means that Dentistry and Skeletal/muscle medicine would be advanced in a direction that we as humans could not do as of yet; or maybe at all. The Crystal Heart is a construct that uses the desires of the beings living near by to instantly terraform and maintain the area they live in. And rock farming means that rare earth minerals could be custom made at need.

Now if there are any abilities that are both inborn or naturally gained with age that provide an overwhelming vantage over nature, these can substitute for tools and technology. Like axiom two states, if the is there no need for a technology then most likely it won't be developed quickly or at all. For example, if a population that could naturally and comfortably survive extreme cold, heat, and other atmospheric conditions; then clothing may never be developed. At best textiles will be only developed in relation to other technology, maybe sails or bedding. In fact any tool or technology that is not necessary or practical to implement quickly may not be made at all. Earth Ponies themselves would retard agriculture tools only because machines would not allow for multiple harvests in a year without leaching all of the minerals out of the soil. In fact, judging by Appaloosa's grove, it's possible for them to turn deserts into forest with enough time.

Lastly If a species isn't humanoid in body shape, or in biochemistry, then again what they need and what tools they will develop will be different then humanity. We are descendants of great apes, build for endurance, agility, flexibility, throwing, and tool use. We built our first tools to be both hand held, and based on the user to see in a certain amount of visible light. We are omnivores and tribal, so we hunted and gathered in family groups, and our cultures and development worked from this. However, horses are made for running and rapid motion. Charging along with stomping, kicking, and biting would be the most natural base of pony fighting, Just like grappling, biting and infighting are for humans. So they gather together in family herds for safety, with the idea to avoid danger first then fight. With that in mind, some the more mechanically awkward tech like a basic Smooth-bore musket might not be developed past that. Do the the extra difficulty to reload, set and fire a basic smooth-bore musket using nothing but teeth and hooves would be awkward and messy with the powers and all. Unlike and arrow or bolt which could be placed and moved much easier. And judging from the Ice arrows from the games, might be able to enchanting to be even more damaging.

For me this why when we as writers need to remember this, and is one of the things that is pet peeve of mine when it is forgotten and ponies are written like small less intelligent humans instead of the clever but capable people they are. Ponies aren't human, and the show has them not developing like humans do. And that's OK.