Almost 2 years ago, someone linked an article to me that I halfway think was written by Sci-Fi author Michael Z. Williamson.

Knives and Evolution

Knife :----------------- (American Heritage Dictionary)
1 A cutting instrument consisting of a sharp blade with a handle.
2 Any cutting edge or blade.
"Language was invented to ask questions. Answers may be given by grunts and gestures, but questions must be spoken. Humanness came of age when man asked the first question. Social stagnation results not from a lack of answers but from the absence of the impulse to ask questions." - Eric Hoffer
I like to think that when I carry a knife I am simply wearing the badge of my humanity. Knives to me are what define us as human. And they have had a huge impact on our genetic makeup.
Its not just a tool/weapon, its an appendage. Chimps don't need edges because they are born with them. So too with the other creatures, all bearing tooth and nail.. We, on the otherhand, have traded nature's edges for the knife and are disadvantaged without it. We are designed by nature to function in tandem with the edge because as a species we have traded body parts for it. Take away my steel claw, and I am functionally disabled.

Knives make us more human!. As James Mattis say's, "-- "the invention of the knife" -- "allowed our species to alter nature, and there by make moral choices both necessary and possible".

To cut or not to cut, that is the question. The knife forces upon us a dilemma that is central to our humanity. Wanted and waste, right and wrong, all that good human stuff. The knife is the apple of the tree of knowledge and every blow of stone on stone, another bite.
(Read the rest at the link...)

...This article amazed me because even amateur palentologist that I am, It had never been pointed out to me that the knife predated fire by 1.5 million years.
I keep wondering what this means when applied to Ponykind and their rise to civilization, particularly the inevitable arms race against predators just as intelligent as they are. Would throwing blades, spears, and javelins precede throwing levers (atlatils), bows and sling bullets among Unicorns? What blades would Earth Ponies or Pegasi have developed first?

I personally believe that ponies endured a similar evolution, not with blades, but with magic (see Magic Kindergarten 101 for more info). I think blades supplemented magic in regards to combat and tools when limited magic was available (especially among Earth Ponies and Pegasi who are-for the most part-unable to use magic like Unicorns can in regards to manipulating/cutting things.)

I can see Earth Ponies developing blades like the plow and other agricultural/architectural tools before weapons, as these things would further supplement their already powerful Earth magic. Weapons would come later-less need for blades for defense when you can simply build a wall better than any other creature in their world.

Pegasi, being more war-like as portrayed in the Hearth's Warming Eve play, having no true need for bladed tools up in the sky (either for farming, which they can't really do and rely on Earth Ponies for, or for architecture as clouds don't need to be cut like stones, cables, and rope do), it would make sense for them to develop blades as weapons first and foremost.

Unicorns though...yes, I think that, with their ability to project and hurl things with more accuracy than an Earth Pony or Pegasus can, would specialize in bladed projectiles like arrows, darts, and spears. Again, with their reliance on Earth Ponies for agriculture and construction, they wouldn't have much need for bladed tools (though they could participate in architecture, they'd more likely use their magic rather than something they physically held, like a knife, leaving that possibility out.)

So, with Earth Ponies using them mainly as tools (though a cavalry unit of Earth Ponies bearing armor and spears would likely be just as terrifying as humanity's cavalry), and Unicorns using their magic instead of blades (though the possibility of Unicorns doing something that no other pony can really do: practice sword-play in a human sense, cannot be ignored), I believe that Pegasi would develop bladed weapons first due to their nature and due to their lack of need for them otherwise.

Now what TYPE of blade would Pegasi develop?
Ooooh, a few friends and I have debated for hours on end well into some nights over the subject, so I believe it'd be better served and explained in its own thread.

WHEW, well, that's my view on that!

Now what TYPE of blade would Pegasi develop

I would guess they would have developed sickle-like weapons that could be held beneath them as they just fly over. Though, for dealing with other pegasi, curve blade swords would compliment their high-speed flight most, as slashing would be more practical than thrusting.

4051664 That is a fascinating article that I will definitely be bookmarking and passing around. Thanks for sharing it.

As for ponies, I am honestly not entirely sure. I think V is on the right track with magic being their primary advantage given that it seems to be used in just about everything and active manipulation of that could influence brain development. That would let them accomplish most of the things we have seen, and a general lack of an evolutionary reliance on tools would also explain why every instance of pony combat and aggression we have seen is direct unarmed physical confrontation which is very different from humans who will generally pack weapons when going into dangerous situations and will instinctively look for tools to give them an advantage in a fight.

The part I am going to disagree with V on is where they got their tools from because I just cannot see them developing them on their own. Their instincts do not support it and all indications are that Equestria is fairly stagnant socially and technologically. That makes me think that they probably started using tools like knives after seeing other species doing it which also nicely explains why so much of their stuff is optimized for hands or claws rather than hooves.

4051912 Shiro, my friend, I feel I must point out why melee combat in the air is nearly impossible in the manner with which you speak. It all comes down to the most common misconception that most people new to the martial arts hold, that power comes from the upper-body. It does not. Power in striking comes from the legs, because a good strike is not one that lashes out, but pulled through the motion. The reason why this is important with Pegasus is because in midair they cannot 'ground' themselves, to pull through a strike. IF a Pegasus tried to use any sort of slashing weapon in midair, it would become the fulcrum between themselves and their target. Or, in laymen' terms, they would go spinning out of control.

A pegasus' natural weapons should be throwing weapons, where they can use their own momentum to boost their projectile's velocity, thus making it more effective. A Pegasus armed with javelin, weighted darts, or even just 'shot' to be dropped on the unsuspecting from above, would be a force to be reckoned with. The only way that I can foresee 'wing blades' being effective, is as a secondary weapon, used by Pegasus that have landed and are now acting more like what we would consider 'paratroopers'. Pegasus acting as light-infantry, or what we might call 'dragoons' - imperial era mounted infantry - could be especially devastating to those races without air power, such as Minotaur, for example...

4051664 To answer your question, I would propose that throwing weapons and slings would be the most common amongst the unicorns and Pegasi - ignoring unicorn magic as a potential combat weapon for a moment - and that weaponized horseshoes and lances would be the most common amongst the earthbound. A force of earthbound ponies, armed with lances could quickly strike an opponent's line with their lances and cause significant casualties, only to turn and engage with armored hooves, their strikes easily being powerful enough to cause significant injury and death. This speculation comes directly from our history and the weaponization of our mounts in combat. Horses were trained to rear back and kick infantry, which is a very natural reaction to a predator surprising a horse. Furthermore, canon seems to reinforce this idea, as numerous times ponies are shown to be quite proficient with their hooves as weapons.

4051664

I like to think that when I carry a knife I am simply wearing the badge of my humanity. Knives to me are what define us as human.

4069041
There is a reason I thought of mixing projectiles with magic. So far, IRL directed energy weapons have not been as efficient at damage as hitting things with high speed pieces of metal, and nothing I have seen on the show so far seems to contradict that other than for Unicorns who's talent is magic or combat or for Alicorns who are walking magic WMDs.
I can also see stealthy advantages for sending projectiles over a distance without a telltale glow of light following them the entire way.

4069049

4069024 Our power comes from our legs, yes, but that's because we are a ground-bound species. A pegasus' power would come not only from momentum but the wings. A pegasus' wings push and pull against the air in a similar way our legs do against the ground, albeit in a radial motion as opposed to out parallel motion.. As such, in the air they would fight with circular motions, using each wing independently to create momentum by spinning and twisting. Curved blades, like a scimitar or saber, could be used as those can be used to slash, simply letting the blade drag across the target as they pass. Though that could work against other pegasi, against a grounded target a pegasus would most benefit from a scythe. It could be hooked around the head or legs and pulled through from other side. This would be reserved for pegasi with high wing power, but it could work. I agree that thrown weapons would be the most effective, but they do have options for melee combat. Another option could be break-away lances and axes. This would remove the 'fulcrum' issue you mentioned while still hitting hard. Of course, single use weapons aren't the most efficient, but it's an option.

4069424 Sorry, Shiro, but no. When two objects hit in midair, they're going to spin out of control, it's basic physics, as simple as that.

When one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body.

I.e. When your wingblade (right for this example) strikes your target, because you're not grounded and have no way of resisting the force, your left wing continues to move at the same pace as prior (if not a little faster) as your right wing slows down. What happens when your two wings are moving at separate speeds is known as a flat-spin, a very dangerous, hard to recover from spin. It looks kinda like this, but more violent...

4069775 I'm talking about a hoof-held blade, not a wing-blade. I agree, a wing-blade is impracticable in the air. That being said, half the show is impracticable, and wing-blades are pretty cool.

4069912 The same applies. If one of your limbs strikes your target, it's going to send your body spinning. There is a reason why we use missile weaponry for air to air combat, rather than simply making the wings of our airplanes able to slice through other aircraft, it's because you can't do it without going into a spin of some sort! Period.

4069947 There's a major flaw with your logic, though. A fighter craft isn't a living, thinking thing. The human body, and we can assume the equine as well, can react to stimuli in ways no machine can, even ones controlled by a person. A pegasus could be trained to compensate for these things just like a human fighter does. These rules still apply on the ground, but we train ourselves to compensate. Have you ever seen two birds fighting in midair? They fly by, slashing and clawing, yet they don't spin out. It's the same thing.

4069947 4069965 Please try to keep subjects in the appropriate thread.

http://www.fimfiction.net/group/206409/bronies-with-blades/thread/153683/ponies-swords-and-wingblades-oh-my

Also, sharpening the wings of fighters would be absolutely pointless for a whole host of reasons which have nothing to do with spins they can easily escape, but that is totally stupid and completely off topic for this group so I will not go into it.