The Earth Ponies

by RomanCandle

Chapter 1 -- Wondering

"Did you hear? About Twilight Sparkle!"

"Who hasn't heard? Isn't it amaaaazing?"

"I know right? I can't believe she turned into an Alicorn!"

"I know! Wouldn't it be awesome if one of the Princesses came and gave me wings?"

"Oh oh oh what if Luna gave me a horn? That'd be soooo awesome. I could, like, make things explode."

"That's not how it works."

"Well you don't just get to fly from sprouting wings. It takes a lot of practice, and, and...and skill!"

"But Princess Twilight could fly fine right after she grew hers, and I saw a baby pegasus flying all over."

"That's different!"

"Nu-uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

"Nu-uuhhhhh!"

A pink filly smiled at the growing, silly argument, trying not to giggle. It was funny how every filly at school had gone princess-crazy after Celestia's personal student had been "promoted." Most fillies wouldn't talk about anything else, and spent recess pretending that the Princesses had swooped down, seen their personal plights against unfair parenting, and rewarded them for their incredible valor and strength of spirit with the crown of a princess. Even some of the colts, despite brushing it off as "too girly", could be seen glossy eyed at times, thinking about the power, prestige, and popularity that would come out of being the first [and only] male Alicorn prince.

Half Note brushed her blue mane out of her eyes and curled up in the morning sun. She picked up a small stick in her mouth and began to doodle in the dirt. She was pretty sure her special talent wasn't drawing, but it was something she enjoyed doing. At least when she was bored.

She scribbled down a few lines and had drawn a small, scratchy pony—herself, as best she could do without colors. She stopped and looked around to make sure none of her friends were watching, and then drew in a crown, wings, and horn. She'd done a very good job of not falling prey to the Princess Craze, and didn't want anybody to think she was anything but content with what she was. She sighed and looked closely at her drawing, and the blank flank of the Princess she secretly wanted to be.

What would I be princess of? She wondered. Celestia and Luna, everypony knew as the Princesses of the Sun and Moon, Day and Night respectively. Princess Cadance was known to have Love magic nearly perfected where most average unicorns could hardly manage it, and Twilight Sparkle had discovered (or invented, depending on which Theory of Magic you prescribed to—Half Note was not a scholar) the Magic of Friendship, they had already been called the Princesses of such.

What could I do so specially or different that would make me a princess? Half Note scrunched her face up. It would probably be easier to figure out if she had her cutie mark. Maybe she could look at some of the other foals, and get an idea.

There was one with a tornado, and another with some clouds. Weather? No, the pegasi did that already, and how would she learn about that, anyway? Half Note was an Earth Pony—she couldn't get up in the sky.

There was a unicorn with some jewels—but the closest Half Note could get to that was mining or Rock Farming, and nopony really liked doing that, to the point that if someone offered Half Note wings, a horn, and a crown, but only if she were to be the Princess of Rock Farming, she would politely decline. Well, she could cut and polish precious stones if she tried really hard, but that's not really "Princess" material.

Apples...Flowers...Feathers...Sport cutiemarks...Nopony really had anything that seemed good enough for Princesshood. Half Note looked at the scribbled Alicorn version of herself and wiped it out of the dirt with her hoof, trying to hide her moist eyes from absolutely nopony, because nopony was looking and she wasn't crying anyway.

It's not fair, that all the cool talents need magic or wings to do. Even if I could be an alicorn, what would I do? Grow flowers?Spin in circles? It'd be more embarrassing than fun. She stared at the grass so hard she didn't notice the orange unicorn foal running towards her till she stepped on her favorite blade of grass.

"Half Note! Hi! Whatcha doin? Are ya sick? Your nose is scrunchy."

"Oh, uh, hi Firelock. I was just listening to those guys talking about Twilight and Alicorns and Princesses and stuff." She waved off to the side.

The orange unicorn blinked and pulled her red hair out of her green eyes, squinting. "Who, now?"

Half Note blinked and looked over where she'd gestured. The group of ponies who had been chatting had gone off and were now pretending to zap each other with their mighty Princess Powers. She blushed. Oops.

"Oh uh...I guess I got lost in my thoughts. Ahaha..." She rubbed the back of her head, hoping her coat hid her red face.

It didn't, really. Firelock stared at her friend.

"I dunno whatcha were thinking about, but you should probably stop, or your pretty pink coat will turn bluer than your mane and eyes combined. Then we'll have to call you, like, Blues. And that's a colt's name."

The little earth pony chuckled. "Okay, you win. What's up with you, then?" She stood up and brushed the dirt off her belly.

"...Or we could call you Deep Blue cuz you turned blue from being so lost in thought and then because of your name you'd turn into a seapony and we'd have to keep you in a tank because we're in the middle of Equestria and there's no salt water anywhere nearby so if we didn't you'd choke and die if we didn't."

"What."

"You could be the class pet!" The unicorn was smiling and bouncing up and down. "And then ponies from across the world would come here just to see the Seapony and you'd be famous and I'd be famous and Tornado even because she's friends with us and then we'd be so rich and famous you'd be so happy you'd stop being sad and then we'd have to call you Half Note again, and then you'd stop being a Seapony and because you'd be in a tank you'd drown and then we'd all be sad and turn blue and into Seaponies until eventually everyone died from sadness."

Half Note stared open mouthed at her friend, who had pushed her nose up into her face. All she saw was big green eyes—dead serious green eyes.

"I...I was just thinking about how it's not fair that Earth Ponies don't really have any magic"

A triumphant grin from the orange unicorn. "Is that all? You know Earth Ponies have magic, silly—nopony can make things grow like an Earth Pony, and even Canterlot Castle was built by Earth Ponies because they're the best at it. You just have a more subtle magic than Pegasi or Unicorns. It's nothing to be saaaad about." Every part of the sentence was emphasized by wide, dramatic gestures and faces, ending with an accusatory hoof-pointing.

"Well yeah, everyone knows that, Lock. But, like, Pegasi can fly and change the weather, and Unicorns can get their horns to do just about anything...Any pony, pegasi and unicorns included, can build things or dig rocks or get things to grow—heck, the Everfree forest does that without any ponies at all. Earth ponies can't touch the clouds or levitate or make things explode like unicorns and pegasi, let alone do anything as awesome as raise the sun or invent new magic like the Princesses..."

"Is that what this is about? I didn't think you'd be the one to get all mopey about not being a Princess." Half Note shrunk back under the skeptic stare of her friend.

"Well uh it's not like I really want to be a Princess or anything, but I was thinking about how Princess Cadance and Luna and Celestia and Twilight all have Cutie Marks for big awesome things like the Sun and Moon and Love and Friendship and an Earth Pony can't really get a talent like that." She twirled her hoof in the dirt, catching a line that she knew was a feather from her earlier doodle and returning it to dust.

"Hmmm...Okay, I guess you've got a point. But there's all kinds of talent out there—Pinkie Pie's talent is making ponies laugh and smile, and there are plenty of Earth Ponies who sing or make art—They could become an Alicorn of Happiness or Music or Arts, or even of Growth. Or something. I dunno." She shrugged and blew a lock of red hair out of her eyes. "Look, if it's bugging you that much, why don't we just go look up stuff about Alicorns and the different types of Pony Magics, and then I'll prove to you that it's totally possible for an Earth Pony to do something awesome enough to become a Princess. We'll even get Tornado Bolt to come with us—reading is the only thing that gets her to sit still."

Half Note smiled and sighed. Firelock was impossible sometimes, but she was a really, really good friend. "Okay, but after school? I don't wanna be late for class."

As if on cue, the bell rang, calling the children in. Both fillies jumped, looked at each other, then laughed as they raced for the door. Half Note felt better as she took her seat among the other children. Even if she didn't really ever expect to be an Alicorn, it made her feel better to think that maybe, just maybe, she could—and the promise of finding out later was just what she needed. She'd go to the Library with Firelock and Tornado Bolt after school and learn things and maybe even find her special talent after learning about what kind of magic Earth Ponies had.

It was a perfect plan, and was going to be a great day. She could feel it.

Author's Note:

I have an idea. Hurhurhur.

Also using uncommon ponies because I'm just too cool to be normal and however that hipster sterf works.

Really I just want clean personality slates, but ponies that actually exist so I'm not having to explain where they came from. Every name and description I intend to pull from the show canon/fanon. Well, a few exceptions because stories.

If you want a visual, Control + F in this list.

Comments

[heavenlyRaid]

well this looks promising. if the next chapter's as good as the first you'll definitely have my thumbs up

[Doctor Geagle]

I've always felt that earth ponies kind of got the raw end of the deal.

[Leonzilla]

You called Firelock a foal instead of a filly making me think she was a colt at first.

I recommend not to use foal unless you mean kid in plural like childen or baby.

~Leonzilla

[Mr Swanky Hat]

6284835 though it wouldn't be wrong if gender was established prior

[Emperor]

I had to actually go onto Derpibooru after this to look up the fillies you're using. Tornado Bolt and Half Note have had several appearances, but Firelock...man, Firelock has had like, three or four scenes total she's appeared in I guess? Either that or she's not getting tagged as often.

They could always go straight to the newly-coronated Princess Twilight and ask when they're at the library (assuming they're in Ponyville here and you didn't shunt them to some other random village), but then where would we get our silly filly shenanigans coming from? Speaking of silly fillies, are we sure this Firelock isn't a secret relative of Pinkie Pie?