> The Earth Ponies' Specialty
>  by The Wandering Bard
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> The Earth Ponies' Specialty
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lyric breathed in the crisp, clean air of Faroefield, and smiled. It may not have been large in size, but it was her hometown, and she loved it. Yet despite the fact that she’d enjoyed being back in her fillyhood home, and even though she’d had a grand time visiting her parents, she could hear the road calling to her once more. It was time for her to move on. Shouldering her lute, she stepped out into the sunshine that trickled down through the treeline. It felt so warm on her freckled face, a sign that spring would soon arrive despite the chill that still lingered in the air. She drew her cloak closer, concealing her tan coat, lute cutie mark and the two-toned green tail that matched her mane.

Lyric hummed a little ditty as she meandered down the path that would lead her through the White Tail Woods and out into the wider world of Equestria. However, she hadn’t made it far before she heard a cry of, “Lyric, waaaait!”

“Hm?” Ears pricked, Lyric spun to find the source of the cry. When she did, her eyebrows rose, for there was a veritable stampede of foals approaching her. Lyric looked to the filly in front, who stumbled a bit as she stopped in front of the bard. “Bluebell, what is it?” Lyric asked as she steadied the filly and scanned the group behind her. Most were earth ponies, though there were a few pegasi and unicorns scattered about. “What in Equestria is going on?”

One by one, the rest of the foals skidded to a halt in front of Lyric, huffing and panting. Finally, Bluebell’s head shot up and she pointed to a pegasus colt. “Zip here was making fun of us because earth ponies can’t fly!”

“Nuh-uh!” Zip cried as he darted into the air between Lyric and Bluebell, staring down at the filly. “I didn’t make fun of you!” He then spun to face the bard, though now he mumbled and glanced downwards as he fiddled with his hooves. “I just said earth ponies can’t do stuff like pegasi and unicorns can 'cause you can't fly and you don’t got any magic. That’s all, I swear.”

As he said this, the unicorn and pegasi foals nodded while the earth pony foals glowered at them or stuck out their tongues. Looking back up at Lyric, Bluebell said, “I know us earth ponies help grow food, but that’s not really all that special.”

“Is it not?” Lyric asked her. “After all, it is important that everypony can eat.”

“Yeah, but what about Griffonstone or places like that?” Zip asked. “They don’t got ponies there, but they still got food.”

“So it’s not really special,” Bluebell murmured, her ears falling, head drooping. She rose once again as she met Lyric’s bemused stare, face full of hope, and said, “But I thought... maybe you know something special about earth ponies?” She leapt and landed triumphantly on her hooves. “‘Cause if anypony’s gonna know, it’s you! You tell us all kinds of stories all the time, so you gotta know everything!”

Lyric laughed at this, the peals merry and bright as she said, “No, no, I do not know everything. If I did, what reason would there be for me to travel and learn new tales?”

A small chorus of, “awwws” sounded as Bluebell said, “So… so you don’t know?”

“See, toldja,” Zip proclaimed.

“Now, I never said that,” Lyric stated, the familiar twinkle appearing in her eyes. “For, in fact, I do have a story about earth ponies and what makes us so special.”

The foals fell silent and plopped down onto the grass. Even Zip floated to the ground, scooting next to Bluebell. With everypony’s full attention on the bard, Lyric smiled, and she began.

“Once, in a time long past, before Equestria’s founding, before even the pony tribes formed, there were three islands in the middle of the sea. Each island was home to a single kind of pony, with unicorns on the first, pegasi on the second, and those known as earth ponies today on the last.”

“Wait, so we weren’t always called earth ponies?” Bluebell chimed in.

Lyric shook her head. “No, Bluebell. At that time, we were simply ponies. But life was hard for us, for we struggled to grow our crops. Although the ponies back then instinctively knew how to tend to their plants and did all they could to care for them, it was not enough to best the harsh and often unreliable weather. The midday sun would rise high and scorch the tender seedlings, or cool winds and rain would suddenly become monsoons that washed everything away.

“But why didn’t the pegasi help?” Zip asked, raising his hoof.

Lyric turned to face him. “Because, Zip, it was too far for the pegasi to consistently fly back and forth, and they had their own troubles.”

“Like what?”

At this, Lyric gazed upon the colt. “While the pegasi knew plenty about regulating the weather, they were unsure of what their crops needed in order to thrive. All too often, they would over- or underestimate the amount of water needed for their food to grow. Too much rain, and they would flood the soil before the seeds could sprout. Too little, and the soil would dry out while their crops withered. It was a balance they did not yet understand.”

“But what about the unicorns?” another filly named Sparkling Gem, herself a unicorn, cried from the back.

Lyric nodded in response. “Ah, yes, the unicorns.” She grinned. “Before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna took on the task, it was the unicorns who would raise and lower the sun and the moon each day and night. However, it was tiring work. So tiring, in fact, that they had energy for little else. On top of that, their magic had to be reserved for their most important task. With no knowledge of farming and unable to use their magic to grow anything, they resorted to foraging for their meals. Over time, this took its toll.

“As the food of the unicorns depleted, their leader, Scarlet Morning, sent a message to the other two islands, begging for their assistance. The leader of the pegasi, Gale Wind, and the leader of the ponies, Wild Rose, responded by travelling to the unicorns’ island. This was a historic moment, for it was one of the earliest known meetings of the leaders of what would become the three tribes.”

The foals oohed and aahed over this, with Gem asking, “And they gave the unicorns some food?”

“Unfortunately not, Gem,” Lyric said, shaking her head, “for what food did Rose and Gale have to give? But,” she said, holding up a hoof, “they were going to work together to find a solution for all. As their talks progressed, Scarlet dove right into the heart of the matter. ‘We must continue to raise the sun and the moon,’ she told Gale and Rose, ‘but we must also learn how to farm. Can you help us?’ Scarlet asked Rose.

“Rose nodded. ‘We can.’

“‘And we could control the weather for you, but we can’t easily reach your islands,’ Gale told the others. He then looked to Rose as well. ‘We, too, need help to grow our crops, but that would mean that ponies would have to come to our island.’ He scanned the shore that they had gathered on. ‘Do you have any boats that could carry you?’

“‘Or ponies who would be willing?’ Scarlet queried, glaring some at Gale. “‘For as much as we are in need, we cannot ask you to give up your lives for ours.’

“Rose now stood, addressing Scarlet as she said, ‘To your question, yes. I already have ponies willing to offer their aid. But to you, Gale,’ she said, turning to the pegasus, the barest hint of a smile on her face, ‘no, we have no boats.’

“‘Wait a moment,’ Gale said, tapping a hoof to his chin. ‘If you have no boats, then how did you—’

“‘How in the world did you make your way here?’ Scarlet finished for him. ‘We did not transport you with our magic. It is much too far!’

“‘Same with us,’ Gale said, pointing to Rose. ‘We wouldn’t be able to carry you for that long.’

“‘So what did you do?’

“Once Scarlet was silent, Rose grinned. ‘I’m glad you finally asked,’ she told the unicorn. ‘Follow me.’ Without another word, she walked to the water’s edge. Astonished gazes meeting for a moment, Scarlet and Gale glanced back to the retreating pony and hastened to follow.

“At the water’s edge, Rose paused, waiting for her companions. As they approached, she grinned again and touched a hoof to the lapping waves. But instead of sinking in as it should have, the waters churned and a stone rose to meet it. Gale’s and Scarlet’s jaws dropped. ‘What…?’ was all they could ask, marveling as Rose stepped even farther into the sea, a platform wide enough for her to stand on forming beneath her.

“Rose now turned back to her audience and declared, ‘Us ponies have such a deep connection with the earth that we have more than just the ability to grow things. Thanks to our late founder Mason, we’ve actually learned to shape the earth itself.’ Rose leapt to shore, and the platform collapsed back into the waves. She now faced the others and said, ‘It takes a lot of effort, and we don’t do it frivolously. But, when we put our hearts and our minds to it, we’re able to manipulate the earth to suit our needs… Within reason, of course.’ Rose stamped a hoof into the sand. ‘And I know how we can use our ability to help us all.’

“‘Go on,’ Scarlet told her.

“‘We’re listening,’ Gale said.

“Taking a moment to catch her breath, Rose straightened and faced the two. ‘I propose that my ponies split into three groups. Some will travel to Scarlet’s island, some to Gale’s, and the rest will stay on mine. We will then use our abilities to draw our islands together into one land. I have no doubt that it will take a long time to accomplish this, but in the end, we all will benefit. The ponies will help to tend to the crops, the pegasi will keep the weather in check, and the unicorns will continue to raise the sun that’ll help the crops grow. So,’ she asked, glancing between her fellow leaders, ‘what do you say?’

“For a time, Scarlet and Gale were silent. It was a lot for them to take in. Ponies who could move the earth? Until now, it would have seemed a ridiculous notion! And even with the proof before their eyes, could Rose’s ponies really move entire islands? 

“Finally, it was Scarlet who broke the silence. ‘...If my unicorns agree to this plan of yours,’ she said, ‘then I’m for it.’

“As the two mares looked to Gale, he sighed and shook his head. ‘What else can I say?’ he uttered, shrugging his shoulders. ‘It’s crazy, but there’s not much else we can do. I’ll have a talk with my pegasi,’ he told Rose, ‘and if they agree to it, well, then you have my full support.’

“Rose gave a final nod and said, ‘Then I’ll be waiting to hear from you.’ And with that, the three exchanged their farewells and parted ways. Confusion tinged the minds of Gale and Scarlet, but something else was there as well, something they hadn’t felt in a long time—hope.

“Back on her island, Rose laid out the plan to her fellow ponies. Although they agreed that it would be a difficult task, they also agreed that it was an important one, for it would save all of ponykind. And as the days passed, answers soon came to the ponies’ island from Scarlet and Gale. After much debate, the pegasi and the unicorns consented to Rose’s proposal. Furthermore, each would be sending envoys to the other islands in order to aid and learn from each other.”

Here, Lyric smiled. Her small audience stared at her with wide eyes and opened mouths, enraptured. “Now, it took many weeks for the ponies, unicorns and pegasi to all shift from one island to another. But, once they did, it was time to begin their tasks. The pegasi went to work controlling the weather so that the ponies who would still farm could grow their crops. And the unicorns continued to raise and lower the sun and moon each day and night. But the rest of the ponies,” Lyric said, eyes sparkling, “they did what they set out to do. Using their gift, over the course of many, many years, perhaps even many lifetimes, the islands inched ever closer and closer. In this way, the three islands were brought together, forming one land, the one upon which we now stand. In doing so, they created our first nation, one where all of ponykind, for a time, lived in harmony. And those known simply as ponies then became known as earth ponies in honor of this great task they had accomplished.”

The foals all marvelled as Lyric finished her tale, some wildly applauding. However, Bluebell chimed in with, “But, Lyric, how come we can’t move the earth any more? What happened?”

Lyric put a hoof on the filly’s shoulder. “Well, Bluebell, they say that we never really lost our power to move the earth. Rather, we simply forgot. Since the three islands became one continent, we haven’t had as much use for the ability. We turned to farming instead, using our connection with the earth to now grow healthy and hearty crops, though we did gain great strength in order to properly tend to the land.” She gave Bluebell a grin. “But I’ve heard that if there is an earth pony who tried hard enough, who really put her heart and mind to it, she would be able to move the earth once more,” Lyric told the filly, pulling her hoof back and giving Bluebell a wink. In turn, Bluebell looked upon the bard in awe.

“But what about the three tribes?” Gem called again. “Why did they split up?”

“Ah, yes, the three tribes.” Lyric shook her head at that. “It all started with the Grand Summit, when the three races tried to decide how to govern their land. Each felt that their contribution was the greatest, and as such, each felt they had more right to rule than the others. They argued endlessly over who should hold power over whom. And even though the earth ponies had created the land they were now on, the unicorns and pegasi argued that this no longer counted as a contribution.

“‘You may have formed this land,’ they said, ‘but that was a long time ago. What are you doing for us now?’

“‘We grow the very food you eat!’ the earth ponies exclaimed. ‘Without us, you would starve!’

“‘Nonsense,’ the others cried. ‘Unlike our ancestors, we have seen you work. How hard can it really be?’

“Enraged, the earth ponies left the summit. After much deliberation amongst themselves, they became the first to withdraw from the alliance, and so the first to create their own tribe. But of course, once the unicorns and pegasi realized their folly, they demanded food from the earth ponies as payment for their help in growing it. And we all know what that led to a century later.”

The foals were silent once again, absorbing Lyric’s words. Soon, though, Zip’s hoof shot into the air. “But, Lyric,” he cried, “what about the unicorns and the pegasi? Why’d they split? And if earth ponies made Equestria, did they make all the other countries, too? The Crystal Empire and Saddle Arabia and the rest?”

When he finished asking, Lyric said, “All excellent questions, Zip,” as she met the young colt’s gaze. “However, as much as I would love to give you the answers…” Lyric paused, and beamed. “Those are stories for another time.”


THE END