Pegasi are physically stronger than Earth Ponies

[ManaMinori 4,145]

Why, you ask? Well, just watching a few reruns of some episodes, in Fallweather friends, Dash has beaten a strong Earth Pony like AJ in a game of hoof wrestling, and in the Best Young Flyer's competition, she was able to carry not only Rarity, but three other mares (the unconscious Wonderbolts) on her own strength, and when she returned to the clouds, it took two Pegasi to hold onto Rarity and prevent her from falling again. So is Dash OP for a pegasus, or do all pegasi exhibit such insane strength that can put an Earth pony- said to be the physically strongest of the three races- to shame?

[caramba2654 602]

I have no idea. Maybe pegasi are stronger than earth ponies, but only in their wings.

[Orablanco Account 3,707]

I think Rainbow being able to carry all those ponies was a temporary side effect of the Sonic Rainboom (it's like the invincibility star from Super Mario), and you have to keep in mind that she's one of the most athletic ponies around, even amongst pegasi.

[ScaleWrangler 122]

I have no idea. Maybe pegasi are stronger than earth ponies, but only in their wings.

 This seems right, and also that rainbow might be a little OP due to her being incredibly athletic.

 

But i dont think strength is the defining characteristic of earth ponies anyway, i think its more about their ingenuity and their ability to adapt to pretty much anything

[ggg-2 3,553]

3 mares? since when is soarin a girl?

[CheeryFox 23,822]

Probably not. And RD is just a powerhouse. 

[ManaMinori 4,145]

3 mares? since when is soarin a girl?

sorry. Three mares and a stallion.

[Old Fluttershy 349]

Don't worry I forget that RD is a mare a lot.

And I'd have to agree that the sonic rainboom could have helped her in that situation. As for the hoof wrestling I really am surprised that AJ lost that one. Since in The Mysterious Mare Do Well RD admits that AJ is stronger than she is.

[Shift 4,272]

Rainbow Dash is incredibly athletic, even for a pegasus, and Applejack really only works with her hind legs to applebuck.

 

So it's probably just a dash thing.

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,091]

Remember that when Rainbow Dash went against Applejack, it was shown that Rainbow Dash's front legs are stronger, but that Applejack has far stronger back legs than her. Just thought I'd point that out.

 

Rainbow Dash is a very athletic Pegasus and that probably explains why she's so strong overall. Remember that Big Mac straight up dragged a house behind him before, so I would just say that both Earth Ponies and Pegasus Ponies probably are both very strong in different ways but that both have a potential to be incredibly strong if they try.

[Miles 2,512]

Since in The Mysterious Mare Do Well RD admits that AJ is stronger than she is.

 

Nice reference!  

 

We also know that Applejack is heavier than RD, which directly relates to potential power output (or rather, force)...

 

 

 

 

 

 

But, I'm probably not going to add much more to this thread.  I once was in a similar thread and things kinda got out of hand, so take this for what it's worth  ...

[Old Fluttershy 349]

 

Nice reference!

Whenever one of these types of threads appears people always seem to forget about that part.

Pegasi can fly and unicorns have magic. So we had to give the earth ponies something special and that is their amazing strength.

[PinkieAwesome 65]

I dont think they are..also well its rainbow dash..the most athletic one..others? Not so much

[WriteCodes46 178]

In The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, it was actually shown that Rainbow Dash was unable to stop a carriage barreling down a hill with her combined leg and wing strenght, while Applejack (or Pinkie Pie, but most likely the former) was able to do so with just her legs. This actually suggests that Earth Ponies have more power in their legs alone than Pegasuses have in their legs and wings combined.

[sweetolebob18 728]

Remember, in Luna Eclpsed, they tried to push Fluttershy out the door & couldn't + they way she wrestled a bear in Lesson Zero   I agree Earth Ponies are stronger but all Pegasi are stronger than you might think.

Edited December 14, 2015 by sweetolebob18

[AlbaTross 1,586]

I've never seen a Pegasus pull a house, and RD couldn't throw a rock as far as Maud, so I'm still going to say that Earth Ponies are stronger as they've had some ridiculous moments in terms of strength that I have yet to see a Pegasus match.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

Earth ponies being super strong is a desperate Retcon by the writers to try and make the earth ponies seem less inferior to the other races since "can grow a plant" in a completely mundane way isn't really very impressive.

As such, since its not something they had in mind when they originally made the series (They obviously weren't thinking they'd get adults as a fanbase who'd be asking questions about the races being equal to each other and whatnot) its not something shown in the first couple seasons and very difficult for them to impliment in later seasons without seeming like its just appearing out of left field.

 

This is why it tends to be used most often for humor and never as a serious thing discussed or used by characters.

(this is one reason I find flim flam philosophy's shooting down of earth pony magic so hilarious XD)

[Izanagi 176]

Earth ponies are stronger, although i ouldn't count Dash is a normal pegasus. I have an oc, whos a batpony, who, during night time. his strength and speed do increase. although during the day he's as strong as a normal pegasi can get. which i do think could rival an earth.

[Buck Testa 5,505]

Pegasi on a whole have some pretty impressive feats under their belt, among them being able to bench 1000 pounds with their wings. They are pretty powerful, and most earth ponies pale in comparison to their physical feats. 

 

Key word being most

 

Because there are Earth Ponies, especially the Pies, whom are extremely powerful. Maud alone displayed feats formidable enough to take on battalions, including charging a massive boulder with enough kenetic energy to cause a magical mushroom cloud and a shock wave strong enough for significant property damage, and Pinkie has enough feats under her belt to make her extremely op, not to mention she has the potential to be just as physically formidable as Maud. 

 

So while I think your average pegasi could outpace your average earth pony, The more formidable earth ponies are more than a match for Pegasi like Rainbow Dash. Lets not forget Pinkie effortlessly kept pace with Rainbow Dash before, and Dash is clearly far weaker than Maud. 

[Superstars111 79]

*Ahem* I think we're all forgetting about someone very relevant to this conversation.

While I don't tend to be a fan of Bulk Biceps as a character, he does show that pegusi can be very strong.

In general, however, I do tend to think of earth ponies as being stronger.

It was mentioned earlier that AJ works mainly with her rear legs. While this may be true to some extent, horses tend to have stronger rear legs in general, and while bucking apples would only use those muscles, farm work in general would even things out. Pegusi, on the other hand, would tend to use mainly their wings, and would need to stay light and flexible to be effective fliers. Bulk Biceps is shown to have very small wings, possibly having a condition similar or identical to Scootaloo's. It could be that he worked on his muscles to compensate for his wings. It's also even possible, in my mind, that he could have a lot of earth pony blood in him.

I think that AJ lost the arm wrestling match because of a bad position, or a cramp, or something like that which I use to cover up writer error. XD

Think on this. Unicorns aren't thought of as strong or athletic. They need brainpower. But then we could look at Doctor Whooves (who, I think Slice of Life confirmed, is rather intelligent). But the question is, /why/ aren't they strong? Is weakness in their genes? I'm sure that's part of it, but I think it's more about what they focus on.

Now, think on this. A gymnast or a ballerina must be strong, but in a different way than a bodybuilder or furniture mover. Which is stronger? Ask a furniture mover to stand on pointe. Can he do it? As a ballerina to move a couch up a flight of stairs. Can she do it? Similarly, the earth ponies and the pegusi are built in different ways. But bear in mind, of course, that genetics build in ranges. There are upper and lower limits. No matter how little you exercise, you can't weaken beyond a certain point, and no matter how much, you can't become stronger than your genetics allow. But it's perfectly reasonable to assume that these limits would overlap and be flexible. They're all equines, after all.

[Kivil 1,721]

Even if the pegasi were wouldn't that just break the triangle of friendship between the races?

 

Unicorns have magic and are slightly stronger than pegasi but not as strong as earth ponies

Pegasi have wings and are the weakest in the running for leg strength, but are the fastest of all the races (They have to have semi light bones for flying)

Earth ponies are the strongest of the three and they can be faster than pegasi if they run fast enough 

[Sunny Fox 5,952]

Pegasus flight and Earth pony strength are all actually just different forms of magic, as confirmed in Twilight's Kingdom. So which species is "physically stronger" is a moot point.

[PinkieAwesome 65]

I dont see anything inferior with a race that doesnt need magic or wings to get things done.

 

Omgz unicorn can do magic and pegasus can fly ok so what?

 

So?

Edited December 29, 2015 by Yanks1987

[PiratePony 8,476]

Bulk Biceps can't be used as an example for Pegasi. You know he and Iron Will admitted to steroid use during that big Equestria Wrestling Federation scandal in 1994. 

[cmarston1 5,959]

Well I guess that leaves earth ponies with nothing special if that is the case.

Even if it was stated in Twilight's Kingdom they had strength/endurance magic or something.