What would Equestria be like without Unicorns?

[Tao 9,033]

Me and friend had a talk about how different the My little Pony world might be without unicorns.  Like if the sun and moon would rise naturally without the Sisters?  Would Earth Ponies have a form of their own magic and would magic act differently?  So many questions but what do you think?

[Stardust Balance 7,740]

Better. Much better my friend. Earth Ponies are the rightful rulers of Equestria! Bow down to our whim inferior beings! 

[Fractured 2,684]

Me and friend had a talk about how different the My little Pony world might be without unicorns.  Like if the sun and moon would rise naturally without the Sisters?  Would Earth Ponies have a form of their own magic and would magic act differently?  So many questions but what do you think?

Unicorns are Equestria's primarily responsible for creating Equestria's arts and sciences, such as potions making, fashion design music, magical theories, etc. They also seem to be the scholars (picture Twilight and Starswirl), so i'd imagine it'd be very hard to live in a world without them.

Edited May 4, 2015 by Corona de Adamas

[P-Jay 1,987]

there's zebra magic, does that count as unicorn magic? probably not. anyways...

 

 

zebras could make potions, they've proven they're better at it. and if unicorns were gone, and the sun/moon rose by themselves, then there would be no scientists, but remember apple bloom. she could make potions, therefore, it doesn't have to be unicorns who are scholars.   so, all in all, unicorns are useful, but not needed.

[Fractured 2,684]

there's zebra magic, does that count as unicorn magic? probably not. anyways...

 

 

zebras could make potions, they've proven they're better at it. and if unicorns were gone, and the sun/moon rose by themselves, then there would be no scientists, but remember apple bloom. she could make potions, therefore, it doesn't have to be unicorns who are scholars.   so, all in all, unicorns are useful, but not needed.

Not necessarily. As I mentioned above, unicorns specialize in both arts and sciences. Whereas an Earth Pony can (and occasionally do) replicate unicorn work, it's not something that's common. Most of your artists and scientists are going to be unicorns, just like most pegasi are going to do something weather related.

[P-Jay 1,987]

Not necessarily. As I mentioned above, unicorns specialize in both arts and sciences. Whereas an Earth Pony can (and occasionally do) replicate unicorn work, it's not something that's common. Most of your artists and scientists are going to be unicorns, just like most pegasi are going to do something weather related.

so, the worlds dark and gloomy without unicorns, but they still dont need unicorns.

[Fractured 2,684]

so, the worlds dark and gloomy without unicorns, but they still dont need unicorns.

Not necessarily. If the unicorns are primarily the ones supporting the arts, they'd also be the ones primarily responsible for generating Equestria's internal (per city) and external (country wide) economy, while the other two races mainly preserve what's inside. If the unicorns are primarily responsible for being scholars (which seems to be what places like Celestia's school for gifted unicorns promotes and produces), then they're also the ones that are gathering and generating information, advancing Equestria's knowledge while they do so.

 

Basically, Earth Ponies and pegasi "hold" Equestria, while unicorns dictate where it goes.

[pony.colin 156]

Not necessarily. If the unicorns are primarily the ones supporting the arts, they'd also be the ones primarily responsible for generating Equestria's internal (per city) and external (country wide) economy, while the other two races mainly preserve what's inside. If the unicorns are primarily responsible for being scholars (which seems to be what places like Celestia's school for gifted unicorns promotes and produces), then they're also the ones that are gathering and generating information, advancing Equestria's knowledge while they do so.

 

Basically, Earth Ponies and pegasi "hold" Equestria, while unicorns dictate where it goes.

 

So are we going with the route that unicorn magical arts and personal pedigree have advanced Equestrian society to what it is currently, and that their contributions are the most influential for dictating cultural direction?  And if unicorns had not existed in the Equestrian history?  What would we have had then?  (Hmm, actually, if Clover the Clever didn't exist, well that might have spelled the end of two warring tribes if unicorns didn't exist).  Plunging in to great catastrophe.

[The Awesome One 1,316]

Then they would be like humans. They would advance in the field of science and make electronics like what we have today and then soon, teleportation devices and modern weaponry like what we humans have. Maybe even do space travel.

[Fractured 2,684]

So are we going with the route that unicorn magical arts and personal pedigree have advanced Equestrian society to what it is currently, and that their contributions are the most influential for dictating cultural direction?

Yes, and without them, ponies would not only lack a culture, they'd lack most of their general understanding, magical or otherwise. That's very dangerous in a world where everything wants to eat you; worse in a world with political neighbors who may want to attack you, like Griffonia.

[RarityFan01 2,444]

Unfabulous. Rarity is a unicorn. Enough said. 

 

Though Earth Ponies should be the supreme rulers. 

[pony.colin 156]

Yes, and without them, ponies would not only lack a culture, they'd lack most of their general understanding, magical or otherwise. That's very dangerous in a world where everything wants to eat you; worse in a world with political neighbors who may want to attack you, like Griffonia.

 

They would have developed a culture on their own without unicorns.  Assuming that the two other remaining tribes survived the windigos, they would have developed a culture, that was simply different from the direction that the unicorns have influenced up until now.  Maybe it could've been a more agrarian focused culture, or a heavily mechanical invested culture, or even still developing a potion making discipline.   Curiosity would have been bloomed eventually and research and enlightenment would have happened, just in a different direction, or possibly even in some similar fashion with what unicorns would have thought.  This is just speculation, not like we have an alternative timeline to work with where we can evaluate this what if scenario.   Has there a been a griffon pony war? I might have missed that.

[Fractured 2,684]

They would have developed a culture on their own without unicorns.  Assuming that the two other remaining tribes survived the windigos, they would have developed a culture, that was simply different from the direction that the unicorns have influenced up until now.  Maybe it could've been a more agrarian focused culture, or a heavily mechanical invested culture, or even still developing a potion making discipline.   Curiosity would have been bloomed eventually and research and enlightenment would have happened, just in a different direction, or possibly even in some similar fashion with what unicorns would have thought.  This is just speculation, not like we have an alternative timeline to work with where we can evaluate this what if scenario. 

Fair enough on that point, though this doesn't take away from any importance that unicorns currently have.

 

Has there a been a griffon pony war? I might have missed that.

A skirmish over border rights between ponies and griffins occurred in The Journal of the Two Sisters, and there was hinted to have been more before Celestia and Luna came to power.

[pony.colin 156]

 

A skirmish over border rights between ponies and griffins occurred in The Journal of the Two Sisters, and there was hinted to have been more before Celestia and Luna came to power.

 

Oh that's in the other books.  I was asking about show canon for the sake of consistency.  There have been things to call in dispute that has been depicted in the comics that would seem inconsistent with the rest of the show.   Not saying its wrong, but it doesn't help if it gets mentioned in one of the side comics or novels because they can exist in their own canon at times.  I would only stay with the show for its own consistency sake, but I don't mind it entirely for cross-reference, if it doesn't end up conflicting much.

[Tao 9,033]

Wow you ponies have had some good convos and post on the manner!

[pony.colin 156]

Yes, and without them, ponies would not only lack a culture, they'd lack most of their general understanding, magical or otherwise. That's very dangerous in a world where everything wants to eat you; worse in a world with political neighbors who may want to attack you, like Griffonia.

 

Actually, something to append to my earlier reply because I thought of this too narrowly.  I just realized how top-down of a view that was to suggest that unicorns are the only ones who are shaping Equestrian culture.  It lacks the finesse to observe other cultural aspects about pony society that are developing, evolving and changing without completely relying on the direction that the unicorn magical arts and knowledge are going. 

 

What about the culture of weather making?  This one is really born out of the culture of pegasi who have literally made weather making - a discipline craft and artform. I doubt they paid attention to it initially (As pegasi started out as a military-like tribe), but later developed into fine-tuning weather into a graceful and disciplined artform.  The creation and movement to using industrialized machinery to hoof-produce individual snowflakes and rainbows as evidence by cloudsdale didn't happen in a vacuum.  Also, what about the influence of direction of sports? Especially in regards to how flying sports are managed and how they've also changed since the days of Hearth's Warming Eve's era.  Development of the Equestrian games, wonderbolts academy, etc.

 

Looking at Ponyville's winter wrap-up - this is still a traditional  event, but practiced without the usage of magic to complete it.  Its emphasis, like probably some sort of earth pony proverb, is based on labour and hoof to complete.  But we could also talk about how new towns are settled by pioneering settler  earth ponies.  At least I'd like to think, the reason Appleloosa was ever founded was because it found rich fertile soil to plant the large acres of apple trees (and didn't realize the land was also inhabited by buffalo tribes as well).  Its seeing the direction of how new towns are settled, what types of traditional customs are developed in these new settlements and such.  From wraping up winter to rodeo shows, it might suggest that small-town earth ponies are attached to strong ties of community and traditionalism (and of course, tending to the land), but that doesn't mean they don't enter other areas of occupation.  

 

 

The point is that culturally, unicorns are not the only ones influencing culture.  It's just viewed that they dictate high culture, which doesn't mean - total dominant culture.   There are other aspects of pony culture that are being developed and changed across Equestria.  A top down view fails to examine the more intricate parts of a culture from below and agency of other groups of ponies to act in their own ways that also affect pony society.  

 

Hmm, one could also look at the changes of rural and urban development in Equestria to examine more intricate cultural differences between the two as well, as it leads to a bunch of questions and things to discover (assuming if it ever gets more established.)

Edited May 5, 2015 by pony.colin

[Firedog 321]

Not necessarily. As I mentioned above, unicorns specialize in both arts and sciences. Whereas an Earth Pony can (and occasionally do) replicate unicorn work, it's not something that's common. Most of your artists and scientists are going to be unicorns, just like most pegasi are going to do something weather related.

That would make an interesting episode if they did one where a earth pony wanted to be a weather pony. I can see it happening.

[Pastel 7,630]

I don't think there would be much difference. Don't forget that 99% of unicorns only know 2 or 3 spells, essentially what they need for their job.

And I don't think there are many jobs unicorns can do, while the other 2 can't.

[JonasDarkmane 19,790]

If the sun and moon rose on their own, I don't things would be much different :T. Unicorns don't exactly contribute much to the control of nature. Pegasi control the weather while Earth Ponies tend to the land. The only thing I can really think of Unicorns doing would be battling magical creatures, but even pegasi and earth ponies could do that. 

[Firedog 321]

Well actually Celestia and Luna are alicorns not unicorns : d so, they could still raise the sun and moon without unicorns 

Edited May 6, 2015 by Firedog