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Does anyone else want to see earth ponies throwing fireballs?


KillerKingBakudan

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No, I'm not joking. The fight between Twilight and Tirek was arguably one big reference to DBZ, only those two were fighting each other with magic.

 

When you look at DBZ, Fist of the North Star, Street Fighter and other stuff with a martial arts theme, all those giant fireballs you see are just energy derived from the earth, or "chi"/"ki" as any practitioner from Asia would call it. Obviously, we can't throw fireballs in real life, but people can still use chi to give their strikes a stronger impact, and the method used for channeling it is more or less the same.

Fireballs can be a thing for earth ponies because it's all-natural. Everyone says that they're the least interesting of the three pony races, but it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. Given that martial arts certainly exist in MLP, I see no reason for earth ponies not to take advantage of something like this. They would understand it much better than the pegasi and the unicorns, which means they don't have to take shit from any pony. 


Applejack's known for having strong hoofs, but who wouldn't want to see her do something like this?

 



Or hell, even this?

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I'd prefer Earth Ponies being more of Earthbenders, as examples: creating earthquakes, hurling boulders, manipulating dust and producing shockwaves just by clapping their hoofs.

 

  

Wouldn't Earthbending technically fit them much better?

 

It's in their name, for Celestia's sake!

  

 

Maybe, but they'd need to come up with a damned good explanation for how earthbending works without making it look like magic. Kamehamehas and hadoukens, while fictional, are exaggerations of the energy that actually exists in all life forms. That can't be said about a technique that can manipulate matter without touching it.

 

Could make earth ponies a bit more interesting.

Outside of that it could be interesting I guess.

But I don't know if it would fit with the show's tone and whatever.

The tone kind of already got shot to hell with Twilight fighting Tirek.

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Something like what Poe did in Kung FU Panda 2 with the cannon balls comes to mind but I don't really think such a thing would fit in the show. They could potentially launch flaming projectiles with their hind legs like Applejack has done with apples and rocks.  

 

Earth ponies can't fly and they can't use telekinesis, but they can lift buildings and smash huge boulders into dust. What more can you ask of them?

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Something like what Poe did in Kung FU Panda 2 with the cannon balls comes to mind but I don't really think such a thing would fit in the show. They could potentially launch flaming projectiles with their hind legs like Applejack has done with apples and rocks.  

 

Earth ponies can't fly and they can't use telekinesis, but they can lift buildings and smash huge boulders into dust. What more can you ask of them?

Fireballs shouldn't be more out of place in the show than pegasi using their speed to create giant tornadoes or rainbow-colored nuclear explosions.

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While I DO think it'd be neat to see more powerful earth pony magic, I don't think Fireballs are the way to go.


Rather, they should be focused on what earth ponies powers are related to, the earth, plantlife and nature. For example, in the comics there are a race of deer who are able (with potions) to cause plantlife to sprout and control it. That would have been a good thing for earth ponies to have had as a power for high level ones, with some sort of clue that they're doing it like their hooves glowing, maybe even the caveat that they can only perform their magic while touching the ground.
The issue at this point is that its been so long in series and Earth ponies have been shown So much to be basically powerless (Relatively as far as magic goes) that introducing earth ponies with this type of ability would seem hard to swallow without them using a magical artifact, which would somewhat invalidate the point of giving them that power level in the first place (Starlight didn't need an artifact to do all her stuff, neither did sunset, ect.

 

 

 

 

 

For the pegasi side of things, I think more powerful weather control abilities like what Dash is able to do as zapp seemed logical. The issue at that point of course is that Zapp in the show was explicitly only able to do her abilities due to a magical necklace, and having pegasi exhibit that level of weather magic would seem very striking compared to how the "Best" Pegasi we've seen so far are the wonderbolts, and they're pretty low on the totem pole for being able to do weather control.

 

 

But pegasi creating frost/hail out of the air's moisture or being able to generate stormclouds/lightning on command would be cool, just I Don't think we can expect it.

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(edited)

The issue at this point is that its been so long in series and Earth ponies have been shown So much to be basically powerless (Relatively as far as magic goes) that introducing earth ponies with this type of ability would seem hard to swallow without them using a magical artifact, which would somewhat invalidate the point of giving them that power level in the first place (Starlight didn't need an artifact to do all her stuff, neither did sunset, ect.

Pinkie's able to break the fourth wall and pull reality-warping feats without magic. I don't think introducing an earth pony that throws fireballs, or rather making the act itself a skill that any earth pony can learn, would be that big a stretch. I'm not saying they should all be like Saiyans and have the capability to destroy entire planets, but chi manipulation should definitely be something they can accomplish given the environment they all live in. Equestria is ecologically superior to our world in almost every way because of its magic, and that would suggest its natural life force is amplified considerably for earth ponies to tap into.

 

In fact, Maud already seems to have some of this knowledge down. How else could she jump so high and smash a boulder to pieces before it could crush Pinkie? You can say it's just "earth pony magic", but the only ones in real life who could do anything remotely similar with their bare hands are martial artists. 

 

 

You can't do this without chi, and chi is anything but magic. There has to at least be a handful of grandmaster ponies who could do this on a regular basis. The only difference with a fireball is it's meant to be used from a distance. I'd think a place that's as beaming with life as Equestria would make such a feat possible, especially for earth ponies. If any race should have the energy capacity to do it, it's them. 

 

But if you wanted to write an episode around this concept that made it seem more plausible (although I think a more appropriate term would be "practical"), there are other things a fireball could be used for other than fighting. For one, if Applejack wanted to farm more efficiently, she could throw a fireball to clear more land and turn the wood ash into natural fertilizer all at once. If a dinner party in Canterlot is planned, but there's not enough time to heat up all the desserts with conventional ovens, she could just throw a fireball and BAM, all the pies are baked and ready to go. Applejack would kill to learn a technique like this. 

Edited by Lord-Pomegranate
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To be frank MLP ponies develop their talents to suit their jobs not to use it for combative purposes. If you think Twilight developed her magic spells to be a good fighter you're wrong because Twilight's magic was a result of her just wanting to know more about magic, she never went around looking for a fight.

 

Applejack's stamina and speed was a result of her job not because she was training to be the greatest fighter. Rainbow Dash is probably the only one that specifically trained to fight since she has a black belt in karate.

 

MLP ponies were never about fighting to begin with. And even if they were earth ponies shooting fireballs from their hooves is kind of silly and sounds like an attempt to ponificate Street Fighter or Dragon Ball Z.

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(edited)

To be frank MLP ponies develop their talents to suit their jobs not to use it for combative purposes. If you think Twilight developed her magic spells to be a good fighter you're wrong because Twilight's magic was a result of her just wanting to know more about magic, she never went around looking for a fight.

 

Applejack's stamina and speed was a result of her job not because she was training to be the greatest fighter. Rainbow Dash is probably the only one that specifically trained to fight since she has a black belt in karate.

 

MLP ponies were never about fighting to begin with. And even if they were earth ponies shooting fireballs from their hooves is kind of silly and sounds like an attempt to ponificate Street Fighter or Dragon Ball Z.

Well, you can blame the writers for making combat a part of the FIM universe. Celestia has an army, and certain ponies like Rainbow Dash and Rarity appear to exhibit a certain level of know-how in melee fighting, which shouldn't even be possible due to their anatomy.

 

But the point I'm making wasn't that all the ponies are fighters. Far from it. I don't know where you got that from, and I didn't mention Twilight at all beyond the Season 4 finale.

 

What I'm saying is if they're gonna establish human martial arts as a thing in MLP, they should go all out and give the earth ponies something to further differentiate them from the other races without making them look, well….. unappealing. Whenever the question about which of the three races people would most rather be is raised, earth ponies get spat on 90% of the time.

 

If they could make chi manipulation an option for earth ponies, much like any of Twilight's spells are for unicorns, then that could create lots of new possibilities for interesting stories. They don't HAVE to train themselves to throw fireballs like you think I'm suggesting. But if nothing else, they could still apply that knowledge to their own line of work, and use it to improve other areas of their personal life if they really wanted to such as health, self-confidence, etc. Maybe then this fan perception of them being less special than pegasi and unicorns would stop altogether.

Edited by Lord-Pomegranate
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Well, you can blame the writers for making combat a part of the FIM universe. Celestia has an army, and certain ponies like Rainbow Dash and Rarity appear to exhibit a certain level of know-how in melee fighting, which shouldn't even be possible due to their anatomy.

 

But the point I'm making wasn't that all the ponies are fighters. Far from it. I don't know where you got that from, and I didn't mention Twilight at all beyond the Season 4 finale.

 

What I'm saying is if they're gonna establish human martial arts as a thing in MLP, they should go all out and give the earth ponies something to further differentiate them from the other races without making them look, well….. unappealing. Whenever the question about which of the three races people would most rather be is raised, earth ponies get spat on 90% of the time.

 

If they could make chi manipulation an option for earth ponies, much like any of Twilight's spells are for unicorns, then that could create lots of new possibilities for interesting stories. They don't HAVE to train themselves to throw fireballs. But if nothing else, they could still apply that knowledge to their own line of work, their health, self-confidence, etc. And this fan perception of them being less special than pegasi and unicorns would stop altogether.

Using magic to fire some kind of fireball influenced by a hadoken or kamehameha which are abilities primarily designed to blast an enemy away says fighter all over it.

 

I do agree RD knows how to fight as well as Rarity but got to mention that World War scene was more or less canon only in the sense that the timeline is altered and they didn't get their cutie marks on that one fateful day. So any fighting ability they've shown on that scene is not relative to the current timeline. Like Pinkie Pie would be able to break rocks on that timeline but Pinkie can't do on the current timeline since she just cowered against that boulder, wasn't a rock miner and Maud saved her. Pinkie didn't even have the strength to lift a spout either when she had Applejack's cutie mark.

 

Thinking earth ponies are less interesting than pegasus and unicorns is only because you're thinking them in a combat role. The show isn't about fighting once again.

Edited by cider float
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(edited)

Using magic to fire some kind of fireball influenced by a hadoken or kamehameha which are abilities primarily designed to blast an enemy away says fighter all over it.

 

I do agree RD knows how to fight as well as Rarity but got to mention that World War scene was more or less canon only in the sense that the timeline is altered and they didn't get their cutie marks on that one fateful day. So any fighting ability they've shown on that scene is not relative to the current timeline. Like Pinkie Pie would be able to break rocks on that timeline but Pinkie can't do on the current timeline since she just cowered against that boulder, wasn't a rock miner and Maud saved her. Pinkie didn't even have the strength to lift a spout either when she had Applejack's cutie mark.

 

Thinking earth ponies are less interesting than pegasus and unicorns is only because you're thinking them in a combat role. The show isn't about fighting once again.

For starters, martial arts isn't just used for fighting. It's also a lifestyle. Robert Downey Jr. is not a fighter. He's an actor. Yet he studied wing chun, and it helped him get over his drug addiction and improve his well-being over all. He's turned himself around in ways most people can't with years of psycho-therapy. It doesn't take away from the fact he can kick your ass if you cross him the wrong way. But still, that doesn't make him a fighter.

 

Secondly, the ponies' jobs are immaterial. Rainbow Dash and Rarity don't have an earth pony's strength or the profession to match, but they know karate because they had the freedom to study it. Just as other ponies do. Their life choices are not bound by what they do for a living. I fail to see how the prospect of an earth pony training in karate, and potentially learning to throw a fireball, is such a problem. It wouldn't define Applejack or Pinkie anymore than it does Rainbow Dash; that is to say, not at all.

 

Third, Pinkie couldn't do anything about that boulder because her hoof got stuck, so that's not a good argument. Applejack had the same problem in Spike at Your Service.

 

Lastly, this isn't about giving ponies "combat roles". It's about exploring their connection to the land by giving them something else to do. Is the show about baking just because Pinkie happens to be good at it? No. And popular opinion regarding the pony races has nothing to do with who's good at fighting in MLP and who isn't, nor did I ever claim it did. It's about what the ponies can do, period.

 

People just aren't fascinated with earth ponies. I'll let the evidence speak for itself. 

 

post-30713-0-88739800-1448969430_thumb.png

 

 

There are several ways you can make earth ponies more interesting for fans. I'm merely proposing one. Yeah, MLP isn't a show about fighting, but it still has fighting in it. You should be used to that by now. If you don't want to see fireball throwing in MLP, despite Twilight's fight with Tirek playing out like a DBZ-knockoff, fine. We'll just agree to disagree.

Edited by Lord-Pomegranate
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For starters, martial arts isn't just used for fighting. It's also a lifestyle. Robert Downey Jr. is not a fighter. He's an actor. Yet he studied wing chun, and it helped him get over his drug addiction and improve his well-being over all. He's turned himself around in ways most people can't with years of psycho-therapy. It doesn't take away from the fact he can kick your ass if you cross him the wrong way. But still, that doesn't make him a fighter.

 

Secondly, the ponies' jobs are immaterial. Rainbow Dash and Rarity don't have an earth pony's strength or the profession to match, but they know karate because they had the freedom to study it. Just as other ponies do. Their life choices are not bound by what they do for a living. I fail to see how the prospect of an earth pony training in karate, and potentially learning to throw a fireball, is such a problem. It wouldn't define Applejack or Pinkie anymore than it does Rainbow Dash; that is to say, not at all.

 

Third, Pinkie couldn't do anything about that boulder because her hoof got stuck, so that's not a good argument. Applejack had the same problem in Spike at Your Service.

 

Lastly, this isn't about giving ponies "combat roles". It's about exploring their connection to the land by giving them something else to do. Is the show about baking just because Pinkie happens to be good at it? No. And popular opinion regarding the pony races has nothing to do with who's good at fighting in MLP and who isn't, nor did I ever claim it did. It's about what the ponies can do, period.

 

People just aren't fascinated with earth ponies. I'll let the evidence speak for itself. 

 

sig-4245393.attachicon.gifScreen Shot 2015-12-01 at 3.24.27 AM.png

 

 

There are several ways you can make earth ponies more interesting for fans. I'm merely proposing one. Yeah, MLP isn't a show about fighting, but it still has fighting in it. You should be used to that by now. If you don't want to see fireball throwing in MLP, despite Twilight's fight with Tirek playing out like a DBZ-knockoff, fine. We'll just agree to disagree.

Everything you said had nothing to do with what I was even talking about. The entire premise of throwing one's fireball from your hands in all pop culture is from the combative nature of martial arts. And any time martial arts is projected in TV or movies it's mostly focused on the fighting portion of it, the way of life part is only emphasized in the training aspect. Robert Downey Jr. was talking as an actor on Wing Chun and that is irrelevant to a movie that is all about showing what people really care about. And I highly doubt Robert Downey Jr. was throwing fireballs to learn how to be an actor or any at all. He would be focusing on the conditioning and state of mind not on the combative part of it.

 

Pinkie's hind leg was stuck not her upper legs which she could still break... her strength is actually pretty weak she couldn't even push that spout up so if anything your attempt to counter that argument was weak. I have to repeat that the Pinkie Pie you saw was from an alternate timeline, one that didn't get her party cutie mark and ended up being a rock miner so she eventually got as strong as Maud Pie on that timeline. The fact that you still hang onto that that is an alternate timeline is baffling.

 

I mean if you want to watch a show that is about fighting, there are lot of other options out there, try One Piece or Naruto.

Edited by cider float
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(edited)

Earth ponies are the third most popular according to that poll, so I fail to see your point.

 

 

They're the least popular of the main three races. The others just seem to be there for reasons.

 

Everything you said had nothing to do with what I was even talking about. The entire premise of throwing one's fireball from your hands in all pop culture is from the combative nature of martial arts. And any time martial arts is projected in TV or movies it's mostly focused on the fighting portion of it, the way of life part is only emphasized in the training aspect. Robert Downey Jr. was talking as an actor on Wing Chun and that is irrelevant to a movie that is all about showing what people really care about. And I highly doubt Robert Downey Jr. was throwing fireballs to learn how to be an actor or any at all. He would be focusing on the conditioning and state of mind not on the combative part of it.

 

Pinkie's hind leg was stuck not her upper legs which she could still break... her strength is actually pretty weak she couldn't even push that spout up so if anything your attempt to counter that argument was weak. I have to repeat that the Pinkie Pie you saw was from an alternate timeline, one that didn't get her party cutie mark and ended up being a rock miner so she eventually got as strong as Maud Pie on that timeline. The fact that you still hang onto that that is an alternate timeline is baffling.

 

I mean if you want to watch a show that is about fighting, there are lot of other options out there, try One Piece or Naruto.

I don't know if you realize this, but Pinkie's strong enough to push heavier things than a spout. She's lifted entire boulders before. Did you not see what she did when the mane six were looking for Starlight's village? If anything, her strength got jacked somehow when she got the wrong cutie mark. And even if it was her hind leg that got stuck, you can't break anything if you don't assume the right form. You have to put your whole body into it, not just your front limbs. If anything is hindering your movement, especially on a surface that's unstable like a giant pile of rocks, you're going to have problems.

 

At the end of the day, learning martial arts is just a choice, which two of the mane six had already done. No, you don't need to learn it to do whatever you do for a living, and why you feel the need to keep bringing that up that is beyond me. Fireballs in fiction are always used for combat, but who says they have to be? That's like saying a comic book character's powers shouldn't be used for anything but combat, since that's what they're always using them for.

Edited by Lord-Pomegranate
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And your point is...? It's still the third most popular, they even beat alicorns for heavens sake.

Yes, the alicorns that are considered OP. Of course they're gonna get beat.

 

Being the third most popular means nothing if you only get eight people that care about them.

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