Are Earth Ponies just Useless compared to Unicorns and Pegasi?

[Nylon 158]

Like they can't fly, they don't have magic, they carry stuff with there mouths regardless to what it is be it dirty or hot. Are they just completely crippled compared to the other races? Like what's there redeeming value?

[Sugarcup 198]

They are usually faster and stronger

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,274]

Not only are Earth ponies usually more adept in anything physical, but they also have a special connection to the soil itself. Being able to make a lot of the food that the ponies have, that is pretty powerful to me. 

[Akari of Duskshire 581]

If the unicorns are lost, things are less convenient.  If the pegasi are lost, the weather becomes like that of the Everfree Forest.  If the earth ponies are lost, the whole country starves and dies.

[Castle Bleck 19,166]

On 12/13/2015 at 7:06 PM, Akari of Duskshire said:

If the unicorns are lost, things are less convenient.  If the pegasi are lost, the weather becomes like that of the Everfree Forest.  If the earth ponies are lost, the whole country starves and dies.

You, sir, just earned yourself the following:

Edited February 14, 2019 by A.V.

[PacificGreen 1,163]

The whole "connection to nature" and physical strength thing is just one of the reasons why I love Earth ponies.

[Castle Bleck 19,166]

On 12/13/2015 at 7:45 PM, PGNatsu said:

The whole "connection to nature" and physical strength thing is just one of the reasons why I love Earth ponies.

If you've played Legends Of Equestria, then you'll love them even more: http://legendsofequestria.wikia.com/wiki/Earth_pony

Edited February 14, 2019 by A.V.

[BeCalmFlutterOn 140]

Meh pretty much Earth Ponies supply basically all of the food that everyone eats are physically stronger and seem to have some sort of connection to the soil which is pretty useful if you think about it so I wouldnt say their "useless"

[Phosphorous 135]

Earth Ponies (besides Pinkie Pie) are on average more hardworking and mentally sane.

[cider float 2,535]

Their population have more diverse talents. Pegasus are usually weather control or something flight related, Unicorns are usually uptight nobles or magic users. Without earth ponies they would all go extinct somewhat. Earth ponies in general seem to be athletic somewhat not necessarily in physical strength like how Granny Smith is an expert diver, Peachbottom is as fast as Rainbow Dash on hoof, how well coordinated the farmer ponies are with handling bales of hay with their hooves, tail etc. and how handy Apple Bloom is with tools

Edited December 14, 2015 by cider float

[Quinch 1,119]

Sure, if you don't like to eat.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

The problem with the whole "only earth ponies can grow food" thing is that it is quite literally bunk.

Other species in this world survive perfectly fine and don't starve to death; Zebras exist in a far off land and live quite well, diamond dogs and other species of intelligent beings live quite well, Sea ponies and Hippocampus live quite well...

So Clearly other species can grow plants and crops just fine, thank you very much earth ponies. Hell, There's some deer in the comics with REAL connections to nature that make earth ponies look hilariously stupid to make the claim of being connected to nature, when the deer are the very caretakers of nature in their land and can ACTUALLY make plants grow as they wish with magical concoctions.

So, anyways, since other species can survive without the earth ponies without starving to death, the only way for Earth ponies to be required 100% by the other 2 species is if plants just flat out refused, as some sort of specialized racism against pegasi and unicorns, to be grown by those two SPECIFIC races. Which seems utterly proposterous.

 

Earth ponies aren't needed to grow crops, its just the other two species don't WANT to grow crops so they leave it to the earth ponies since Unicorns and pegasi have much better things to do with their magic. Its like having a guy with a college degree and someone without a college degree and saying that the college degree people never working at McDonalds means they're utterly incapable of cooking food. No, it just means they have skills that are better used in other fields. Same principal, just with earth ponies not being in poverty.

 

 They serve a sociological purpose, but compared to the other two, they don't have any super niche magic and are much less flexible. They're the equivilent of muggles in a book about wizards. Sure the muggles can be useful, but are they 100% equal in ability to swing a plot? very rarely, and when they are its usually because the villains hold the idiot ball.

 

They've tried to kind of BS it a bit lately with saying they have extra endurance and strength, but apart from Maud and pinkie, which is more rule of funny than anything, earth ponies aren't really shown to have noticeable super strength. Most notably, they are able to show having super strength for jokes but never when it would actually serve a purpose in a plot to defeat a villain or solve a problem (Such as for example whenever in a fight against changelings or against the bulls in the comic AJ was never shown to be extra strong and was trounced absurdly easily by the bull flicking his hoof for example)

 

[Mentis Soliloquy 3,024]

tell pinkie pie that she be useless considering she can teleport.

 

 

 

anyway i have done a video on a similar subject about Earth pony magic (it's an older vid so quality is not my best)

 

 

 

view it if you wish

 

Otherwise Earth ponies can do perform various abilities that neither Pegasi or Unicorns can such as generally greater strength and endurance.

[Bendy 1,819]

The other ponies would starve without them. They hold a monopoly on growing food. They are also much more physically stronger than the other ponies. They also may have better inventors when it comes to technological ingenuity, since they lack all that fancy magic and wings.

 

 

They are also the most 'human' than any other pony race. They might not have magic or wings, but the Earth Pony could build a suit of power armor with a big gun and a sword for close range combat. Who needs magic?

Edited December 15, 2015 by Bendy

[cider float 2,535]

The problem with the whole "only earth ponies can grow food" thing is that it is quite literally bunk.

 

Other species in this world survive perfectly fine and don't starve to death; Zebras exist in a far off land and live quite well, diamond dogs and other species of intelligent beings live quite well, Sea ponies and Hippocampus live quite well...

 

So Clearly other species can grow plants and crops just fine, thank you very much earth ponies. Hell, There's some deer in the comics with REAL connections to nature that make earth ponies look hilariously stupid to make the claim of being connected to nature, when the deer are the very caretakers of nature in their land and can ACTUALLY make plants grow as they wish with magical concoctions.

So, anyways, since other species can survive without the earth ponies without starving to death, the only way for Earth ponies to be required 100% by the other 2 species is if plants just flat out refused, as some sort of specialized racism against pegasi and unicorns, to be grown by those two SPECIFIC races. Which seems utterly proposterous.

 

Earth ponies aren't needed to grow crops, its just the other two species don't WANT to grow crops so they leave it to the earth ponies since Unicorns and pegasi have much better things to do with their magic. Its like having a guy with a college degree and someone without a college degree and saying that the college degree people never working at McDonalds means they're utterly incapable of cooking food. No, it just means they have skills that are better used in other fields. Same principal, just with earth ponies not being in poverty.

 

 They serve a sociological purpose, but compared to the other two, they don't have any super niche magic and are much less flexible. They're the equivilent of muggles in a book about wizards. Sure the muggles can be useful, but are they 100% equal in ability to swing a plot? very rarely, and when they are its usually because the villains hold the idiot ball.

 

They've tried to kind of BS it a bit lately with saying they have extra endurance and strength, but apart from Maud and pinkie, which is more rule of funny than anything, earth ponies aren't really shown to have noticeable super strength. Most notably, they are able to show having super strength for jokes but never when it would actually serve a purpose in a plot to defeat a villain or solve a problem (Such as for example whenever in a fight against changelings or against the bulls in the comic AJ was never shown to be extra strong and was trounced absurdly easily by the bull flicking his hoof for example)

 

Not sure about how zebras live but they are pretty much earth ponies since they have yet to show they have flying or magic capabilities. 

 

And the diamond dogs live in a cave. They're not really that civilized. All species can live off the land but they don't necessarily live in a civilization with organized agriculture.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

Not sure about how zebras live but they are pretty much earth ponies since they have yet to show they have flying or magic capabilities. 

 

And the diamond dogs live in a cave. They're not really that civilized. All species can live off the land but they don't necessarily live in a civilization with organized agriculture.

We've seen civilized diamond dogs though.

[PinkiePie97 913]

They're not useless. They have work just as important as that of pegasi and unicorns. Like the Apples. Their farm provides ponies with a lot of food.

[PinkieAwesome 65]

Um how about no? They are the best race

[Malinter 3,064]

 

 

 

Gz... now all you have to do its get a unicorn to constantly cast that every crop in Equestria forever... oh wait, they can't because most unicorns an only master 5 spells and aren't Sunset Shimmer or Twilight Sparkle XD

[simba86 1,541]

considering earth ponies seem to grow all the food they are not useless

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

The cartoon doesn't care enough about these issues to really give any validation to this kind of thing. None of the races seem to be that important starting with the fact that other countries don't seem to bother with any of that.

[Black Sabbath 2,484]

Hell, There's some deer in the comics with REAL connections to nature that make earth ponies look hilariously stupid to make the claim of being connected to nature, when the deer are the very caretakers of nature in their land and can ACTUALLY make plants grow as they wish with magical concoctions.

Interesting, what episode did you say they were from again? Oh right, they only appear in the comics thus meaning that they aren't canon.  

[Emerald Heart 24,560]

Like they can't fly, they don't have magic, they carry stuff with there mouths regardless to what it is be it dirty or hot. Are they just completely crippled compared to the other races? Like what's there redeeming value?

Keep in mind that many other characters have carried stuff in their mouths before. Also I would most definitely not call them 'crippled' as they have their own individual strengths. Earth Ponies seem very strong compared to other races. They tend to the soil & help the food grow. Think of it this way: without them all of Equestria would starve. Of course, I'm not saying that all Earth Ponies have the same 'strengths' Some Earth Ponies have nothing to do with farming and such. Yet they are still helpful in their own way. I in fact believe they are the best race.

[Rethajni 1,993]

i think unicorns are the useless, they only learn magic and most of the time thet don't give anything to a comunity, pegasus bring the weather and earth ponies make the food, unicorns used to have an important role lifting the moon and the sun but when Celestia came (heh heh get it? ) she took that job for them, being an alicorn making the rest of the race praticaly useless, they remind me of the burgess class that think that life is hard enough and they should live with the work of the others

[cmarston1 5,951]

I don't know.

They are the least interesting, but I wouldn't completely say that they are useless.