Are Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy hybrids?

[~Master~ Button Mash 2,307]

I got struck with this thought earlier today:

 

Fluttershy is physically a Pegasus, but she has the exceptional earth-tending abilities unique to Earth Ponies.

 

At the same time, Pinkie Pie is physically an Earth Pony, but she seems to have some magical capabilities (shape-shifting, Pinkie Sense, etc) unique to Unicorns.

 

So, in a way, is Fluttershy a Pegasus/Earth hybrid, while Pinkie Pie is an Earth/Unicorn hybrid? They each seem to possess abilities that usually aren't present in their apparent races.

 

Thoughts?

[~Scootaloo 440]

At the same time, Pinkie Pie is physically an Earth Pony, but she seems to have some magical capabilities (shape-shifting, Pinkie Sense, etc) unique to Unicorns.

Pinkie Sense is more of a comical thing it really isn't meant to be looked that deep into. I guess it could count as a magical ability, but I still wouldn't count it due to the fact that the show only uses it in comedy skit type events.

So, in a way, is Fluttershy a Pegasus/Earth hybrid, while Pinkie Pie is an Earth/Unicorn hybrid? They each seem to possess abilities that usually aren't present in their apparent races.

Physically Fluttershy is a pegasus however she does have skills that make her seem similar to an Earth pony. However I don't think there is enough evidence to support that Flutteshy is a hybrid.

 

Fluttershy likes acting and living life more like an Earth pony and avoiding flying (because she never really liked being flying all that much from the start) so this could explain why she seems more like an Earth pony in some aspects.

 

EDIT: I doubt it will get addressed in the show itself however I think given the choice between being a normal Earth pony or being a pegasus Fluttershy might (she just might) choose to be an Earth pony (I say this based on the way she acts).

Edited March 20, 2013 by ~Scootaloo

[Fhaolan 4,483]

Note that Zecora, who as a zebra is effectively an Earth Pony variant, has demonstrated the ability to cast at least limited magic spells without being a unicorn.

 

That's not really relevant to your post, I just thought I'd add that.

 

In any case, yes I have wondered about that possibility of hybridization.

[~Scootaloo 440]

 

In any case, yes I have wondered about that possibility of hybridization.

 

Good point you bring up about Zecora. Though we already have three races (I think that's the proper term) pegasi, unicorns, alicorns, and ponies (regular Earth Ponies) and I personally think if we start doing hybrids (well alicorns are hybrids so excluding them) then it will make things even more complicated.

[Batbrony 16,043]

Can't say for Fluttershy, since we haven't seen her parents (although I doubt it), but we've seen both of Pinkie's parents, and she is most definitely not a hybrid; those two were both Earth ponies (see "Cutie Mark Chronicles" to see them both extensively in her cutie mark flash back).

[kain17 88]

i just wanted to point out the cakes. they are physically earth pony's but they had a pegasus and a unicorn because of ancestors. so hybrids do happen but i don't think that they would gain any special traits from them have both earth pony and unicorn blood.

[poniesforfun 716]

Not sure about that but Fluttershy is physically stronger than she acts. It's apparent when she can bring the smack down when she wants to. And they had her pull the carriage along with Rainbow Dash instead of say Pinkie Pie.

[Betez 1,734]

You raise an excellent point. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out pinkie is a hybrid. However, I think Fluttershy just isn't a very good flyer.

[bladereaper07 42]

No-one can really tell if Fluttershy's a hybrid, since, so far, we haven't seen any parents of hers (or relatives for that matter). I think she just adapted to living like an Earth Pony because of her timidness and tendency to "socialize" with animals. Therefore she preferred the stationery life of living in an Earth-Bound hut full of critters. Causing her wing-power to be slowly be eaten away, being replaced by, uh, Earth Pony muscles? Although the possibility still exists  In fact, I really believe Fluttershy is a hybrid because of these facts. But, m'eh, who knows.

Edited March 20, 2013 by bladereaper07

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

I think that Fluttershy probably has an earth pony as a parent, which is why she prefers the ground. It's also interesting to know that the FiM character was developed from two earth ponies: Posey and Fluttershy.

 

[Pokota 28]

I was going to mention that Pinkie Pie was originally the Pegasus Surprise, and that Fluttershy was originally Posey. 

 

But then someone else already said all of that.

[Harmonic Revelations 8,835]

Actually, Pinkie has a very good explanation for why she has magical abilities. Pinkie is the avatar, master of all four elements that she must use to defeat the Fire Nation.

[Nature's Spell 526]

The real reason, as others have said, is that she is based upon Earth ponies. But the cannon or story reason is that she lacks confidence in her flying abalities and was made fun of so much. It's normal to focus on your strengths too, animals, so that keeps her mostly on the ground too.

[Twilicorn3777 13]

With Pinkie Pie the whole 'Pinkie Sense' is not really much more than comedy, and comedy is just the nature of Pinkie Pie. With Fluttershy, maybe she just wishes she was an earth pony, and tries to act like one.

[VelvetDivan 96]

Note that Zecora, who as a zebra is effectively an Earth Pony variant, has demonstrated the ability to cast at least limited magic spells without being a unicorn.

 

That's not really relevant to your post, I just thought I'd add that.

 

In any case, yes I have wondered about that possibility of hybridization.

 

I don't know...being a zebra, she doesn't necessarily follow any of the 'rules' ponies do.  Twilight explicitly said in Zecora's debut episode 'She's not a pony,' so putting her in any of the categories is probably an exercise in futility.  Outwardly she looks like an earth pony, but like you said, she can perform magic, so it kind of throws the classification system we're used to out the window.

 

As far as hybridization goes, it's hard to say whether the writers have considered it at all.  We know that pegasus and unicorn blood runs in the Cake family, though both Mr. And Mrs. Cake are earth ponies and have never exhibited anything other than typical behavior for their kind (while we were watching.)  Their case does show that the types intermarry, though the confusion Pound and Pumpkin Cake's natures caused suggests that such mingling between types might not happen very often.

[Twinhead B 482]

Hybridization doesn't seem to be something that happens in Equestria (The only exception is Alicornism). Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy are 100% Earth Pony and Pegasus respectively. Fluttershy's connection to nature is an exception to racial norms, and Pinkie Pie's odd abilities seem to be unique to her and are most likely not due to her race.

 

Pony genetics seem to work much like Human genetics, but Hybridization is not something that exists canonically in the show simply for writing simplicity.

 

It's worth mentioning that in Lauren's originally drafts for the two characters, Pinkie Pie was a pegasus, and Fluttershy was originally an Earth Pony named Posey. Their personality quirks (much like Rarity's) were left unchanged when their races were changed (or in Rarity's case, her element).

Edited March 20, 2013 by Twinhead B

[Petitor Y. 7]

Gee...wow, thanks for the explanation table...I don't watch the G1 MLP. I really surprised that Lauren Faust has illustration over the G1 Pony...and surprised you guys pay attention between G1 MLP and this generation...

[RainbowDash1013 11]

Hybrids? Cooooollllllll that would be great if they were! Hybrid ponies are hard to find! Alicorns don't just don't pop up! (Looks at twilight) maybe they do...

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

Gee...wow, thanks for the explanation table...I don't watch the G1 MLP. I really surprised that Lauren Faust has illustration over the G1 Pony...and surprised you guys pay attention between G1 MLP and this generation...

Lol, I'm an old skool My Little Pony fan, so of course I do. XD I always thought that Rainbow Dash was based on Firefly; their personalities are similar.

[Wingnut 6,963]

 

I think that Fluttershy probably has an earth pony as a parent, which is why she prefers the ground. It's also interesting to know that the FiM character was developed from two earth ponies: Posey and Fluttershy.

 

Fluttershy's "heritage" was pointed out in another thread not too long ago.  My headcanon is that Fluttershy's parents are both pegasi but, like anything else, each individual is different.  As bizarre as it sounds to us earth bound humans, Flutters was never terribly interested in flying to begin with.  Having weaker than average wings and acrophobia didn't help matters much.  But her true love in life are the animals and most of them live on the ground.  I thought an earth pony's predisposition was working the land to raise crops and Fluttershy doesn't do that at all.  But if animal care is somewhere in an earth pony's official description, then we really could say she's an earth pony in a pegasus body. 

 

As far as Pinkie Pie goes...if Twilight couldn't figure her out, I'm not even going to strain my brain trying! 

[Nightfall Gaze 3]

A hybrid is half one thing half the other. Fluttershy is all pegasus based on what we've seen. The only true examples of hybrids are the alicorns. The Cake babies are just the result of ancestry of both unicorn and pegasus from 2 earth ponies.

 

I wouldn't skip to drastic conclusions and say Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie are hybrids based on their personalities. We could say Applejack "acts" like a pegasus, but the reality is that any type of pony can have any type of personality or preferences. Spike is a dragon but lives completely like a pony. This has been addressed in 2 episodes already, but he isn't a hybrid.

 

Interesting query, though.

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,091]

As has already been covered in this topic, the two of them probably share a lot of traits with other pony races because they were both originally different pony types, Fluttershy once being an Earth pony and Pinkie once being a Pegasus, although Pinkie does appear to have some unexplainable abilities which one could contribute to magic.

 

Regardless, I'm sure that if they were hybrids, they would get great gas mileage.

[Metaright 76]

Though you make a couple of interesting arguments, I would assert that the race of a pony is not indicative of its talents and mannerisms. Fluttershy being a pegasus does not mean she can't prefer walking over flying and have an uncanny connection to nature. To claim otherwise would pretty much be casting Rainbow Dash as the archetype of pegasi, which is like racism except with ponies.

 

As for Pinkie, I've always just viewed her as an oddity. I've sat down and tried to think of a feasible, in-universe explanation, but the only ones I've come up with are that either she has magical powers somehow (maybe she is attuned to those latent magical abilities that Earth ponies have by Word of God?), or that she's just a fourth wall observer.

[Petitor Y. 7]

Wingnut

"Each individual is different"

 

Yeah, that happen...my mom and that is both a hard worker...but I'm not I love games and doing internet stuff. That's why, I get a lot punishment and almost grounded every day...

[~Scootaloo 440]

As for Pinkie, I've always just viewed her as an oddity. I've sat down and tried to think of a feasible, in-universe explanation, but the only ones I've come up with are that either she has magical powers somehow

 

Well there's a part of your problem. I learned not to long ago that if you try to think of Pinkie Pie in a logical train of thought things simply won't come out the way you want them to.

 

The most logical reasons why Pinkie has all of these wacky ability's (defying physics, teleportation, flying, and more):

 

-Comedic purposes

-Writers inspiration

 

 

 

Edited March 21, 2013 by ~Scootaloo