Earth pony magic?

[Addem Up 246]

I have a special bit of headcanon for Earth Ponies. We've been told that magic saturates the land of Equestria; hell, the sun and moon only move because of it. Therefore, all three type of ponies have some sort of magic. 

Unicorns are able to project their magic into the outside world (levitation, transformation, etc.), while Pegasus magic works withing themselves. How else would creatures with such small wings be able to go that fast, let alone walk on clouds?

Earth ponies are odder, though, and I only have a bit of canon to work with here. We've shown that they're good with growing things and machines, as well as being physically strong. I think Earth Pony magic manifests itself inside other objects. It would explain how the earth ponies' construction works as well as it does, would provide a reason for the harvesting capabilities, and overall make my favorite race that much cooler. It would also explain why the Cakes' cakes are so good; they can imbue the things they create with their magic.

 

Thoughts?

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

This thread appears to be discussing MLP:FiM in some way, shape or form. Thus, it has been sentenced to Show Discussion.

 

This is an automatically generated message, by the way.

[ponybuttsgalore 33]

Two words: Pinkie Pie.

 

I could totally see Earth Ponies having some sort of magical power when it comes to the 'body' (creating things, strength, ect.), while unicorns are more attuned with the 'mind'. Where do pegasi lie in this? Maybe somewhere in the middle. Their wings could represent the 'body', while their power and creation of weather patterns is with the 'mind'. I know that each weather-related thing the pegasi create is done manually, without any real magic other than hooves and wind work, but how can one say rainbow juice isn't magical? 

[Doctor XFizzle 8,651]

Unicorns are masters of the mind, pegasi are masters of the spirit, and earth ponies are masters of the body. Or Unicorns = wisdom, pegasi = speed/energy, earth = strength. 

[Dreadmallon 353]

    I've always thought that Pegasi and Earth ponies have hidden magic that affects their surrounding environment. For example, Earth ponies' magic I see as what you said, Addem Up, experts with machinery and farming, while also being stronger than the other races. Pegasi affect the sky and its weather, and Unicorns just have visible magic to cover all other of Equestria's problems .

Edited April 21, 2013 by III New Moon III

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,090]

Earth ponies do seem to be lacking overall in magic when compared to Unicorns and Pegasi, but when you examine the show, it does seem that perhaps their magic manifests itself in how they can impact physical objects. We know they're the only ones who can grow food out of the pony races, so that of course actually is an invaluable skill in of itself. If you think about it, that alone makes them very powerful, since they are the ones who feed everypony else. Of course, growing food isn't a very exciting magic power, but the more one thinks about it, the more its true value comes to light. As for other powers, it's obvious they're the most physically powerful, since they have to be strong to be able to harvest food or construct buildings.

 

And then there's Pinkie Pie, with her weird powers that can't be explained, such as Pinkie Sense. And as was brought up by Addem Up, the way the food tastes is probably also due to some magic baking powers. Or something.

 

Regardless, Earth Pony magic is abundant in the show, but, other than Pinkie Pie, it's relatively downplayed compared to the magic of the Pegasi and really downplayed compared to Unicorn magic.

[King Brony 15]

I think over all earth pony's are overlooked. But I hope people do realize that earth pony's have they own kind of magic. 

 

Aka: pinky pie

[pawz9 7]

I think the earth pony magic is specific to each ponies special talent as such applejack and big mac are better at farming pinkie is good with making people laugh (and parties) and the cakes are good with ... well cakes

[Blue Moon 6,336]

Well, Pinkie Pie has magical powers that relate to making ponies smile, so I guess that Earth Ponies have magic within pertaining to the skills that correspond to them.

[pvbrony 2]

Regarding Pinkie Pie, I have always thought her "offscreen teleportation" was how Earth Pony magic manifests in her.  If you watch carefully, you'll notice that everything she pops out of is earthbound in some way; for example, she has never popped out of the Twinkling Balloon or out of a cloud.  (Her on-screen teleportation appearance in "Secret of My Excess" could be her Earth Pony magic "crossing streams" with Twilight's teleportation spell; Pinkie probably would have popped out of a bookshelf or couch otherwise.)  If you watch carefully, there are a few background Earth Ponies who have also inexplicably popped out from behind objects, though they are few and far between.  (And no, I'm not counting the times she hounded Twilight in "Green Isn't Your Color"; those could have been a "Head Pinkie" manifested by Twilight's conscience, equivalent to Baltar's "Head Six" in Battlestar GINO, which makes it a lot easier to explain how Pinkie appeared in a mirror.)

[BrilliantVenture 334]

there are some certainly interesting opinions/ideas here...but in all honesty, I think the earth ponies are simply that good because...well...they HAVE to be that good to compete...take a small family business for instance...they have to compete with all the big corporations and big names, so they have to try extra hard and make a super quality product...much like applejack's family cider...why is it so good? because they take serious pride in their work and go the extra mile...just like the cake's cakes and such...Not saying the other pegasi and unicorns don't do a similar thing because they do...but the earth pony I believe, has the magic of care, and hard work...that's my opinion/take on the subject!

[FNGRpony 655]

Say,

I've heard the suggestion that earth ponies have the deepest ties with the land.

 

So theoretically earth ponies would make the best druids?  It's a shame they didn't make some kind of nature magic,

separate from Arcane (kinda what twilight practices.)

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,090]

Say,

I've heard the suggestion that earth ponies have the deepest ties with the land.

 

So theoretically earth ponies would make the best druids?  It's a shame they didn't make some kind of nature magic,

separate from Arcane (kinda what twilight practices.)

 

Perhaps. It's implied in "Hearth's Warming Eve" that Unicorns and Pegasi couldn't grow food, so perhaps that's part of their magic. Since Earth Ponies are so well connected with the land, they are the only race that can grow food.

 

Not sure if that's necessarily what they were saying, but I'm guessing so since the Pegasi were so hungry they were eating the hair off of their helmets and the Unicorns were starving and freezing in their castle.

[Frith is Magick 1,471]

So theoretically earth ponies would make the best druids?  It's a shame they didn't make some kind of nature magic, separate from Arcane (kinda what twilight practices.)

Magic doesn't need to be flashy. I think that being in tune with nature, understanding ones craft, and good ol' fashion hard work are all forms of magic. Everything they do is a ritual, every act a spell. Unicorns practice magic, flashy with immediate and often supernatural effects, Pegasi are not much different, but Earth Ponies have magik, a connection with nature. This could explain Earth Pony-Unicorn, tension, one race is in tune with nature while the other violates it.

 

For those of you using Pinkie Pie as an example, she's Pinkie Pie. Physics defying, teleporting, fourth wall breaking Pinkie Pie. Besides, Twilight Sparkle (no novice with magic) even said Pinkie Sense (and one can assume this includes her other antics) makes no sense, and is nothing like magic. The premise is reasonable, but Pinkie isn't the best pony to judge from.

Edited October 13, 2013 by Frith is Magik

[spacestorm 183]

It's like in RPG games, all ponies have mana, some more, some less.
Earth ponies and pegasi just have not enough mana to learn and cast spell. But still they can use magic - like magic of friendship that don't need mana, or all have enough mana to use it. Pegasi flying and cloud walking abilities are some kind of passive magical abilities.
Horns are in a kind of wands or staffs needed to cast spells.

 

In other words, all living being in Equestria have some magical energy/essence, but not all of them can visually (at will) manifest it.

[Scootalove 10,684]

I think Earth pony magic can come from, their own natural strength that develops more when they become older as time goes by.

[FNGRpony 655]

Magic doesn't need to be flashy. I think that being in tune with nature, understanding ones craft, and good ol' fashion hard work are all forms of magic. Everything they do is a ritual, every act a spell. Unicorns practice magic, flashy with immediate and often supernatural effects, Pegasi are not much different, but Earth Ponies have magik, a connection with nature. This could explain Earth Pony-Unicorn, tension, one race is in tune with nature while the other violates it.

 

For those of you using Pinkie Pie as an example, she's Pinkie Pie. Physics defying, teleporting, fourth wall breaking Pinkie Pie. Besides, Twilight Sparkle (no novice with magic) even said Pinkie Sense (and one can assume this includes her other antics) makes no sense, and is nothing like magic. The premise is reasonable, but Pinkie isn't the best pony to judge from.

 

What you mean i'm not gonna get apple jack staring down at the ground over some freshly planted apple seads and go "I'm firing my lazer!"

blast the ground and a tree is gonna sprout up?  cause that would make her 20 percent more cooler lol.

 

Look if only earth ponies can farm, I wanna see unicorns and pegs fail at it.

Even if it's a suddle failure like the cutie crusaders all try and grow something but only apple blooms seeds grow.

Other wise I'd have a hard time imaging twilight with her super book knowledge could out grow your average earth pony crops. 

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,090]

What you mean i'm not gonna get apple jack staring down at the ground over some freshly planted apple seads and go "I'm firing my lazer!"

blast the ground and a tree is gonna sprout up?  cause that would make her 20 percent more cooler lol.

 

Look if only earth ponies can farm, I wanna see unicorns and pegs fail at it.

Even if it's a suddle failure like the cutie crusaders all try and grow something but only apple blooms seeds grow.

Other wise I'd have a hard time imaging twilight with her super book knowledge could out grow your average earth pony crops. 

 

Yes, but if Unicorns and Pegasi could farm, why would they starve back in the days when they were all separate tribes? Now, one could argue that perhaps it's because they thought they were above farming, but come on, if you're starving you're going to have to swallow your pride. Perhaps Unicorns can harness their magic to grow food, but not the unicorns of old. Perhaps they simply weren't powerful enough.

 

Regardless, we've also never seen the Unicorns and Pegasi farm anything. Based on context clues and the fact that they were starving without the food of Earth Ponies in ancient times, means that we can safely assume at this point that they can't grow food.

 

But that's just my opinion.

[FNGRpony 655]

Yes, but if Unicorns and Pegasi could farm, why would they starve back in the days when they were all separate tribes? Now, one could argue that perhaps it's because they thought they were above farming, but come on, if you're starving you're going to have to swallow your pride. Perhaps Unicorns can harness their magic to grow food, but not the unicorns of old. Perhaps they simply weren't powerful enough.

 

Regardless, we've also never seen the Unicorns and Pegasi farm anything. Based on context clues and the fact that they were starving without the food of Earth Ponies in ancient times, means that we can safely assume at this point that they can't grow food.

 

But that's just my opinion.

 

 

why not we already had the main six harvesting apples to help out apple jack.

They writing staff could just as easily show them planting the crop,

and knowing the writing staff

 

not mention anything at all about earth ponies being super farmers.

 

you know in magical mystery cure pinkie ended up with apple jacks cutie mark

 

would the other 4 out right failed entirely? I mean pinkie use to be a farmer.

Edited October 18, 2013 by FNGRpony

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,090]

why not we already had the main six harvesting apples to help out apple jack.

They writing staff could just as easily show them planting the crop,

and knowing the writing staff

 

not mention anything at all about earth ponies being super farmers.

 

you know in magical mystery cure pinkie ended up with apple jacks cutie mark

 

would the other 4 out right failed entirely? I mean pinkie use to be a farmer.

 

Harvesting is not the same thing as growing and tending crops. Any body can pluck an apple off of a tree. Heck, I have plucked fruit off of trees before. But I've never planted, tended, water, and fed a tree or crop from inception to its full grown state before.

 

So I don't think them plucking some apples off of trees counts as being awesome at farming like an Earth Pony is.

 

Pinkie used to be a rock farmer... so I don't know if that counts. But rocks are a part of the Earth, so perhaps farming rocks does count. I dunno, I'm not here to explain everything.

 

As for the point about the writers easily being able to write them planting crops, well yeah. They could've also easily written that Pinkie Pie blew up and destroy Sweet Apple Acres. But they didn't do either of those things, because they wouldn't happen.

 

And just because Pinkie Pie ended up with Applejack's cutie mark doesn't mean she'll be a farmer. Fluttershy is a Pegasi, but she's not very good at weather so she doesn't do it. Just like Rarity is a unicorn but isn't casting awesome spells because her magic is focused in one area rather than Twilight, who is overall just good at magic.

[FNGRpony 655]

Harvesting is not the same thing as growing and tending crops. Any body can pluck an apple off of a tree. Heck, I have plucked fruit off of trees before. But I've never planted, tended, water, and fed a tree or crop from inception to its full grown state before.

 

So I don't think them plucking some apples off of trees counts as being awesome at farming like an Earth Pony is.

 

Pinkie used to be a rock farmer... so I don't know if that counts. But rocks are a part of the Earth, so perhaps farming rocks does count. I dunno, I'm not here to explain everything.

 

As for the point about the writers easily being able to write them planting crops, well yeah. They could've also easily written that Pinkie Pie blew up and destroy Sweet Apple Acres. But they didn't do either of those things, because they wouldn't happen.

 

And just because Pinkie Pie ended up with Applejack's cutie mark doesn't mean she'll be a farmer. Fluttershy is a Pegasi, but she's not very good at weather so she doesn't do it. Just like Rarity is a unicorn but isn't casting awesome spells because her magic is focused in one area rather than Twilight, who is overall just good at magic.

 

 

Yes i know can pull off a damn apple (LOL).  I have this mental image of rainbow dash getting stuck in the tree after she fails to pull an apple down with a demotivational fail sticker at the bottom of the pictures "silly peg, farming for earth ponies."

 

At what point is the farmer exactly earth pony only?

 

Planting the seed?  Fertilizing it?.......

Okay i just remembered something from Lauren faust.....

I should shut up and go away now.

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,090]

Yes i know can pull off a damn apple (LOL).  I have this mental image of rainbow dash getting stuck in the tree after she fails to pull an apple down with a demotivational fail sticker at the bottom of the pictures "silly peg, farming for earth ponies."

 

At what point is the farmer exactly earth pony only?

 

Planting the seed?  Fertilizing it?.......

Okay i just remembered something from Lauren faust.....

I should shut up and go away now.

 

Okay, then I guess this discussion got cut short...

 

But I could totally freaking see a Rainbow Dash demotivational poster saying that!

[Static Electricity 729]

They got nothing.

 

No, I'm serious, the whole "special connection with the earth" is a glorified version of "they know how to farm". The Unicorn elite use it so they can stay on top.

Edited October 18, 2013 by Static Electricity

[PROJECT: Simon 3,953]

In the Twilight's kingdom episode, you can see that Tirek is absorbing "magic" from Pinkie pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy.

 

But do Earth ponies even have magic? Tirek is getting his power from other ponies "magic" but I thought Earth ponies weren't magic. I just don't understand

[GenderIsAnIllusion 2,177]

They derive their strength from magics, much in the same way Pegasai are allowed to walk on and shape clouds with their magic.