Re: Free and Open Debates on the Nature of Ponykind

**Flying Dice** Sun Nov 20, 2011 11:41 am

But if they were only used against them, why would they not have expressly negative implications? Tanks are only 'cool' if you've had them on your side, which is to say, not shooting at you.

Completely unrelated, but the banner ad is one of those stupid 'games', with a girl in a tank top bent over a table while arm wrestling with the severed limb of the Governator, apparently. The movements in the animation suggest something very different when you only notice it in your peripheral vision.

Laughing

**Sean Mirrsen** Sun Nov 20, 2011 11:58 am

Not necessarily. I mean, an awe-inspiring unstoppable machine of destruction is pretty cool even if it's being unstoppable against your own forces. Imagine yourself as an infantryman in a modern army that suddenly has to fight unrealistically effective 50-foot-tall armored battlemechs that completely decimate the opposition at normal engagement ranges. You will fear and hate them insofar as they are an enemy unit - but they will be awe-inspiring and awesome machines irregardless.

**Dsarker** Sun Nov 20, 2011 1:22 pm

Tanks could be merely the only term they use for carrying capacity, ala a water tank.

**Sean Mirrsen** Sun Nov 20, 2011 1:40 pm

Why is a water tank unstoppable? I mean it works at least as far as a "tank engine" can be stretched, but it's still pretty clear what kind of tank is implied.

Zangi Sun Nov 20, 2011 5:23 pm

As young ponies, they've probably never experienced war, never been on the receiving end of the tank. Its also been long enough that sort of stuff is not talked about in too negative a tone. That could explain why they(RD) think its so cool. Like that jive ~~hipster~~Rainbow Dash lingo.

**Slag** Sun Nov 20, 2011 7:35 pm

If you want to get really deep in thought:

The term 'tank' as they're concerned came from a state of war where Equestria found itself unprepared to defend itself. Literal water tanks were planted in the ground and used as frames with concrete poured over them, making rapidly buildable but strong permanent bunkers. They were called 'tank bunkers,' and military lingo got them shortened to 'tanks,' which ended up spreading through vernacular as a general term for things that are really tough.

**Flying Dice** Mon Nov 21, 2011 9:25 pm

I'm going to propose that ponies are capable of holding things with their hooves because their hooves are not, in fact, made of a hard substance like terran ponies and horses, but are actually soft, covered in hundreds of thousands of near-microscopic tentacles lined with high-strength suction cups.

Kaijyuu Mon Nov 21, 2011 9:32 pm

Magnetic horseshoes.

Alternatively, magic.

**Slag** Mon Nov 21, 2011 9:37 pm

I think their entire skin structure is rather hard, considering they can audibly make a 'clop' noise when they pat themselves (evidence: Lesson Zero, when Twilight's talking to Rarity about her missing ribbon) and the fact that Fluttershy is apparently able to hold birds of prey on her bare forelegs without the claws penetrating her skin.

I still hold to my theory that the ponies' hooves are flexible enough to grip something by compressing it between the bulb and pastern.

Zangi Mon Nov 21, 2011 9:43 pm

Putting your hoof on others would have a whole new meaning of creepy if it is made of thousands of micro-tentacle suction cups... but I guess it would be normal for ponies...

My current theory: All ponies have limited magnetic telekinesis around their front hooves? Its unconsciously done by all ponies, so they wouldn't have much problems engaging and disengaging objects...

**Slag** Mon Nov 21, 2011 9:45 pm

Considering the presence of magic of some kind in every single race of ponies, that would actually make sense. It wouldn't necessarily have to be magnetic either, they could probably pick up anything they wanted.

Zangi Mon Nov 21, 2011 10:01 pm

Well, I was using magnetic as a catch-all term of picking everything and anything up, couldn't really think of any other word that would fit.

Unless all craftsponyship has metal or gems added to it...

**Slag** Mon Nov 21, 2011 10:06 pm

Telekinesis would be a perfectly fine term. It basically translates to 'moving shit from a distance.' Although technically, it's not 'at a distance,' but at the same time it's not being held by any other method.

**Sean Mirrsen** Mon Nov 21, 2011 10:23 pm

Considering that even a few humans possess this trait (or pretend to possess it), having ponies manifest latent telekinetic power through contact would be a very logical explanation. It still makes much more sense for them to use actual grasps for using items though, especially considering that this power is likely very passive and can't be voluntarily controlled. It also explains why Earth ponies are able to do so much with just their own four hooves - having no other outlet for latent magic power, this telekinetic effect is likely stronger than in other pony races, giving them the equivalent of super-strength.

**MC Dirty** Mon Nov 21, 2011 10:56 pm

Sean Mirrsen wrote:Considering that even a few humans possess this trait (or pretend to possess it), having ponies manifest latent telekinetic power through contact would be a very logical explanation. It still makes much more sense for them to use actual grasps for using items though, especially considering that this power is likely very passive and can't be voluntarily controlled. It also explains why Earth ponies are able to do so much with just their own four hooves - having no other outlet for latent magic power, this telekinetic effect is likely stronger than in other pony races, giving them the equivalent of super-strength.

That makes so much sense, it's almost scary! Most ponies are about equally magical (with the exception of special ones like alicorns and Twilight Sparkle), but they just have different outlets and levels of proficiency of this magic power.

**Flying Dice** Tue Nov 22, 2011 1:11 am

But my tentacle-ponies... Free and Open Debates on the Nature of Ponykind - Page 2 1010948761

Heh.

Zangi Tue Nov 22, 2011 3:10 am

Your feely touchy tentacle ponies cannot be. Until you somehow make it... make more sense then the 'limited' telekinesis.

Well, I'd wager the telekinesis thing is unconsciously controlled. Like breathing. Not something you learn, just something you know how to do.
But, that is probably crackpot pony science.

Armok Tue Nov 22, 2011 12:53 pm

Oh, but you can still get tentacle ponies: Remember nightmare moons hair?

**Sean Mirrsen** Tue Nov 22, 2011 1:09 pm

This is relevant:

drilltooth Sun Nov 27, 2011 6:38 am

my personal canon: earth pony magic tends towards divination, that which isn't subconciously expressed though their body movements. (one kick will dislodge all the fruit from a tree, stuff like taht.) pegasai are attuned to air- and weather- related phenomena, and can extend their telekinetic feilds behind them. (see: fluttershy's cart, the mailvan, royal chariots.) Unicorns, have the most diverse range of magical abilites.

Each subrace's flavor of magic is different enough from the others to border on incomprehensible. (feeling pinkie keen)

**MC Dirty** Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:47 pm

Ah, that actually makes a lot of sense.

However, I wouldn't put the Pinkie Sense anywhere close to "normal" magic. It's been shown that Pinkie Pie is the only pony who has that ability, so it's most likely just Pinkie being Pinkie.

**Slag** Sun Nov 27, 2011 6:11 pm

Pinkie seems to have almost traded the normal benefits of being an earth pony (the ability to use magic within the body, increasing strength and stamina, as well as the improved ability to directly interact with other people's and objects' life forces) to take up an abnormal set of skills (bending local physics and space to her will, precognitive sense expressed through physical movement).

**MC Dirty** Sun Nov 27, 2011 6:20 pm

Slag wrote:Pinkie seems to have almost traded the normal benefits of being an earth pony (the ability to use magic within the body, increasing strength and stamina, as well as the improved ability to directly interact with other people's and objects' life forces) to take up an abnormal set of skills (bending local physics and space to her will, precognitive sense expressed through physical movement).

I wouldn't be so sure about that. True, we haven't seen her display abnormal strength or stamina, but then again, the only earth ponies we've seen display that are Applejack and the stallions that cleared the fields from snow in Winter Wrap Up. Not to mention Pinkie saving the construction workers in the most recent episode where she obviously displays strength, stamina and speed.
I'm also not sure what you mean by "the improved ability to directly interact with other people's and objects' life forces".

**Slag** Sun Nov 27, 2011 6:37 pm

Earth ponies have been canonically stated to have 'a special connection with nature and animals,' and considering that earth ponies seem to be the only ponies who actually grow anything, they probably have the ability to magically increase the general health of the plants they grow. Their physical ability could easily be interpreted as them using magic in a supplementary manner. Since they can affect plants in a similar manner, it would seem that they can extend their life-supplementing magic to plants. Ergo, they could likely do the same with animals and possibly ponies.

Kind of a flimsy argument, it uses a lot of induction, but it at least makes sense.

drilltooth Mon Nov 28, 2011 2:49 am

would aslo explain why all the nurses are earth ponies.

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