My Little Pony

[Zixinus]

I have just realized this...

1-Word of Faust is that they reproduce like any other mammal, they just leave out the details of which for obvious reasons
2-The Newborn Unicorns at the ward had horns.

Ouch...

Zor

The horns do not seem to be sharp though. In fact, I think only Luna as Nightmare Moon has a truly "sharp" horn. Celestia herself seem to have a rounded horn and so does Luna. Sweetie Belle's horn is also pretty rounded. So it may not be that bad...

[RogueIce]

I don't doubt that Twilight could use such magic if she wanted to. However, teleporting would work just as well. It might also be that that spell only works on transparent objects, and thickness might play a role as well

This works really well. As a matter of difficulty.

For instance, Pumpkin went through the mesh of a playpen, not a solid wall. Plus she's a tiny filly, not a full-grown pony. Twilight probably could phase through walls, but it would be a lot more effort for her. And why expend that effort when it's likely easier to just teleport?

Kinda like in Sonic Rainboom. She gave Rarity wings (and the ability to walk on clouds) but that single spell took a lot out of her, and apparently had a hard time limit on it if memory serves. Later on she managed to find another spell that simply gave the others the ability to walk on clouds for a time, which was apparently easier as she gave it to AJ, Pinkie and herself. I don't know if there was a time limit on that, but probably.

Besides which, how often does phasing through a wall really come in handy, anyway? It's not like she even uses her teleporting except for when she's trying to chase someone down or something. She seems otherwise perfectly content to just walk from place to place, as well as make use of these things called "doors" they have in Ponyville.

EDIT: Oh, and as for Pound flying and not Scootaloo, I think it's mental. Pound doesn't have to "think" about it, it's just instinctual. Like the earlier babies swimming example.

There's precedent here, too. We all know Fluttershy can be a perfectly strong flyer, she just has to have the proper motivation. Otherwise, it seems her lower confidence and general shyness tend to inhibit her (plus fear outright paralyzing her wings in the worst case). Although, to note some character development, Fluttershy does seem to be flying a bit more often this season, perhaps because she is feeling a bit more confident about herself, at least around her friends.

Anyway, Scoots could have a similar problem. Except in her case of idolizing Rainbow Dash, she's tending to overthink it. Trying to live up to too much too fast, that her poor filly wings can't cope. Or it's in her head and she's not letting herself just be herself and this her "magic" just isn't there. Kinda like the whole Cutie Mark thing. Flying is so important to her and such a big deal that she's keeping herself grounded, kinda. I'm having a tough time putting this into words, but I hope you get my general idea.

Also: Applejack episode next week! Yay! Whoo hoo!

I actually have an idea for what I'd like to see, though admittedly it is incredibly fanfic-y and I doubt it's the direction they'll go (and I'd hardly be disappointed if they didn't). Maybe I'll post it up a bit later.

[lordofchange13]

I actually have an idea for what I'd like to see, though admittedly it is incredibly fanfic-y and I doubt it's the direction they'll go (and I'd hardly be disappointed if they didn't). Maybe I'll post it up a bit later.

Please do.

Has there been any information on if and when we will get a episode based in cloudsdale? Im really interested to see a little bit of Pegasus society, a well as the Griffins and other non-pony sophants.

[Crossroads Inc.]

Ok, as far as "pony genetics' go... We have to consider something.

For thousands of years, the ponies were seerated by 'race'.
The Pegasis Ponies, Unicorn Ponies, and Earth Ponies all lived very sepperate, and as seen in "Hearthwarming Eve' all hated each other.

Now, I don't know about you, but as far as I am concered ponies HAVE to breed true.
Otherwise what happens when a Pegasis pony gives birth to an Earth pony? Or a Unicorn gives birth to a Pegasis?

Sure today it would be raised by loving parents, or at worst put up for adoption.
But thousands of years ago?

We are faced with the idea that if IF This new system is correct, it means that these seperate groups might have given birth to a pony type not their own and...well... I may not want to think about what was done to it.

Untill I see more evidance of one Pony type giving birth to another, my head canon remains unchanged.

[Serafina]

That problem is easily solved via alleles.

If Earthponies, Unicorns and Pegasi didn't interbreed back then, their children could not inherit any alleles from any other pony-race.
It's really like hair colors. If a population doesn't have the genes for blonde hair, no children will inherit them. Only after the population starts to interbreed with another which has the genes for blonde hair, some children might inherit it.

[Crazedwraith]

Anyone got a link to this weeks ep?

[Serafina]

You can find them on EquestriaDaily

[lordofchange13]

Anyone got a link to this weeks ep?

Damn, i knew there was something i forgot to do yesterday.

Is Zecora's suppose to be a whole fourth group or are they some sort of cousin to earth ponies?

[Crossroads Inc.]

From what we have seen of Zecora's "Magic", Earthpony offshoot is most logical.

I wouldn't be surprised if all three versions had different colored offshoots.

[RogueIce]

Haven't seen it mentioned, but Lauren Faust has an FAQ up on her deviantART page. Among other things, she addresses AJ's parents:

Q: Where are Applejack's parents?

To put it bluntly, we just never figured it out. I just liked the feeling of them living with their Granny, but keeping the family dynamic tight and small. To be honest, I would like to simply say that they passed away somehow, but it's just it would have likely been deemed too sad for a kids' show and I don't think it would have ever been approved. There was brief discussion of them being traveling salesponies or explorers, but since we never needed the information in an episode, nothing was ever made official. So it will have to remain a mystery until someone decides to define it.

Strikethrough and italics as originally posted.

So, not a huge surprise there, but at least she kinda goes with AJ's tragic backstory.

She did say that it's likely to have been deemed too sad but not for sure. Maybe Hasbro might give it a chance? Assuming any of the showrunners decide to ask, of course.

[madd0ct0r]

going back to genetics:

there's
earth ponies
zebras
pegasi
unicorns
alicorns

seperate allelles for wings / no wings, horns / no horns and fold zebras in as a skin tone variant?

[Starglider]

I don't know why you'd expect zebras to be interfertile with ponies any more than you'd expect buffalo, dragons or diamond dogs to be. They're probably a completely different species of talking quadruped.

[madd0ct0r]

maybe, but they look more like ponies then pegasi do.

[lordofchange13]

I don't know why you'd expect zebras to be interfertile with ponies any more than you'd expect buffalo, dragons or diamond dogs to be. They're probably a completely different species of talking quadruped.

I have been under the impression that Zebra's and domesticated Horses can be interbred in real life, and produce fertile offspring. That leads me to assume until in show evidence is given that Zebras of MLP can make children with at least earth ponies.

[Skgoa]

Zecora is the only non-pony character who has a cutie mark and lives like a (caricature african) pony.

[Crazedwraith]

I don't know why you'd expect zebras to be interfertile with ponies any more than you'd expect buffalo, dragons or diamond dogs to be. They're probably a completely different species of talking quadruped.

I have been under the impression that Zebra's and domesticated Horses can be interbred in real life, and produce fertile offspring. That leads me to assume until in show evidence is given that Zebras of MLP can make children with at least earth ponies.

Not according to wiki or Whatever's that worth.

Zecora is generally referred to as a Zebra. There's no indication she's related to any race of pony. Apple Bloom also makes a distinction between her and ponies. ("I've heard that from everypony i know. And now ever zebra I know)

I actually have an idea for what I'd like to see, though admittedly it is incredibly fanfic-y and I doubt it's the direction they'll go (and I'd hardly be disappointed if they didn't). Maybe I'll post it up a bit later.

Oooh! ooh! Go on!

In fact lets all share fanwanky episode ideas! After seeing Veggie55's grown up Scootaloo comics on DA I really want to see an episode where Rainbow tries to teach Scoot to fly. Scoot doesn't really pick it up well and becomes dejects and RD reassures her and points out she should just be herself and not try to be RD. RD could point out all the rest of the mane six are her friends and are nothing like her but are nevertheless awesome ponies. So there we go! A scoots episode but with some potential for RD to show off her non-assholey selfcentredside.

[lordofchange13]

Crazedwraith: I don't see anything in the article that says Horses and Zebra's cannot create fertile offspring as a rule, nor any real mention at all. Their is also no indication that Zebra's aren't related to horses, The 2 groups being some kind of cousin race seems far more likely then having a completely different species that looks so similar to earth ponies but have absolutely no relation.

[Crazedwraith]

Second paragraph of the Types section:

A zorse is the offspring of a male zebra and a female horse. This cross is also called a zebrula, zebrule, zebra mule or golden zebra. The rarer reverse pairing is sometimes called a horbra, hebra, zebrinny or zebret. Like most other animal hybrids, the zorse is sterile.[1]

All I'm saying is that MLP's Zebras are no more or less closely related to ponies than they are in real life.

[lordofchange13]

Curse your evidence!

[Revy]

There's also this from Bridle Gossip (my bold):

Twilight: She's a zebra.
Everyone but Twilight: A what!?
Twilight: A zebra, and her stripes aren't a fashion choice Rarity, they're what she was born with.
Rarity: [faints]
Applejack: Born where? I've never seen a pony like that in these parts. Except....her!
Twilight: Well, she's probably not from here. And she's not a pony. My book says that zebras come from a far away land. But I've never seen her in Ponyville. Where does she live?

[lordofchange13]

Still it just seems very weird for to completely different species to inhabit the same world but not be related. This question cannot be fully put to rest in my mind till the show has a least one other Zebra character.

Crazedwraith: though i have always held Wikipedia to be a fairly reliable source of scientific information, I do know for carton that there have been Zorses that were in fact fertile.

[Skgoa]

A zebra is not a pony. News at 11!

[Rossum]

Zebras are related to horses (and ponies) but they are too distant to be fully genetically compatible. I'm sure in the MLP universe the ponies and zebras shared a common ancestry before one group left to a distant land and the two groups evolved (or magically changed) separately. Zecoras "cutie mark" is a simple black and white design unlike many pony cutie marks which are colored pictures of things. So its likely that their common ancestor had some kind of primitive cutie mark and when the groups separated they each evolved their kinds of marks.


Oh, and regarding the twins:

The wikipedia article on mules mentions that the size and strength of a mule depends greatly on the mother. A mule born by a horse is larger than one born by a donkey due to the larger size of the mother. So... it could be that the twins show greater flying or magical abilities because Mrs. Cake is an earth pony.

Like, all ponies have a reserve of magic inside them and while unicorns and pegasai use that magic to cast spells and fly around, earth ponies keep it inside and either use it to stimulate plant growth or just build up their endurance. But pony mothers also use their magic to make their children healthy, so earth pony mothers tend to have stronger children due to a larger magic reserve. Its just that everyone expects earth ponies to be big and strong so when a unicorn or pegasai is born to an earth pony and displays huge magic or flying ability then everyone acts all surprised.

Certainly not something that would get addressed in a childrens show but I'm sure some weird fanfic somewhere might get some use out of it. Even if its set in some horrible violent setting:

Unicorn Supremacist 1: Earth ponies are weak and non-magical, they should be exterminated for their own good!
Unicorn Supremacist 2: But if we kill them all then WE'D have to do all the work.
Pegasai: Yeah, plus pegasai born to earth pony mothers are stronger than those born otherwise and make EXCELLENT WARRIORS!
Unicorn Supremacist 1: ...
Unicorn Supremacist 2: ...
Pegasai: What? My great great great grandfather was Genghis Colt, one doesn't conquer half the known world by being a prude.

[Executor32]

DERPY SPEAKS!

Also, proof that Derpy Hooves is her canon name, and Ditzy Doo must be a different character.

[TronPaul]

DERPY SPEAKS!

Also, proof that Derpy Hooves is her canon name, and Ditzy Doo must be a different character.

Derpy could still be a nickname, but yea the episode had a lot of stuff for bronies. Pinkie's forever alone face then her getting her demon rage on, plus Derpy!