There's an Earth Pony way, but no Pegasi way? · 4:47am Jul 6th, 2014
Let's talk about the culture a little. You ever notice how there's an "Earth Pony Way," there's an implied "Unicorn Way," but we've never heard of a "Pegasus Way?"
In Winter Wrap Up, the ponies are wrapping up winter using the "Earth Pony Way," but they allow pegasi to help in ways that only pegasi can, namely clearing out the clouds and bringing home the birds.
So... what does this mean? Is it that pegasi don't have their own way of things? Is it that what we've been mislabeling "Practiced Magic" versus "Innate Magic," and calling them the "Earth Pony Way" and the "Unicorn (or normal) Way?"
What do you guys think? Please, give me your most baseless theories. I need them. Traditional tentacle hentai just doesn't give me the same sexual thrill as a hot anthropological circle jerk.
simple.
Equestria is racist.
2261499
Pretty much. The unicorns hate the pegasi, the pegasi hate the Earth ponies, the earth ponies hate the unicorns, and everybody casts stones at those fucking crystal ponies.
But seriously, why is it that Pegasi have had their race pride erased? There's nothing left of their militaristic heritage, whereas the earth ponies and unicorns still have remnants of their pasts. I mean, the unicorns are still conscious about class. Earth ponies are still the drivers of agriculture, and by loose extension, technological innovation.
But the pegasi... there's nothing militaristic about them anymore. They pay no special attention to rank, or to orderliness... Whatever they used to have, it's been long since taken away from them.
2261522 The Unicorn elitists reduced the Pegasi to mere weather controllers. Without their military heritage, it ensured the unicorns wouldn't have to fear the skies in the event of a civil war. I headcanon that Unicorn magic can have limited control over weather, which means the Unicorns have ensured that the only thing the Pegasi have over Unicorns can still be defended against by the Unicorns.
2261531 So the unicorns either squashed the pegasi's culture entirely or took the two other "lesser races" and merged them into one subservient culture. Earth ponies were already under the thumbs of both pegasi and unicorns, so I can't imagine it being too much trouble for the unicorns to encourage pegasi to do things the "earth pony way."
They probably obliterated pegasi contributions in history. Pegasi might have been refused jobs if they didn't choose approved professions.
2261554 headcanon accepted
2261555 You accepted your own headcanon? Well, admittedly, that's what I'd do.
2261566
I made most of that up on the spot. I was just accepting what I made up.
Possibly, it's since the pegasi usually live in the clouds there's just not a lot of work for them to do when spring comes around. No getting rid of snow, no getting animals out of their burrows. So, most likely the pegasi just never bothered to make a way.
So pegasi living in Ponyville would just do things that Equestria can't seem to do itself. Like clearing clouds and other weather related stuff.
EDIT: I apologize for any typos, I'm using my phone.
EDIT2: Got to my computer and fixed a few things.
2261568 To tell the truth, I mostly make things up on the spot as well. And then I defend it like hell, even though I'm not emotionally invested in the headcanon at all. Like the one where I argued that ponies are cute because they co-evolved with human protectors. I made that theory up because I wanted to post a piece of artwork that had a weapon toting human next to a crouching Fluttershy.
2261569 It kinda sounds like you're arguing that, when it comes to changing seasons, pegasi don't have a "Pegasus Way" because their ancestors wouldn't realistically be changing much about their cloud territory. But, the way I see it, pegasi of the past would be doing this bizarre thing where they willingly destroy their own territory (bust the blanket of clouds) to change winter into spring.
I can't imagine them doing this unless they're in cooperation with another race. But... that doesn't necessarily mean they were the most peaceable, most generous of the races. What the pegasi do... It's almost like their way of doing things evolved out of banditry. They steal water from lakes and either sell it to or trade it with Earth Ponies who've promised crops in return.
Maybe they were bandits after the fall of their military state.
2261591
That would make sense, but it wouldn't be of much use in a place like Ponyville.
Well... when you're basically above the area where it rains as well as being in area where water can't properly collect, you kind of have to start stealing water or you're going to be in some trouble.
Possible anarchy after the wendigoes came? It makes sense.
2261597
It wouldn't? Also, do you mean towns like Ponyville in distant past when the 3 tribes were feuding? Or do you mean modern towns?
Hmmm... I can see the pegasi wanting to steal enough water for themselves, and eventually they start making a habit of stealing enough to give water to whatever Earth Pony encampments promise to give them the most food. I can also see the Earth Ponies who're benefiting agriculturally from their partnership with the Pegasi might also use the Pegasi to wage war against other Earth Pony clans. Asking the pegasi to deny rain to other clan's fields, or blocking out the sun, or increasing summer drought, or causing fog on a battlefield...
2261624
In modern towns, yes. Which is what I thought we were talking about. And still in old towns, the way you described it as just breaking up their homes. But even then, only a few of their abilities would be suited for town like Ponyville.
Pegasi seem to be specialized for warfare, if you think about it. They can stand on clouds, fly higher than most threats can reach, at least accurately, can move supplies like water by moving the clouds, weaponise lightning so on and so on. However, canon Equestria doesn't seem to have much warfare, so the pegasi would have had to do something else. And honestly, out of all that, cloud moving seems to be the most use to a town like Ponyville.
And I'm sure that just like gangs, they wouldn't be unified. They'd have other gangs that are protecting the rival clan. Which would bring the attacking pegasi gang into conflict with the defending pegasi gang.
So pegasi would just be ancient mafias.
2261634
Oh, oops. I was talking about pre-unity, the time where I think Equestria's current culture originated. Sometime before the events of Hearths Warming Eve, but after cave-pony days. If Hearths Warming Eve represents the Dark ages, then the time period I'm talking about is the Bronze Age.
There are few things more logical and delicious than the above statement. Earth ponies would try to settle fertile lands. Unicorns would fight for the same fertile lands, but also try to take lands that are rich in gem deposits, which seem to be foothills. Pegasi, whose cloud-towns are mobile and whose lands would be taken, would be nomads. While on their clouds, Pegasi are pretty much safe from pony raiding parties, but they can't grow their own crops. Mountains have poor soil. Can't really be worked with, and that's even assuming that winged ponies could properly deal with the cold temperatures and lack of flat land for crop beds.
So, you have a race that can move faster than the others, are nomadic by nature, can't feed themselves independent of the other ground dwelling races, and as long as they're walking on top of the clouds, raiding parties can remain hidden. They may also have sore feelings about being forced off of ground-based territories.
//EDIT:
I cleaned up that one shockingly poorly written sentence.
2261660
So the pegasi and Earth ponies have a common enemy to unite them.
I'm sorry?
So... perhaps the reason why pegasi don't have a pegasi way is because they've always, up to the point of the wendigoes, had an alliance with the Earth ponies which, since cloud cities don't seem to need a lot of maintenance, the pegasus ability to manipulate clouds and weather just became part of the Earth pony way because they would help the Earth ponies in cleaning up. Otherwise, the pegasi would lose food.
2261669
Either these two races would unite against the unicorns (which might be the case, as there is no "Pegasus Specific Way" of changing the seasons, meanwhile the "Earth Pony Way" has been shown to rely on pegasi) or, the pegasi would have 2 land-grabbing groups to deal with.
I meant to say: "Mountains have poor soil. And that might not be a winged pony farmer's only problem as cold temperatures and lack of flat land makes it a bitch to grow crops." I'm sorry, what you got the first time around was a patchwork of 3 or 4 sentences that cobbled together into 1 dysfunctional one. I swear to god, it looked full and complete when I first posted.
Actually, I was saying that they became warriors because they couldn't become farmers. There's still a chance that the reason pegasi don't show any remnants of their old militaristic culture is because they were defeated in some way. Unicorns may have forced pegasi to be absorbed into the Earth Pony culture as second class citizens.
2261687
And I'm also agreeing with that in a different way, according to Canon, the pegasi do appear to be militaristic pre-unification. But perhaps their pegasi way, discounting military tradition, in cleaning up simply never existed.
However, I wouldn't say their military is completely gone. They do have the wonderbolts, which while they appear to be more of a stunt team, also seem to fall under military power. As well as quite a few pegasus RGs. So, perhaps the military culture has just been... tamed.
2261693
You're right. I hadn't thought about the Wonderbolts. Maybe their militaristic ways went away because it was more profitable to legitimately trade services with other tribes than to steal from them, or hiring themselves out as spear-arms.
If this is the case, then pegasi entertainment would tend towards displays of physical prowess and foals' games that look like mock versions of warfare.
Pegasi might have things like water balloon fights, American football, tag, races, obstacle courses
more than strategy games like chess, hide and seek (well, maybe hide and seek), Simon Says, or games that focus on being social and promote equalness among players like tea parties or playing "house."
Hmmm.... Rainbow Dash is an athlete. Fluttershy was mocked for hardly being able to fly. Scootaloo felt terrible not living up to Rainbow Dash's abilities. The evidence suggests that physical abilities are highly prized in pegasus culture.
2261716
That would make sense, considering that at the possible altitude that pegasi seem to live at, they'd have to be in great physical shape.
2261721 True, being in great physical shape is important for getting around cloud buildings, but I don't see that many pegasus doctors, farmers, store clerks, cooks, or machine operators. It's like they're barring themselves from taking certain professions. Fluttershy seems to be the odd pegasus out considering that she works with animals.
2261740
Well, I would imagine there would be doctors in Cloudsdale, you wouldn't want to fly an injured factory worker all the way down to Ponyville.
Maybe most of the Pegasi just get jobs in Cloudsdale.
As well as the fact that really all we've seen in MLP is Ponyville. Which is majority Earth ponies.
Maybe the pegasus way is nonnegotiable. You can clean up the ground unicorn or earth pony style and achieve the same effect but regardless of which you choose you'll need the pegasi to clear the skies.
In the broader sense I've always seen the pegasus way as the way of athletes and explorers. They seem particularly given to competition and (understandably, given their ability to fly) jobs that requires traveling. I seem to recall reading that officially they were the original royal guards, too, having been the first tribe to found a formal military. Makes sense -- naturally competitive, athletic explorers would be ideally suited to military pursuits.
So basically:
-Unicorns are your thinkers.
-Earth ponies are your doers.
-Pegasi are your fighters.
And alicorns are your gamers and molesters.