Earth Ponies

Earth ponies are one of several kinds of ponies, along with unicorns and Pegasi.

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 * —About the Earth Ponies.

Development
According to Lauren Faust, Earth ponies have a special connection to nature, animals, and plants. Though they lack the ability to consciously cast any spells like unicorns or to fly and walk on clouds like Pegasi, their connection to nature makes them "just as necessary" as and "perhaps more important" than the other ponies.

In the chapter book Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell, it is written that Twilight Sparkle, from the moment she becomes an alicorn, "was now able to harness the magical powers of the Unicorns, the flight abilities of the Pegasi, and the strength of a good, true heart of an Earth Pony."

Depiction in the series
The Earth ponies' connection to the land and animals manifests in various ways. Chiefly, it's expressed in Hearth's Warming Eve where it's stated in the titular holiday's pageant that food can only be grown by the Earth ponies. This suggests that the race possesses a passive, botanically focused magic unique to them. The pageant describes the Earth pony tribe's role in the founding of Equestria.

Both Earth ponies from the main cast are connected to farming: Pinkie tells the Cutie Mark Crusaders she used to be a rock farmer along with the rest of her immediate family in The Cutie Mark Chronicles, and Applejack lives and works on a farm. The Apple family maintains apple orchards in Ponyville and Appleloosa, and many Earth ponies work to plow and sow the fields in Winter Wrap Up. Earth ponies also do most of the manual labor, such as scoring ice and clearing snow. In other episodes, Earth ponies are shown pulling rickshaws, carriages, and even trains, suggesting natural physical ability. In more extreme cases, Earth pony characters are shown accomplishing remarkable physical feats such as pulling entire houses across the landscape or easily breaking through barricades, both of which are shown in Hearts and Hooves Day. Their talent for animal care is less prominently featured, though Applejack drives cattle in Applebuck Season, and keeps pigs in her barn. Fluttershy, a Pegasus pony, is a notable exception, as she has her own special bond to the Earth, and she spends most of her time taking care of animals. Fluttershy was originally conceived by Lauren Faust as an Earth pony, which could explain this exception.

However, not all Earth ponies are farmers. Earth ponies work in a variety of professions, including many prestigious or influential ones: Pinkie and the Cakes are pastry chefs, Hoity Toity is a fashion mogul, Photo Finish is a celebrity and photographer, Sapphire Shores is a pop singer, Filthy Rich is a successful businessman, Octavia Melody is a cellist who has played for at least two formal parties, Cheerilee is a school teacher, Nurse Redheart is a nurse, and the spa ponies work at a classy spa.

Physical capabilities
Earth ponies posses a diverse range of talents and capabilities, as previously mentioned. One recurring trait, however, is their physical prowess. Physically very powerful, Earth ponies are capable of performing incredible feats of strength with little or no visible strain and enjoying long-lasting stamina as well. Rainbow Dash, a noted Pegasus athlete, has been shown to be able to keep up with her friend Applejack when racing on the ground but incapable of overtaking Ms. Peachbottom at all even when flying at low altitude.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie have both been seen using their tails as if they were prehensile fifth limbs. This ability allows them to engage in fine manipulation such as controlling a lasso or operating a camera. Pinkie has demonstrated other tail-based special abilities, but these appear to be unique to her alone.

In addition, several Earth ponies have been seen displaying an excellent sense of balance, stacking and coordinating several objects on top of one another without difficulty.

Crystal Ponies

 * Main article: Crystal Ponies

The two-part season three premiere introduces Crystal Ponies, who live in the Crystal Empire. They resemble Earth ponies, but have gradient manes and tails; at the end of the premiere, they become slightly translucent.

Residence
Earth ponies are seen all over Equestria. According to Twilight Sparkle in Winter Wrap Up, they are the founders of Ponyville. This is reaffirmed in Family Appreciation Day, when Granny Smith shares the story with Apple Bloom's class of how she and her family established the first agricultural settlement on land that what would ultimately become Ponyville. Earth ponies make up a majority of the residents of Ponyville, along with Appleloosa, where settler Earth ponies live, and in Manehattan, where high society Earth ponies, such as Applejack's Aunt and Uncle Orange, reside. However, because of Earth Ponies' as well as unicorns' lack of the ability to fly or walk on clouds, Cloudsdale does not regularly host them on most occasions besides one exception in Sonic Rainboom when Twilight employs a spell to temporarily grant them with such abilities.

List of Earth ponies

 * Amber Waves
 * Amethyst Maresbury
 * Apple family
 * Apple Bloom
 * Apple Bumpkin
 * Apple Cobbler
 * Apple Fritter
 * Apple Honey
 * Apple Pie
 * Applejack
 * Aunt Orange
 * Babs Seed
 * Big McIntosh
 * Braeburn
 * Caramel Apple
 * Gala Appleby
 * Golden Delicious
 * Goldie Delicious
 * Granny Smith
 * Hayseed Turnip Truck
 * Peachy Sweet
 * Red Gala
 * Uncle Orange
 * Winona
 * Aura
 * Berryshine
 * Bill Neigh
 * Bowler Ponies
 * Bright Smile
 * Button Mash
 * Caesar
 * Candy Mane
 * Caramel
 * Cheerilee
 * Cheese Sandwich
 * Cherry Berry
 * Cherry Fizzy
 * Cherry Jubilee
 * Coco Crusoe
 * Coco Pommel
 * Coloratura
 * Crystal Arrow
 * Cutie Mark Crusaders
 * Daisy
 * Diamond Tiara
 * Doctor Horse
 * Dr. Caballeron
 * Dr. Hooves
 * Eclair Crème
 * Elbow Grease
 * Fancy Pants' entourage
 * Filthy Rich
 * Flax Seed
 * Fleur de Verre
 * Friendship Express train conductors
 * Gizmo
 * Gladmane
 * Golden Harvest
 * Goldengrape
 * Hoity Toity
 * Hoofbeard
 * Iron Pony competition cheerleaders
 * Ivory
 * Jeff Letrotski
 * Jewel Joy
 * Junebug
 * Lily Valley
 * Luckette
 * Lucky Clover
 * Lyrica Lilac
 * MandoPony
 * Mane-iac
 * Masquerade
 * Mayor Mare
 * Meadow Song
 * Minty
 * Mjölna
 * Mr. Cake
 * Mr. Greenhooves
 * Mr. Waddle
 * Mrs. Cake
 * Ms. Harshwhinny
 * Ms. Peachbottom
 * Night Knight
 * Noi
 * Noteworthy
 * Nurse ponies
 * Nurse Redheart
 * Octavia Melody
 * Peachy Pie
 * Perfect Pace
 * Photo Finish
 * Pie family
 * Cloudy Quartz
 * Igneous Pie
 * Limestone Pie
 * Marble Pie
 * Maud Pie
 * Pinkie Pie
 * Pipsqueak
 * Piña Colada
 * Prim Hemline
 * Quibble Pants
 * Rose
 * Royal guards
 * Royal Riff
 * Rubinstein
 * Sapphire Shores
 * Savoir Fare
 * Sealed Scroll
 * September
 * Sheriff Silverstar
 * Shoeshine
 * Shooting Star
 * Silver Shill
 * Silver Spoon
 * Sir Pony Moore
 * Spa Ponies
 * Star Gazer
 * Sunny Daze
 * Suri Polomare
 * Svengallop
 * Sweetie Drops
 * Tealove
 * Teddie Safari
 * The Pony Tones
 * Trouble Shoes
 * Truffle Shuffle
 * Twilight Sky
 * Twist
 * Wheat Grass