Are they? I don't think I've seen anyone outside Apple family who seem to be particularly strong.

Big Macintosh pulled a house while hopping. (Granted, he was also hopped up on love poison at the time, so I dunno.)

Yes. Twist invented and patented peppermint sticks. She now has a monopoly on them.

As A Canterlot Wedding shows love makes magic more powerful. Big Mac is far more powerful when in love than at other times. Ergo Earth Pony magic makes an Earth Pony more powerful.

edited 27th Mar '13 8:33:01 AM by Badwolfwho

@Kyler - I said outside the Apple family.

Derp. I fail at reading.

@Bad: Why does being in love make any difference? Yes, it does add an unaccounted-for variable, but assuming it's irrelevant is pretty much the same as assuming it's relevant at this point. There's no real evidence for either. We HAVE seen an earth pony stop an out-of-control bus, pull a locomotive engine and cars, wrestle a buffalo... all of which are pretty impressive.

Plus, depending on how you count the legitimacy of the books, we've basically been outright told about their strength.

Reminds me of the Culture. In order to keep utopia, there must be a very powerul group of covert blackops with enough of a war advantage to fend off their enemies.

What books?

@ Kegi: A Canterlot Wedding explicitly states that love makes you more powerful.

Yeah, I don't get why everyone assumes that the love potion also inexplicably involves a strength boost. There's no reason for it to do so. It's much easier to assume that he's just that strong, and simply doesn't use that strength very often.

Ditto with Cheerilee; she busts a hole in a wall that episode. I'm guessing she's normally capable of that, she just doesn't need to most of the time.

@Apple: It's not a case so much of "Something they can do that no other race can" so much as "no other race can match the result". I mean, Trixie and Rarity demonstrated that unicorns can do weather control; they just suck at it.

edited 27th Mar '13 8:36:14 AM by JapaneseTeeth

Does it? It made Crysalis, a creature who feeds on love, more powerful. It made Cadence, the goddess of love, more powerful, but your lay pony?

@ Kegi: Yes. See Shining Armour. Who's shield was supercharged by love.

I never assumed the effects of the potion, I just introduced it as a possible unknown variable. Which is why I concluded with "I dunno".

Well, I'd have to watch it again to be sure, but I think given the context there are still other explanations - possibly more reasonable ones at that.

Still, if friendship is magic then love... well.

is because plot.

Power levels man. They wait until you walk by and then spring out of the bushes at you.

@Badwolf: Even if that is the case, the love poison obviously isn't the real deal. That and I think that any love powerup would be more blatant; whenever a metaphysical powerup appears, it's always in the form of a single, explosive affect. I.e. the elements blasting somepony, the Crystal Heart activation, the fires of friendship toasting the windigos, Cadance and SA's uber love shield explosion; it's never appeared as a passive power boost. The only exception is Chrysalis, who as noted explicitly feeds on love and obviously processes it differently.

edited 27th Mar '13 8:40:05 AM by JapaneseTeeth

Didn't Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell outright say that earth ponies have greater strength? Also something about "pure hearts".

@Bad: Shining Armor was supercharged by an Alicorn who's power is based around love.

I don't think it's reasonable to think that the love poison is doing the same thing, even if love is magic.

Strength of heart I believe. Doesn't necessarily have anything to do with physical strength.

edited 27th Mar '13 8:41:12 AM by Mio

What does love taste like I wonder.

@Meta Four - A what now? Is that a comic?

@edvedd - Chocolate banana.

edited 27th Mar '13 8:41:05 AM by dRoy

I will take this home with me.

Needs more fat jokes.

Dunno; haven't read it.

Also, there's absolutely no basis for this, but I like the headcanon idea that Celestia and Luna were EP's before they became alicorns. Makes little sense, but I like the idea of there being ascended EP's in the setting.

That smacks of stereotyping. Positive stereotyping, but still.

Pure hearts, ahahahahaha, ahahaha, ahaha, aha, ah, ah....