Pony Hooves

[jordan179]

It's never been explained in-canon how the Ponies are able to pick up and manipulate things with fore-hooves which are in real horses just the strengthened nails of single fingers (the equivalent of our middle fingers).  The hooves of the Ponies are clearly more flexible than real horse hooves (they've been animated as slightly curling around

Comments

[luagha]

Steve Gallacci's answer for his Albedo comics was that the horses manipulated objects off-screen.

My answer is that the Ponies are Toons, of course, and this is a common Toon element that they share. Pinkie Pie, obviously, is more toon than most and that is where her Earth Pony abilities are directed (as well as her agility, bounding, dodging, and ice-skating.)

[jordan179]

Pinkie Pie has strange, powerful, and often very silly abilities. It frightens Nightmare Moon in my fic Nightmares Are Tragic when she realizes just what Pinkie is doing -- and that it's something Nightmare Moon herself can't do.

Really, the reason why the infamous "Cupcakes" is so terrifying is the thought of something with Pinkie's powers who was both batshit crazy and sadistically evil. She'd practically be Stephen King's It.

[luagha]

Pinkie Pie exists so that you realize some rules can be bent, and others broken. :)

[xiphias]

I thought the official explanation was that it was a touch-range magical telekinesis.

[jordan179]

I didn't know that there actually was an official explanation, but I would take that one as well.

[kalance]

It honestly could go either way. After all, it's not just Ponies that have been seen using tactile TK: Griffons and Donkeys have been seen demonstrating similar abilities (Gilda sat on a cloud with no issue, and Cranky picked things up).

Given the prevalence of magical creatures and monsters; it's probable that every species possesses at least some level of inherent magical ability; by sheer virtue of the world's magical saturation.

On the other hand, being so wide-spread could also be explained by a genetic trait developed very early on in the ecosystem's evolution; such as tactile secretion glands on limbs.

[mrbirthday]

A possibility floated on a worldbuilding thread I used to frequent was that pony hooves more or less worked like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86G9DLJEagw

[silent_o]

Seems the limited touch range tk theory is one of the most popular.

Was definitely the answer in Fallout: Equestria...

[kharmii]

I've always wondered that too, as some of the ponies have elaborate hairdos. I could see Rarity using her unicorn magic to put giant rollers in her hair, but how did the young granny smith apple put the braid in? -And that episode where Rainbow Dash got into reading. Wouldn't it be awkward as hell to hold up a book with hooves?