Ponies and Technology

Ponies and technology. Two good things that go great together, right? Well, yes and no.

Setting a hard technology level for Equestria is a real hassle for a number of reasons, all of which we'll hopefully be able to address. But suffice to say that Faust's intent was quickly moved away from in favor of convenience and expanding the possible stories, and for the most part I feel that was a good move. But if we're to approach ponies with machinery, just what is considered going “too far” and breaking the setting?

One of Faust's goals when creating Friendship is Magic was to restrict just what the ponies had access to. While the toys have them driving trucks and RC cars, she wanted a world that ran on the principles of magic rather than technology. The ultimate goal most likely was to avoid things like cell phones, televisions, and other props that pollute girl's shows and become the central focus of their own plots, but it was shattered almost immediately when Twilight audibly flipped a light switch in the first episode. Since then, things have gone back and forth, with the inclusion of gas stoves and sewing machines but also ponies pulling a whole train.

When it comes to the show, technology operates on Roger Rabbit rules; it only appears when it's funny. So you can still have a primarily fantasy world while also having motorized parade floats, weather production machines and industrial pet hair dryers. The issue with this rule is that it also gives the setting a very schizophrenic feel, with much of the available gadgets and whatzits simply not meshing well with each other.

The solution the staff have given? A unicorn did it.

Specifically, advanced tech in Equestria is not powered by straight-on gasoline, nuclear power, or much of anything else. (Jury's still out on wind and solar, but the latter kind of makes sense when one of the ponies running the country is tied to the sun.) Instead, devices like refrigerators, light bulbs, and other bits of machinery are powered by magic. This is evidenced with the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, which has to be kickstarted by Flim and Flam in order to operate. Whatever this magical enchantment is, it still allows for most devices to be operated by non-unicorns or without magical input, with only the astronomically complex machinery requiring continuous magical input.

However, this does not excuse episodes like “The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well,” which features a hydroelectric dam and construction vehicles. This would imply that some sort of industrialization exists. We know that factories are around, but the only ones we've seen are weather-related, transposing the mundane onto the fantastical. Regular plants and industrial areas might exist, but are far away from the primary settings of Ponyville and Canterlot. Also, two sets of trains are in use; one is pulled by a team of ponies, and the other (the Friendship Express) uses coal. No cars exist, but Twilight has a rough sort of computer setup in her basement. DJs and rock music are in circulation, but vinyl records are still being use. Why all the different levels of technology?

To put it simply, ponies invent for the same reason humans do: necessity.

Ponies are capable of running at high speeds for extended periods of time and can pull wagons, so automobiles are not an automatic necessity like today. However, trains offer a means of crossing large tracts of land faster and with more security than going out in the open, plus they can pull freight and needed supplies to distance towns, thus allowing ponies to spread out more. Computers will probably reach the same levels as our own someday, but they will be designed to fit the needs and methods of control a pony is capable of performing, and thus probably wouldn't resemble a real-world device that much. Electricity is a useful technology, but since magic is commonplace, it's nowhere near as widely-spread as it would be in the real world.

Of course, all of this is merely speculation. There's no solid time frame for the show at this point, so our point of reference is limited. But I guess what I'm saying is that, as long as you can justify the inclusion of a certain piece of technology, then there shouldn't be a problem including whatever it is in a story of yours. If you want Twilight's basement device to suddenly be able to solve for pi, then that's fine as long as it serves the needs of the plot and doesn't fly in the face of what had come before and since.

...So let's kick back and get some sleep, shall we? This is going to be a long hiatus.