Proper canon (boast busters?) unicorns can do a tiny bit of magic relevant to their special talent. Also, I don’t think this was explained in the show but most unicorns can only lift a little less than half their body weight (why Twilight was surprised to see Starlight lifting herself).
 
And of course, Great pic!

@Background Pony #5937  
If unicorns are not focused on casting their spells enough, the spell may fail. If an earthquake happened they will be taken by surprise, and trying to cast a spell during it might give them a headache. Any spells except basic unicorn magic or simple levitation probably wont work.
 
Pegasi:  
Pegasus magic is more than flight. They can live in high altitudes. That means that a unicorn would experience a shortness of breath if they walked on clouds too long, while a pegasus has no trouble up there. The reason why the Twilight’s non-pegasus friends could go up there is because the conditions were not as severe that day.
 
Earth ponies:  
In one episode, Pinkie Pie grabs a hot pan. She would have burned her mouth, but she doesn’t. In another episode, applebloom carries some pies into a fire swamp without boots. Since it is a fire swamp, she should burn her hooves on the hot ground, but she seems to be fine in the scorching area. So in the event of a volcano… Yeah. And wehave seen no spells to prevent ponies from burning.
 
Dragons are another example of this.

@Background Pony #F471  
Maybe some people just want to?

@Background Pony #5937  
Nope
 
All unicorns are not magical prodigies like Twilight or Sunset. They have very little magical power and can’t create wings, self levitate, teleport etc.
 
I still can’t believe how many people have become so separated from the show’s canon world that they believe such things.

@Background Pony #75B0  
Unicorns can replicate all pegasi and earth pony feats with magic easily, having spells to allow them to touch and manipulate clouds, can create artificial wings, and can also even fly without needing wings.  
So they’d be fine in an earthquake.
 
 
There’s a reason why all Villains have been unicorns or alicorns.

Many people think that unicorns are overpowered and Earth ponies are super weak, when in reality unicorns may be the first to go down.
 
Unicorns rely on their magic to do almost everything. However, their magic is more suited for combat than that of a Pegasus or an Earth Pony. In the event of an earthquake, the pegasi and the earth ponies have the advantage. Because of their flight ability, Pegasi are not as affected. Earth ponies have better balance and strength and might be able to hold on to the earth better if it was trembling. The unicorns cannot stop the earthquake as it is a naturally occurring thing, and their shields cannot protect them either. So more unicorns would die than the other pony races.
 
Same goes for other naturally occurring disasters.
 
The reason that there is not many unicorns in equestria is probably because these natural disasters wiped a lot of them out. Canterlot is full of unicorns but still they live close to their ruler for protection.
 
Also, if Pegasi control the weather and can make hurricanes, Earth pobies may be responsible for plate movement, they just might not realise it.

@Haagel  
Thank you.

@Haagel
 
Rainbow Dash seems like “pegasus Twilight”. The fandom isn’t quite sure exactly what the Rainboom is, but if its breaking the sound barrier (under her own power no less), that’s incredible!

@Princess Echo  
All pony races are equal. It’s the many people in fandom that greatly exaggerate the magic skills of normal unicorns. Often thinking that every unicorn is another Twilight/Starlight. Many times canon unicorns seem to be the least appreciated race really.
 
But I’d also like the idea of seeing a super magical earth pony or pegasus. Equestria is a magical land after all and nothing so far has stated that there can’t be a earth pony or pegasus mage. It would be a quite interesting to see one.

Now they can be equal with unicorns? This is so cool, too! Best idea, so I’m not the only one who believes Pegasus and Earth Ponies should have magic.

In my headcanon, doing magic without a horn in the setting requires skill in alchemy or the use of enchanted objects.

@YetAnotherBrony  
It should go without saying that anons will ruin everything for everyone.
 
Also this is relevant.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yoosaHRxyc

@Pagan
 
All of the race warring and butthurt are coming from two anonymous posters. I was trying to do a verbal judo-flip by saying “earth ponies are so badass they don’t even need magic”.

This comment section makes it difficult to enjoy the picture what with all the race war comments and general butthurt.

@Background Pony #111D  
Rarity can shoot lasers from her horn just fine, and she’s nothing but a fashion pony.
 
And the comics have shown more than a few other unicorns that are quite capable of using various spells.
 
And IF you bring up “But comics aren’t canon!” as a defense, then Sombra, a normal Unicorn, was able to be a Godlike force simply by virtue of unicorn talent. (If comics are canon at least he’s not “really” a unicorn for why he’s so powerful).
 

 
 
Frankly, the concept of an earth pony being a threat in more than a weak antagonist role is laughable compared to how absurd Unicorns can reach– even baseline unicorns are more threatening than earth ponies.

@Background Pony #5A13
 
You could say that earth ponies are naturally craftier and trickier than unicorns and pegasi since they can’t fly or use magic. All they have is the strength in their hooves and the guile in their heads.
 
In the old pre-Equestria, unicorns were almost always scholars or nobility, pegasi were almost always soldiers, but earth ponies were farmers, medics, arms dealers, merchants, and spies (who would ever suspect the simple earth pony maid to be a spy? Nopony, that’s who.)

@background pony #5A13  
Well earth ponies are still better than regular unicorns who can just levitate some light objects and cast light from their horns.  
(inb4 Hurrdurr all unicorns are like Twilight Sparkle/Sunset Shimmer and other nonsense)

@Blissey1  
That’s song logic, tons of random stuff happens in the songs that’s not supposed to be canon.

@Background Pony #5A13  

 
yep, no plant or earth based magic at all.

@Background Pony #111D  
Lies. Earth ponies have no magic. And that’s actually serious, the most they have are “they can maybe lift a couple pounds more than another pony” as their power. They get thrown around like ragdolls by the cows in the cattle rustler comic for example, and AJ gets manhandled physically on a regular basis.

Earth pony magic at its most powerful… surprising, isn’t it?

“Who ate the last apple fritter!?”

@background pony #5A13  
But earth ponies sure do have. ^^

Mud pones dun hav magic.

awesome!