It's something many of us have asked over the years that hasn't ever been answered, and one of the points brought up during the leaks last month when discussing general 5 and the role of earth ponies.
Even as far back as season one and Winter Wrap Up, we already had inklings that Unicorns had pretty much taken over many of the tasks that used to be earth-focused. Over in Canterlot, they've taken complete control over the seasons and Twilight's transmutation shows that turning mundane objects into food isn't all that complicated. Flim and Flam's unicorn powered Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 worked marvelously before they were tricked into throwing it in overdrive, and when asked to help pick apples on the orchard, Twilight wipes out entire fields without breaking a sweat.
This puts the earth ponies in a weird place, yet they still seem to thrive in pony society regardless. How do you think this is? Do they have a magical aura around their hooves that let them manipulate objects just as well as unicorns? Or do they all live on some kind of welfare that lets them get by without having to worry about it?
