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Tipping food servants is something only seen in mountainous unicorn populations like Canterlot. After the unification period when the tribes abolished slavery, the Unicorn nobles were told they could have servants, they just had to pay them wages. It became normal to tip servants within the household and due to it being habitual spread to food servants and the like outside of the household. In modern day Equestria The culture is still prevalent in Unicorn cities. It's not uncommon for a Unicorn to slip a servant a bit or two once their service is done. It makes the servant industry quite lucrative in mountain cities. In other towns this culture can be seen as odd or even offensive, as it can be a reminder that other tribes were once seen as good for slaves and servants only.

 

Party Hats

 

There's an old tale among the Earth Pony tribes, that in pre-unification times, a band of Earthponies fooled a unicorn noble hosting a party by tieing a fake cone wooden cone (or a painted carrot in some retellings) to their head. In these times only Unicorns could afford fancier parties and galas and other tribes being a part of it was unheard of. Thanks to this tale, even in a party hosted by Earth Ponies, they'll wear a fake horn as a mocking gesture. Though over time, these horns were made of cheaper disposable material, like paper or cardboard, and slowly got wider at the brim and was worn higher up because it rests on the head easier and is less likely to fall off when dancing and such.

 

In modern day equestria this custom still holds strong, and is seen as a light hearted jest even by Unicorns who can be seen wearing this hat in EarthPony towns. In Noble unicorn parties it's not the case, and they see it as a foalish gesture.

 

 

Public Fountains and salt block taverns

 

 

Gems

 

Gems are the result of magical residue that sink beneath the soil, which clump up and harden into a physical state. Depending on the content of the soil and how well it catches the magic gems can be a variety of colors, red being the most pure natural gem color found in the earth. Some use the word gem and crystal interchangeably. Crystals are minerals that have molecules arranged in a geometric pattern. If you allow a gem to grow by natural or cultivate means, they will eventually become crystalline in structure. The amount and size gems might form naturally often depends on how abundant magic is in the air around the area. The largest of the gem deposits in the soil known by ponykind is Canterlot, famous for the intricate crystal caverns beneath. And the Crystal empire, which has a host of mines in the area that is used to construct the city itself.

 

Both fauna and flora alike all across Equestria have evolved to make use of this gem phenomenon. Plant life usually utilizes their leaves to catch magic and sunlight, it is possible for some species to grow in places that lack abundant sunlight and even subterranean environments. Their roots will stretch deep beneath the earth to entangle with gems where they may draw their magical nutrition. Most still need sunlight and nutrients though there are deep subterranean plants that can feed solely off of magical gems, some of them taking a crystalline look to them as well. These plants, however, need to be grown in gem rich environments. In areas where the trees might touch the clouds, you will find flora that have both traits, in that they have leaves to capture magic in the wind and roots that span for miles, all imbedded with gemstone. In places that aren't entirely gem rich but lack sunlight you might find flora that seemingly mimic life, often eating unwary passersby to gain essential nutrients while supplementing with what little gemstones there are. Since subterranean fauna nearly reside fully off magic extracted by gems, it’s recommended to use these herbs in potions to treat hypothaumia.

 

Most of the fauna that used to strive off gems, are largely extinct and are characterized with having a primitive “gullet” organ where they would store gem fragments to drain magic from. They were able to utilize the magic residue to perform spells that are instinctive to their species such as fire breathing. The only known creatures that have survived the test of time that still operate this way are Dragons. In this gullet-like organ magic is pulled and solidified, recreating it in a purer form in another chamber that the body can easily draw magic from, then the drained fragments are expelled from the body through the mouth. Like the circulatory system this core, or “heart” pumps energy through the theurgic system of the creature. Most other creatures absorb their magic loosely through the skin and through plant and animal material. While dragons can get nutrients out of plant and animal life, likely the reason they were able to survive thus far even in periods of gem shortage due to competition, they don't digest it as thoroughly though the stomach lining anre find it near impossible to absorb it through their flesh due to the magical resilience of their scales

 

Earth Ponies are able to tap into the magic of gems far beneath the earth, and bring the magic back up into the topsoil. This allows them to grow good quality plants. In modern times, some Earth Ponies will crush gemstones into mulch, a replacement for small pebbles, to take full advantage of their ability. Most soil products found in agricultural shops will have ground gemstones already in it. Others opt to bury some gemstones beneath a garden bed or similar to achieve the same results, but this isn’t as efficient. Thanks to this magical "irrigation" method Earth Ponies are able to grow lush plant life in barren soil that wouldn’t support it otherwise. While the plants still need basic things like sunlight and water, all of the pony tribes rely on this innate ability. Some Earth Pony clans are able to use magic they get naturally through the environment and use them to grow gems inside of stone, though this is a lengthy process.

 

For Unicorns, while they are unable to tap into gems or grow them naturally like Earth Ponies, through the use of spells may imbue enchantments within gems, which are intricate spell rituals that feed off the magic residue in the gem itself. Enchanted gems can last from a couple years to a millentia depending how pure the gem is and how much magic the enchantment consumes. These may be preserved for longer if there's a source of magic flowing back into them, though they're unlikely to be able to grow further in size due to the constant drain most enchantments need. This makes them safe to inlay in jewelry and such. As an enchanted gem loses it’s magic, they will slowly become cloudy and impure, even if they somewhat keep their original pigmentation. An enchanted gem at the end of it's life will look akin to a chalky white rock, with very little hope to recharge them unless they are sparked with a steady and high amount of magic. There are creation myths among the tribes of ponies that the core itself is a grand and pure gem of brilliant white like the sun and that the Alicorns of old themselves enchanted Eqqus’s core to hold life and uphold harmony, some of them giving their lives up for it.

 

Races like the ancient Twinkle eyed ponies and the modern day crystal ponies have perfected the art of artificial crystal growth through gems. Not much is known of the Twinkle Eye’d ponies, only that they were mastercraft ponies when it came to gems and enchanting. They are said to have made Crystal Ponies as automaton servants and the crystal heart to power them. While their masters have disappeared, the Crystal ponies themselves gained sapience over a millenia thanks to the Crystal Heart that empowers them. With power it radiates the same love and admiration like a breath of air. While they don’t understand the crystal heart, It has held its place in their society as a collective shared organ. Like any natural born pony, as long as they have this artifact they are able to feel and love themselves and are classified as living creatures in modern day equestria. It’s under speculation that the crystal heart is literally the theurgic heart of an ancient dragon for its power and unnatural purity, Another common theory is that the crystal ponies knew how to make an artificial theurgic gullet to grow it.

 

When the Crystal pony’s collective organ is taken (recorded during Sombra’s reign) the Crystal Ponies slowly revert to their golem state, the symptoms are memory loss, a loss of senses, followed by the loss of emotion. If the heart is gone too long, theorists speculate that it will permanently damage them as a species and revert them fully to their original golem state, meant to be used as slaves for whoever powers them. There have been attempts to imbue fire rubies and other precious gems with a recreation of the same spell used to enchant the crystal heart so they may explore the world outside of their borders. The crystal ponies themselves are able to reproduce by cutting a bit of themselves or the “corpses” of other crystal ponies then bury it in a magic rich deposit. After a couple decades a crystal foal will come out. Oddly, this method of reproduction does not make clones or pass memories on, making the crystal ponies fully individualistic from each other.