Talk:Bits/@comment-3579599-20110909180733/@comment-70.62.252.130-20111009065759

My theory is that there are different types of bits worth different amounts, and that animation simplicity just prevented any discrepancies from being noticeable.

For example, the bits that Whooves paid for the apple would probably have been the smallest denomination, meaning "change" would've been maybe one or two bits, leaving the cost of an apple at two or three bits. And, since Word of Faust says the general time setting for Equestria is mid-1960s, how much would an apple have been, say, 1967? Probably not very much. This much can lead us to reason that the lowest form of bit would be worth maybe a few cents, possibly less.

The bits Soarin' used to pay for the pie likely would have been much higher-denomination, seeing as he's a celebrity and wouldn't just be walking around with only a few cents in his pocket. An apple pie in 1967 (and excuse me if this is inaccurate, as I wasn't around in the 1960s) would likely have been a few dollars, so perhaps the bits Soarin' used were closer to the equivalent of one and a half, two dollars?

And the Wonderbolts are government-employed celebrities, since I believe widely-accepted fanon if not canon itself has said they work for the princesses. That may be inaccurate, but this sort of thing always calls for assumptions. Now, a more independent public ponysonality, such as Hoity Toity or Sapphire Shores, one who's always dressed pompously and never fails to enter in style? They would likely be among Equestria's elites, possibly even the equivalent of millionaires and billionaires.

After all, Sapphire Shores managed to afford a whole slew of dressed literally coated in gemstones of various shapes, sizes, and values - even one of those dresses would likely have costed more than a good-sized house. So ponies like them might carry around bits worth the equivalent of what, a hundred? A thousand dollars?

I'm probably making many rather outrageous guesses about Equestrian economy with this logic; after all, for all we know an apple could be worth much more in Equestria than on Earth, and a diamond worth much less; but with the limited amount of evidence we have, there's not much solid ground to plant one's hooves on when trying to figure this kind of thing out.

I mean, there's always the consideration of how much the average pony *earns.* If Applejack's family business is holding a monopoly on apple sales around the Ponyville area, in a world full of equines, they likely make quite a bit - especially when you consider the ridiculous size of their orchard. And Rarity's dressmaking, well, when she sells an entire fleet of gem-covered fashion statements all at one time, her source of income is obvious. There's not much reason to wonder why she can afford to give away so many plain-fabric dresses.

But then somepony like Pinkie Pie, who makes her living selling sugary treats, has to be wondered about. Yes, desserts also appear to be a rather large portion of Equestrian diet, but how large, exactly? Applejack obviously makes much more than Pinkie and the Cakes, yet she only seems to have enough to keep her farm and orchard up and running; and she's even said most of the utilities on the farm are outdated - the plough, the farm itself, even the grandmother - but why can't she afford to have any of them fixed up without some major money-making opportunity?

Clearly the inner workings of the Equestrian economy can't be determined going off of minimal evidence, and even if they could all the closest guesses would likely be far placed from each other.

One possibility is some form of semi-communism, in which everypony has their own opportunities to make money based on what their talent is, but any excess goes into a sort of community pool for those who can't afford for themselves; however, that would leave the determination of how this system is managed and upheld.