Sunsetverse: On the Pony Tribes (An InUniverse study by a griffon, treat with caution.) · 12:11am Oct 15th, 2014
A Study on the Pony Tribes and their Magic
By Proffesor Gerrald Ironbeak
Ponies as a facinacting species for several reasons. The most obvious of these is their mass subspecies dimorphism, referred to colloquially as 'tribes' in reference to their preunification days. The massive physical differences are a result of the other intriguing trait if the ponies, their innate magic. While most sentient species have access to some form of magic, pony magic can express itself in a truly staggering variety of ways. Each tribe essentially has its own variety of magic, giving the pony species unparalleled variety in how they can utilize magic, even before including universals. Their magic is responsible for tribal differences by having also physically adapted the pony to better survive in their original, ancient environment. In addition, a pony's magic results in what is known as a 'cutie mark', a highly subjective and often abstract picture that appears on a pony's flank during adolescence. A cutie mark determines how a pony's magic is able to manifest itself.
A discussion of the various common pony tribes follows.
Earth - The most common variety of pony, the earth pony tends to be the default pony most species think of when they hear the term. Earth ponies are also the only variety of pony that is usually specifically referred to as a pony. Unlike the other known tribes, earth ponies are the only tribe without a unique word for themselves. (For fictional tribes that follow a similar rules, see Sea and Crystal below.) Earth ponies have singular rounded hooves, stocky bodies, short body hair, and long manes and tails. They are well adapted to survival in the large open plains of their ancestors. Most pony tribes are described by how they differentiate from earth. Earth pony magic is expressed largely through increased strength, speed, and endurance. They also have highly manipulative tails they can use to grip and manipulate objects, as well as the ability to hold things with their hooves via a passive magical field. It has been recently discovered that this passive field enables earth ponies to be able to ascend at angles that would stop most other creatures. Beyond these basic trait, earth tribals can express their magic one of two ways. They may show a deep connection to nature, enabling them to handle animals and plants with greater ease. The other option is referred to as 'refining', the use of their magic to enhance the quality objects that they create and/or create things at a greater rate. What such a pony can refine is dictated by their cutie mark. No other variety of earth pony magic has ever been confirmed to exist, but there are rumors of some having precognition, though this has never been proven. Odder tales, such as 'party-mancy' and magically binding contracts, have also occurred, but have been dismissed as local legends and tall tales.
Pegasus - The only flying variety of pony, pegasi are noted as being highly energetic and emotional. Pegasi are similar to earth ponies in appearance, but have a waterproof coat of feathers instead of body hair, in addition to an obvious set of wings. Pegasi also have hollow bones to make flight easier, and tend to have less muscle mass than earth ponies. Even so, their wings would be nowhere near large enough to support them without the aid of their magic. In addition to granting the pegasi flight, their magic includes both cloud walking and weather manipulation. As such, many pegasi can literally live their whole lives without ever touching the ground, though few modern ones do so. Pegasi are also the most militant of the pony varieties, making up a rather large percentage of the EUP Guard. Some rare pegasi have cutie marks related to something other than weather, flying, or battle, but these do not seem to ave any affect on how their magic manifests itself.
Unicorn - Considered by most to be the prime candidate for most bizarre looking pony tribe, the unicorn looks very little like its fellows. Possessing an extremely thin build, long legs, and longer, thinner body hair, unicorns sound like they should be the most elegant of ponies (and in the minds of many unicorns, they are). However their other features tend to ruin this effect for most species, as well as other pony tribes. First, they have a long horn made of continuously growing enamel; many unicorns file their horns to keep them slim and pointy, as well as to keep them from growing inconveniently long so that they jam against doorways (more than they currently do, as on average a unicorn is markedly taller than other ponies). They are also the only pony species with cloven hooves, an adaptation for walking in the rocky hills and valleys that the unicorns originally inhabited. Finally, they also have long leonine tails, similar to us, that they also use to assist with balance. The end result is a variety of pony that almost never loses balance. They interpret this as being graceful and poised. Unicorns are the weakest physically of the pony tribes, and are at the most serious risk health wise. Disease is a very common means of unicorn death. One could argue that, if not for their magic, unicorns would be extinct. Unicorn magic manifests as spell casting done of off naturally generated internal pools of mana. What spells a unicorn pony can cast is dictated by their cutie marks, though the rules are seemingly very loose and difficult to fully understand. Even two unicorns with identical, or at least very similar, marks might have vastly different spells. Even unicorns often have trouble figuring out what spells other unicorns can and cannot cast. Unicorn magic is therefore very easy to study and classify in general, but nearly impossible to do so on an individual level without coming to personally know the unicorn.
In addition to the common, modern tribes, I will also include notation and observation regarding the extinct tribes.
Thestral - Also referred to as 'bat ponies', thestrals are the extinct tribe known to have lasted the longest. Being unusual for ponies in that, unlike their multicolor cousins which literally cover the whole palate with their colors, thestrals had coats of very subdued colors that easily blended into the night, favoring blacks and grays. This was because they were nocturnal. Thestral's also possessed wings of fleshy membrane, similar to a bat or dragon, as well as large ears with which they performed echolocation. They also possessed slit eyes that worked most likely in a manner mimicking that of a cat, giving them exceptional night vision. Most experts agree that the fangs, as well as blood drinking, were fictional additions. Thestrals were originally a begrudgingly accepted member of Equestrian society; latecomers that due to their nocturnal habits never associated that much with their neighbors. Then, approximately one thousand years ago, a seemingly irrational fear of their nocturnal neighbors seemed to grip Equestria. It is believed that, due to their slow breeding, almost the entire thestral population was wiped out within two years, barring the occasional pocket that managed to escape. Thestral sightings were for a while treated as any other monster sighting and quickly dealt with. No thestral has been seen in over seven hundred years. Most modern ponies consider the seemingly random and pointless purge of the thestrals their greatest shame. Celestia refuses to comment. Not much is known about their magic beyond that their flying was magic based and that they could not cloud walk.
Bicorn - The other variety of extinct pony, the bicorn was quite similar to their earth pony brethren, except for two things. First, they possessed cat eyes, making some scholars theorize that they were nocturnal. While I do no share this theory, if it is true it means every variety of pony that went extinct was nocturnal. The other trait the bicorn possessed was a pair of goat like horns on top of their heads. Like the unicorn, bicorns could cast spells based on their cutie mark. Bicorns were, according to legend, twice as powerful as unicorns due to having two horns. This is suspect, but due to extinction can be neither confirmed or denied. Bicorns were highly aggressive for ponies, and often staged attacks and raids on the other tribes. They vanished very early in the Windego Winter, and have never been seen sense. It is believed that they perished during one of the first years of the Windigo Winter, their natural hostility having made them the prime target of the emotion eating spirits.
For the sake of completeness, included here are the fictional or mythological tribes of pony.
Fluffy - The highly popular fictional character of Fluffle Puff from the series of best selling children's books that bear her name (Fluffle Puff Tales) depict her as being part of this completely fictional tribe. Possessing great masses of fluffy fur, in which she can supposedly store anything and pull it out later when she needs it, Fluffle Puff is also depicted as not being able to talk, instead replying on pantomime and silly sounds to get her ideas across. Her fur grows back the instant it is cut. Fluffle Puff is so ubiquitous with Equestrian children that some non-ponies don't realize that fluffy ponies are not real. This says something about our education system.
Crystal - Once thought to be an extinct tribe, crystal ponies had supposedly glittering crystalline coats. Their magic was supposedly linked with emotions, and they were supposed to have lived in a massive crystal city in the far north. So widespread and common where stories of crystal ponies not only among the various tribes, but also in the literature of numerous other species, that it was long thought that they were a real tribe that had either gone extinct or turned isolationist. However, numerous expeditions to the far north have revealed not even the barest hint that a civilization ever even existed there. While there are a few crackpots who still think that they are real, any respectable scholar knows that crystal ponies are simply a piece of widespread fiction.
Sea - Supposedly having a fish tail and fins instead of legs, sea ponies are entertainingly inconsistent in their description. Some claim they had hair and manes. Others state they had scales, but also manes in a manner similar to pegasi. Still others claimed they had fins that acted like their manes. Their temperaments also range from helpful and kind, to cruel tricksters, evil enchantresses, or bloodthirsty monsters, seemingly as the story needs. About the only thing consistent with sea ponies is that they are excellent singers, though what effects their songs have very with the story.
Well now, that's quite a nice summation of the various tribes.
Welp.. this blog answers a lot of questions I left in the other one... maybe I should have read them all before commenting...
This kind of has me wondering just how AU you are going to go. And how/why certain tribes disappeared.
2733480 My opinion is this: if you're going to AU, you had better dang well A that U!
So...would Kelpies be considered a sub-tribe/species of Sea Ponies in your world? Or would they be considered a non-pony species (like the Changelings), or just don't exist in your A/U?