Mad Ramblings - Species and Subspecies · 3:00am May 24th, 2013
Alright, My Mad Ramblings may not be that popular but hell, it's very relaxing to get the crazy head canon and theories down on paper...... or text box..... Internet.
So these are some theories I have on the Species and Subspecies of the pony race. This maybe a long one.
First, we have the three main branches; Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns.
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Earth ponies are defined by the lack of wings and horns, and while some fans assume they all have supernatural strength, I don't see it. I will agree though, that due to a life spent on the ground, without magic to preform most tasks that they would need to live day to day, they would live a more physical life, and grow stronger, not through natural abilities, but through what they do every day.
It could also lend to the basis of some racial stereotyping that we saw in the Hearth's Warming Eve episode; "Earth Ponies are numb skulls," particularly, it would be easy for Pegasi and Unicorns both to look down at the physically laboring Earth Ponies, and view them as slow, primitive even. Pegasi can fly, walk on clouds, and control weather, while Unicorns have access to great amounts of arcane knowledge. Earth ponies seem to only have their skill at labor and agriculture at their backs, and I still hold that these are not natural abilities but things they've needed to develop over time for survival.
That's how I see it anyways, some think Earth Ponies have a natural farming talent, but remember Pinkie Pie didn't know jack-all about farming in Magical Mystery Cure. Granted she grew up on a rock farm instead of an apple farm, so maybe I'm wrong, and it's just a matter of the type of farm.
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The Pegasus Ponies, like I said are capable of flight, cloud walking and weather control, and they were portrayed as a warrior culture in the Hearth's warming episode. I found it fitting, as the name Pegasus comes from Greek Mythology, Cloudsdale, and probably all Pegasus cloud cities seem to have a Greek architecture to them. Greeks were also famous as a somewhat warlike people, even though most people only think of the Spartans when it comes to Greek warfare in history and legend. They were also great philosophers, and I'll admit freely that I intend to try and portray Pegasi in a somewhat intellectual light in my fanfic Chains. Those who read the latest chapter could probably notice the start of that.
Pegasi weather control is certainly an anomaly, along with their cloud walking. They aren't otherwise depicted as magical aside from those two traits, perhaps its potential magic, like how cutie marks are. Maybe I'll do another ramblings on cutie marks another time.
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Unicorns are often depicted as the social elite, the nobility, all have basic magical ability, to varying degrees of talent and power, in many fanfics already written they make for a convenient Fascist group. I myself have done that to some extent with a certain character in Chains. Unicorns are honestly, for me, the most boring of the three species. If for no other reason, because they are mostly magical based, and you can just say "It's Magic, I don't have to explain it." Not that the various characters are boring, but to me the species itself is. Unlike the Earth Ponies and the Pegasi, their culture wasn't as explored in the Hearth's Warming episode, or maybe I just missed that part.
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Now we get to the "sub-species" of ponies. Not recognized as ponies themselves, but still Equine.
Firstly Zebras, not much to go on seeing as the only source of the Zebra species in the series so far is Zecora. The rest has to be filled with speculation. Zebras don't seem that different from Earth Ponies, Zecora even has something resembling a cutie mark, though it blends in so well with her stripes its difficult to make out or even recognize as a cutie mark. Zecora also proves that Magic isn't exclusive to Unicorns. Some may take this as evidence for how Pegasi can have weather magic, and I say, not quite. Zecora's abilities in magic are clearly due to knowledge, not natural traits.
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Donkeys are another sub-species that I'd push into the Earth Pony category, but I'd say they are much more separate than even Zebras. Evidence for that would be the lack of a cutie mark, other than that they have no real significant visual differences from regular Earth Ponies, again, we don't really have too much to go on with them, we only have two major Donkey characters in the series thus far.
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Mules, I have a theory on these guys, even though there is only one recurring Mule character in the show. In reality, Mules are a cross between Donkey's and Horses, and I imagine they're the same in the Pony world. I have yet to come across a fanfic of any sort that points this out, even in passing. What would the social status of a Mule be? On several occasions the characters have used the term 'Mule' in a negative light, perhaps it used to be common to view Mules as a negative thing in general?
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Bat Ponies; I'm sure someone has come up with a proper term for the Bat Ponies, and they are another enigma, even more so then the other Sub-species, as they only have one appearance, and don't have any major action in another other instance. As such all that really exists of them is fanon. Personally I think they're a species native to the moon, that Nightmare Moon either discovered or ruled over during her banishment, and rarely live in Equestria proper, though they are not unheard of. As for their measurement up to Pegasi, I don't know if they can cloud walk, or control weather, but I'd think they are slower in flight but more sturdy of constitution.
Well, thats it for this ramble, I was going to include Changelings, seeing as how despite being insectiod, they are also Equine in shape. But I plan to talk about them another time.
So, thank you for reading all of this, and thank you for being patient and waiting for the next chapter, I hope to get it to you all soon.
Thats interesting, saddle arabian's are a sub-specie or a totally diferent species what do you think?.
intreresting... now GET BACK TO WORK!!
...please?
1101370 Maybe, but we don't know much about Saddle Arabia, aside from what the delegates looked like. They could be a separate species all together, but we don't have enough evidence to support that claim yet.