Updates, additions and tweaks to the nox pony race and my menu

Ok, I figure it’s time for an update to my OC’s universe, mostly bat pony history and one new menu item. Y’all can blame I thought I was Toast and especially Harmony Split for this. A few bits and pieces are borrowed directly from them, but most is inspired by it with a sprinkling of things from other stories and my own ideas in there.

So, let’s start with the princesses, since everything revolves around them, right? I think I’m finally on the ascended earth pony bandwagon, though I can’t entirely say why. My original issue with it was that aside from the symmetry since Cadance was a pegasus and Twilight had ascended from unicorn, it didn’t really have anything going for it. And despite that, the idea is starting to grow on me. It does help that Silfo has done some neat stuff with it.

Yep, that does mean I believe there are no natural alicorns, they are all ascended. However, here’s where my AU gets a little non-standard. Harmony in its infinite wisdom decided when they ascended that the sisters would be opposites, one a day pegasus alicorn, the other a night bat (nox) alicorn. However, having been the bullied little sister, Luna has always hidden the truth by using a fire and forget illusion spell created by Star Swirl to hide her wings and fangs. The only pony to know the truth was her mate, Amethyst with whom she had a child.

Now, for nox ponies. They are natural and have been around for about as long as ponykind, and are an offshoot of pegasi. An odd mutation or a recessive gene, whatever causes it, a very, very small number to be born. Not quite as low as 1% of 1%, but a very small number, and usually mares, something like 85% or so are born female. In the old days many didn’t survive as they were seen as monsters and/or freaks, and the best they could hope for was to be thrown out of their home when they were barely old enough to fend for themselves. Thankfully, despite how they’re seen by many ponies, they are at worst given to orphanages, although most do get to grow up at home.

How are nox ponies different from their pegasi cousins? Well, they don’t have the weather detection or control abilities, and they can’t fly as intricately. Straight and fast, they’ll keep up and often outpace most pegasi, but lots of maneuvering? Yeah, pegasi win. Of course losing those things are a trade off, the gains being improved night vision, better hearing and a prehensile tail. Oh, and those leather wings that make them less maneuverable in the air? They allow them to swim, or basically fly underwater, though they have to be careful as water stresses wings in ways that air doesn’t.

Their diet is also different. While they can eat anything other ponies can, they need at least a small amount of meat. Technically all ponies can eat meat, but only nox ponies need at least a little. Blood is optional, they don’t need it, but they do get extra nutrients from it, and for the thestral line, there is a lot of meaning in the sharing of blood.

What is a thestral line? Well, two major groups of bat ponies formed a long time ago, and while cross breeding has largely eliminated the differences in them, they were the Hollow Shades cloud, and the Thestral Colony in Canterlot. Nox ponies looking for a safe place found their way to various woods and all. For whatever reason, many gravitated to the woods where Hollow Shades would be settled. Word got out, and more gravitated there, calling the trees home, and living on the fruits and vegetables growing naturally there. The Thestral Clan was actually discreetly created by Princess Luna. Despite hiding her true form from the citizens of Equestria, she still reached out to the nox ponies, and offered them a home, the caverns and mines within Mount Canterhorn. As Canterlot is not exactly blessed with a large amount of agriculture, this clan had to hunt for their food off the mountain, and made the meat they caught their primary diet.

And that is everything in my head canon for nox ponies as far as origin and relationship to Luna. For some, she is part of the family tree, a blood relative, for others, they count her as an honorary mother, the only one to love and respect them, the one who gave them a place in Equestria at her side, defending the nation.

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Addition to Moon Shot Donuts menu, the bacon cheeseburger donut. A ground beef and cream cheese filled donut topped with cream cheese icing and bacon bits.