I know Unicorns were touched on in PH and justified there, but what about creatures like Griffons or Hippogriffs?

Especially during the mentioned war with the griffons, I could definitely see some Griffons changing sides either for money or because they saw the tides changing (going on the assumption that the Enclave won that war). And, if you subscribe to the idea that a male griffon and a female pony can make a Hippogriff then that might not be too far fetched either?

Oh I definitly see the Pegasus Enclave using mercenaries that can fly.

I know I have toyed with the idea of enclaves heh of groundbound ponies in the grand Pegasus enclave. Living on either mountaintops where the work as miners or farmers. Or on these industrial platforms made from civilian air and cloudships and outmoded military vessels.

The Griffons could fly and were mercs but Kkat's FoE mentioned them being pushed out of mountains under their control so the Enclave could mine them for useful metals. I don't see the Enclave having very many (if any) non-pegasi buddies based on that story alone.

7329231 True, but griffons are known for taking jobs without any morals or ethics (like Stern). So it could be argued that accepting jobs from the Enclave wouldn't be unrealistic for those birdies with a broken moral compass.

7329217
In my story there are non-ponies employed by Enclave. Like their Council having contacts with griffin mercenaries if they need to do something shady on surface. Or their military bribing dragons to disperse raider tribes or Steel Ranger Chapters threatening SPP towers. Or their Intelligence Agency exchanging Dashites along with all their families and friends for critical magitech in local Changeling Hive (though they think they are dealing with just another thestral colony). Or their surprisingly good relationship with thestral clans which consists of Enclave sending away surplus citizens and thestrals exporting surplus food, gemstones and warbands.

But to actually include them into Enclave? Give them rights? Spend limited resources on them, instead of settling more pegasi? All the while dealing with famous pony xenophobia, both in general public and in most positions of power? So no, Enclave in my story is pony only.

Plus it is hard to justify letting in griffins (who are slavers, raiders and pirates nine times out of ten, no matter what they say about being "honest mercenaries") or dragons (who are greedy arrogant assholes, allergic to authority).

7329262
I can see some mercs going in on an offer from the GPE for help. I'm not sure Kkat's version of the story would allow the GPE to meet them halfway.

That's not to say it couldn't happen anyway. I just thought the GPE were rather cartoonishly bad in FoE. Let's face it; planning ahead wasn't really their thing.

7329217
Given the nature of the Enclave, I don't see much chance for non-pegasi among their ranks, much less non-ponies. Every non-pegasus included is another indicator that something good can come from below the clouds, that people are actually surviving down there, and that knowledge becomes a potential challenge to Enclave rule. As far as the Enclave rulers would see it, there are only downsides.

While the Enclave does have contact with non-pegasi, it's very much a one-way relationship, where the Enclave gets them to do things for them. Using mind-control helmets to employ Hellhounds is one example, but I could see the Enclave possibly hiring surface agents to do work for them. I kinda doubt they'd be hiring mercenaries to do combat ops for them (They have a strong military already that they're quite willing to use), but they've used non-pony agents for special tasks. They hired Gilda to kill Rainbow Dash, after all. But I really doubt these agents get to be Enclave citizens like pegasi do. More likely, they're special cases, kept around because they're useful, and probably kept separate from the population to avoid spreading "harmful disinformation" about what it's really like below the clouds. Heck, most of them would probably live down in the Wasteland.

Even if some griffons sided with the Enclave during the Enclave invasion, I doubt the Enclave welcomed them in among their ranks. More likely, they gave these other griffon factions enough material support so that they were useful tools against the griffons the Enclave was fighting, and then abandoned them as soon as they were no longer useful. Resources like food are already a problem, so why add more mouths to feed?

7329330 Well put.

7329330
Awesome post.

The only Non-Pegasi I could imagine begin somewhat accepted within the Enclave’s ranks would be Bat Ponies. Because I seriously doubt that the isolationistic Encclave would welcome any non-ponies, especially foreigners, with open arms. Their mindset can be summed up with Pegasi first, everycreature else last. Griffins have a reputation as greedy mercenaries you can thrust as far as you throw them and Hippogriffs are completely unknown to them. No way they are going to let them live in their cities.

Of course, if you are a powerful high-ranking Enclave member you have more leeway than the peasants. Rumors say that General Chill has a Griffin mistress living inside his mansion. But everypony knows that talking about this rumor is a surefire way to end up in front of a kangaroo court and receive the Dashite brand.

There may also be some Changeling hiding among the Pegasi. Because living in the clouds beats living in an irradiated, Raider-infested Wasteland. Obviously the Enclave would label any Changelings they discover as a potential spy and then execute them.