Do not post in this thread! Srsly.

The purpose of this series/setting bible is to serve as a reference guide for both new and experienced Lunaverse authors. It will provide information on the setting, characters, themes, and so on of the Lunaverse. This is intended largely as a guide, not a straightjacket. Having said that, anything written in bold green text forms a part of the core intents or ideas of the Lunaverse. While even these are not immutable, changing them should only be done by the author after talking the idea over on the message boards.

Table of Contents
1. Outline, Tone, and Themes
2. The Setting
- Equestria
- Ponyville
- Canterlot
- Myth and History
3. Races
- Earth Ponies
- Pegasus Ponies
- Unicorn Ponies
- Alicorns
- Other Races
- - Zebronies
4. Primary Characters
- Trixie Lulamoon
- Lyra Heartstrings
- Ditzy Doo
- Raindrops
- Carrot Top
- Cheerilee
5. Secondary Characters
- Princess Luna
- Dinky Doo
- Bon Bon
- Pokey Pierce
- Berry Punch
- Rainbow Dash
- Snails
6. Antagonists
- Corona, the Tyrant Sun and her minions (Zecora, Solrathicharnon)
- Twilight Sparkle
7. Supporting Characters

More to come...

Outline
The Lunaverse is an alternate universe of the FiM TV show with a fairly basic premise: What if 1,000 years ago, Luna had stayed sane, and Celestia had turned evil? The result is a very different modern Equestria in terms of setting, governance, and tone. In addition to the swapped roles of Luna and Celestia, the Elements of Harmony have been given to six completely different ponies than in the TV show.

Tone & Themes
The Lunaverse is a fanfiction series targeted at an older audience than the TV show, and thus is somewhat darker, though it should not be written as overwhelmingly so. The overall feel of most stories should be hopeful, yet guarded. Friendship is still at the core of solving problems, but it also requires work and patience (not that this isn't required in the show - the fact that it requires such, however, is emphasized more). Responsibility is a major theme: both keeping to your responsibilities, and taking responsibility for things you've done.

Because the target audience is older, "mature" themes, potentially including such things as violence, sex, and addiction, are all permissible. However, the Lunaverse is not intended as a grimdark world. Stories which are deemed "too dark" will not be added to the list of canon stories (though they may be made semi-canon or fanfictions).

The most important factor about Lunaverse stories, which differentiates the Lunaverse from most other collaborative universe projects, is the continuity. Multi-story character arcs are created and expanded upon. Furthermore, characters in the Lunaverse learn and grow notably, plots progress, and time visibly passes. The status quo is not ironclad and can be shaken up. This is a great strength, as it allows for significant cohesion and helps build a sense of a larger, more complete universe, but it can also pose a challenge, as it may constrain some story ideas, or cause small things from early on to grow in importance. The primary purpose of this series/setting bible is to help authors maintain that continuity.

Equestria

Equestria is the name of the land in which most Lunaverse stories take place in. It was founded thousands of years ago as a union of three tribes of ponies; today it is one of the largest and most influential nations upon its home continent.

- The exact size and population of Equestria as a whole is not defined and will not be defined; distances are exactly as large as they need to be for the purposes of plot. For the sake of scale, however, it can be thought of as being roughly the size of the continental United States east of the Mississippi river.

- Equestria's overall technological level is that of the 1880s on Earth. Electricity is known and generally understood, but not harnessed on any meaningful scale. Steam power is prevalent, and Equestria is an industrialized nation. There is a roughly even split between rural and urban ponies (slightly in favor of rural), and suburbs have yet to develop meaningfully.

- Having said that, Equestria is a magical realm as well, so the worst depredations of industrial blight are prevented. Coal burners, for example, are magically enchanted to burn clean, producing no (or nearly no) atmospheric pollution.

- Equestria is nominally a monarchy. At its top is the immortal Princess Luna, who largely serves as an arbitrator and judge of the rest of the government, though she does have supreme executive, legislative, and judicial authority. Below Luna sits the Night Court, made of of heredity nobles vying for prestige and power. The Night Court has legislative and executive power but is subordinate to the will of Luna, though she rarely imposes it. The Night Court creates most of the laws of Equestria. Below the Night Court are the Lord Mayors and Municipal Councils, both of which are democratically elected by the common citizenry of Equestria. Each town and city in Equestria has a mayor and council that administer their charges and carry out and enforce the laws of the Night Court. It is important to note that while the mayors are below the Night Court in power, they are not subordinate to it and can object or overturn Night Court decrees with popular vote. Finally, each town/city of note has a Representative of the Night Court appointed to it by Luna. The Representative serves as the voice of the town/city to the Night Court and vice-versa. It is their job to ensure that the Night Court and Luna are kept appraised of the needs of their charge, and also usually relay edicts and announcements from the Night Court to their charge.

- Equestria has an extensive rail network connecting all but the smallest or most remote villages. It has a developing telegraph network that currently connects all the major cities

- In some areas, Equestria is ahead of its overall tech level, and in others, it is behind. Medicine: Advanced due to magical supplement. Modern fine surgery (such as brain, heart, or corrective eye) isn't possible yet; disease prevention and combat, however, is nearly on-par with modern techniques. Military: less advanced than would be suspected. Crossbows are the height of military development for soldiers, though large gunpowder canons are available for ships. Aviation: Slightly ahead. Hot-air balloons are reasonably common, primitive blimps are built by the wealthy. The first true rigid airship (zeppelin) will be launched soon. Chemistry: Gunpowder is known to Equestrians, though it is mostly used for fireworks. They also know how to make TNT and other high explosives, but mostly use it for construction. Using magic, they can actually create or distil many substances that would be beyond them, most notably helium for airships. Naval: Sailing ships, no steam ships yet. Equestria has a poor seafaring tradition. Exploration: Equestrians have circumnavigated their planet, but maintain no colonies, and most of their interaction is with their home continent or its closest neighbors. Foreign lands are places of more myth than fact. Other: in all other fields and ways not mentioned here, Equestria should be assumed to be at about an 1880s level of technology, as mentioned above.

- Equestrian agriculture is insanely productive. A combination of earth pony magic (which allows ponies to conduct several harvests per year) and pegasus weather-control magic means that Equestria produces food at staggering rates; if transplanted onto modern Earth they could at least equal the food output of the United States despite Equestria being about half the size. This allows Equestria to maintain a much larger population than its technological development might otherwise suggest is possible.

- Equestria's currency is the silver bit. The bit is further divided into ten copper coins called jangles. Golden bits used to be minted, but they have fallen out of favor.

- Equestria's population is overwhelmingly ponies of the three major tribes: Pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns. The tribal integration is nearly complete; while a given tribe may dominate one area or another, they rarely have a majority, only a plurality (the obvious exception is the pegasus cloud cities). Tribalism (bigotry based on a pony's tribe) is very rare, though not completely unheard of.

- Earth ponies are the most common kind of pony, and pegasi the least, but it is by a very narrow margin (say something like 34% earth pony, 32% unicorn, and 30% pegasus, and 4% other tribes, subtribes, or races)

- Equestria is completely egalitarian; mares and stallions can rise to any position with no limitation. There is a very slightly larger proportion of mares to stallions (51% to 49% or so, roughly the same as on Earth with humans).

- Sexual preference is not discriminated against, ever. The majority of ponies would be defined as "straight" in human terms, but ponies are somewhat looser and more open to experimentation than humans. Preferred choice in partners is approached like a discussion over favorite food. It is never a moral issue, and never has been.

Ponyville

Locations of Interest in Ponyville

Blossomforth’s Aroma Garden
Blossomforth’s shop of perfume, soap, scented candles and other aromatic product. She makes the fancy shampoo used by Carrot Top.

Bon Bon’s Confectionarium
Also nicknamed “Bonbon’s bonbons”, it is Bon Bon’s confectionaries shop and place of dwelling. Like most shopkeepers and artisans in town, Bon Bon lives in an apartment above her store. Lyra moved in with her when coming back from Canterlot.

Carousel Boutique
Rarity’s house and clothes shop where she makes and sell her creations.

Cloud Silo
Adjacent the weather patrol station, it is a structure that holds a reserve of clouds.

Daisy’s Flower Shop
The shop run by the so called ‘Flower Sisters’. It sells mostly decorative flowers with a few edible classics.

Firehouse
The Ponyville firehouse is essentially a small hangar that holds an old fashion pumping cart and a wagon full of ladders and buckets. It is adjacent to Chief Red Splasher’s home.

Fluttershy’s Cottage
Way on the outskirt of town, right by the edge of the Everfree Forest, is where the shy and reclusive Fluttershy lives. This thatched roof building is surrounded by housing for all of Fluttershy’s little animals.

Golden Harvest Farm
Carrot Top’s farm she inherited from her grandparents. It is a modest carrot farm not far from Sweet Apple Acres and it is bordered by small patches of wood. Carrot Top’s property includes her small house, a carrot storage shed and a tool shed. It has a new irrigation system.

Golden Oaks Library
Ponyville’s public library is built into a living tree. It is at the center of a circular plaza in a calm corner of town. It has a telescope on a balcony accessible to the public as well as private living quarters including a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Twilight Sparkle is serving her community service and house arrest sentence by working and living in the library.

The Hay Bale
A hay-themed restaurant where most of the furniture, the roof, and the totality of the food (and drinks) are made of hay. It is a tremendous fire hazard.

Official Residency of the Representative of the Night Court of Luna
House and workplace of Trixie. This modest two-story house includes office space and basement storage. It has a large yard surrounded by a wrought iron fence. Attempts to get ponies used to a shorter name have failed to stick with the general population who use its full cumbersome name most of the time. The front window looking out from the office has been shattered in multiple occasions.

Ponyville Day Spa
Run by the twin sisters Lotus and Aloe. Carrot Top and Trixie go there every week, and so does Rarity. Fluttershy has recently joined them once a month. A very recent building, it doesn’t have the apartment on top configuration of older commercial construction.

Ponyville Elementary
The local schoolhouse, where Cheerilee teaches to the foals of Ponyville. It is a small school with only one class.

Ponyville Post Office
Not far from the center of town it is the central hub of communication for Ponyville and a busy place most of the day. Like all the commercial buildings in town it has an apartment above it. This one is rented out to Ditzy Doo and her daughter. The post office is run by Postmaster Silver Script. It has recently been equipped with a telegraph machine.

Ponyville Town Hall
Located in the center of Ponyville this tall building is the seat of power in Ponyville. It is also the community center as it includes a large auditorium on its ground floor and smaller reunion rooms up for rent. Sleeping quarters are available for visiting members of the government and a pony is available at the front desk to deal with emergency 24/7. Carrot Top has often used this temporary job to round out her budget. The building holds Mayor Mare Ivory Scroll’s office and possibly the office of other town official. It has a bell to call volunteer fireponies to action.

Ponyville Weather Patrol Station
The tallest building in Ponyville is not far from town hall. It is a tall spire but it is mostly hollow, since all the weather ponies are pegasi there is no need for floors and stairs and charts, maps and forecasts are plastered all over the inner wall. The top floors include offices for the captain (Rainbow Dash), the second in command (Cloud Kicker), the coordinating officer in charge of making sure neighboring weather districts don’t throw schedules out of whack (Dewdrops, Raindrops’ father), and a very small office where data from the Everfree Forest is analyzed to prepare mostly improvised forecasts.

The Punch Bowl
Also known as ‘Berry’s’, this establishment is the only bar in Ponyville. During the day it is a family soda parlor where patrons can enjoy various mixes of carbonate flavors as well as some uncomplicated food. After 9 pm the liquor locker is unlocked and the Punch Bowl becomes a proper bar. It is owned and run by Berry Punch and her two bartenders, Fizzy Orange and Shaker, as well as potentially more employees, support her. It also has a small stage where musicians can play.

Quills and Sofa
The store run by Davenport, one of Lyra’s fathers. Possibly where her fathers live.

Sugar Cube Corner
A local bakery shop, it is decorated to resemble a life sized gingerbread house. Whether the building is actually edible has yet to be ascertained. It is run by Carrot Cake and Cup Cake who also live in the building. They rent a room to their employee, Pinkie Pie, in what is essentially the building’s attic. It is a popular place to rent for parties.

Sweet Apple Acre
The local branch of the Apple Trust, and one of its most potent secret weapons. It is the site of the fabled Zap Apples, an exclusive product not found anywhere else. It is a large successful farm and employs many farm hooves to keep it running.

Train Station
Ponyville’s main link with the outside world. Ponyville is the first stop on the line running south out of Canterlot.

Canterlot

Earth Ponies

- Earth ponies are, by a slight majority, the most common kind of pony in Equestria, as they tend to have large families with lots of foals.

- On average, earth ponies are slightly larger and stockier than the other two pony tribes. As one would expect from a tribe that tends towards large families, earth ponies tend to be fairly agreeable towards others and work well in groups, though on occasion they can go the other way and be standoffish to those who aren't their kin.

- Earth pony magic is slow and subtle, but powerful in its own way. It primarily manifests in two ways. The first way is internally, giving earth ponies great strength, stamina, and durability. As a general rule, the average earth pony is half again as strong as the average pegasus, and twice as strong as the average unicorn (without telekinesis). They are also tougher, both harder to injure and possessing a higher tolerance to pain. Earth ponies can also work for much longer before needing to rest, and can go longer without food or water. Increased musculature, especially in the legs, also makes them faster at a gallop than pegasi or unicorns, though a flying pegasus is faster still. Finally, their "upper limit" for any physical trait is higher than that of the other two tribes. The strongest pegasus in the world might be stronger than many earth ponies, for example, but still falls far short of the strongest earth ponies. Additionally, because this aspect of their magic is almost totally internalized, it is exceptionally difficult, if not outright impossible, to "turn it off." Thus, an earth pony in some kind of anti-magic field is still just as strong as she would be outside of it.

- Earth pony magic also extends outwards, through their hooves and into the ground beneath them. They sort of 'leak' magic at all times, this magic imbues itself into the ground and promotes fertility, making plants grow faster, taller, and healthier than they otherwise would. This process only magnifies the more earth ponies there are and the more often they have walked the land, and multiple earth ponies working together tend to have a magnifying effect that can cause their magic to affect a wide area. Thus, without even realizing it, every single earth pony in a town, even if they aren't a farmer, is contributing in some way to the ground's fertility. It is for this reason that Equestria's food production is ludicrous for its size.

- Finally, earth pony magic has a calming affect on animals for reasons unknown. Animals tend to trust earth ponies more than the other tribes. This allows earth ponies to get even natural enemies - such as foxes and chickens - to coexist peacefully when in their proximity.

- All of these uses of magic are involuntary and basically subconscious. An earth pony can continuously walk over a plot of land to work their magic into it, for example, and they understand that they are doing such, but they can't consciously decide to "turn up" or "tune down" their magic.

- Earth ponies are slightly more common in the southern reaches of Equestria and surrounding lands than in the north, mostly due to these reaches being much better farmland. As with overall pony population, however, the advantage is relatively slight.

Earth Pony Stereotypes
These are the views of a stereotypical earth pony - a simple farmer from the country - towards the other pony tribes and races.
Alicorns: Why d’ya think Equestria is the greenest, fertile-ist place in the whole world? ‘Cause Luna and Celestia and Cadance have been walkin’ it for so long.
Pegasus Ponies: Ah can plant, fertilize, harvest and till all day long, but crops ain’t gonna grow without sun n’ rain. We all do our part as best we can.
Unicorn Ponies: Few years back Ah ran into some trouble with locusts. Unicorn friend of mine sent ‘em away quick. Woulda’ lost the whole crop without ‘em.
---
Sea Ponies: Wonder what they eat down there…?
Crystal Ponies: Hear tell they was earth ponies once, an’ still are in some ways. They ain’t quite like us, but they’re still kin.
Cervids: Gotta respect anybody that can live that far north with griffins n’ dragons n’ such an’ still prosper.
Griffins: Let’s just say there’s a reason why us earth ponies tend to stick to the southern parts o’ Equestria.
Dragons: Ain’t never seen one. Don’t ever want to.
Diamond Dogs: Ah stumbled on a hole once that was either made by one of these or the God of all Gophers. Least these ‘uns don’t steal mah crop.
Salamanders: …you mean them little critters down by the pond?

Pegasus Ponies

- Pegasus ponies are, by a narrow margin, the least common sort of pony in Equestria, due to tending to have smaller families with only one or two foals (though there are exceptions to this, as with everything). They can also seem rarer than they actually are because many pegasi live in floating cloud-cities, where earth ponies and unicorns can't go.

- Pegasus ponies tend to be the smallest of the three tribes, though they are not slight by any means. Where earth ponies tend towards bulky musculature, pegasi tend towards supple, well-toned, and aerodynamic muscles.

- Pegasi tend to be the most expressive sort of pony, rarely hiding their emotions. As foals they are often encouraged to go out and make their own mistakes, meaning that pegasus foals tend to be rambunctious and rowdy in comparison to the other two tribes.

- Pegasi can be divided into two broad groups: the ones that live on or near the surface, and the ones that live in the great floating cities. Ground-based pegasi tend to be much like their earth pony and unicorn brethren, and get along easier with others. The ones living in the cloud-cities, however, can frequently go their entire lives only rarely seeing members of the other two tribes. This can lead them to seem a little bit standoffish, aggressive, and tribalist. Usually this is born not from any genuine animosity, however, but rather honest ignorance of how to deal with others.

- Pegasus floating cities tend to drift under their own power, with occasional help from dedicated teams of pegasi to keep them on course or move them higher, lower, or out of the way, as necessary. They tend to move with the weather, favoring southern latitudes in the winter and northern ones in the summer, and can range over broad "sky-provinces" of Equestria. They need to import practically everything from the surface, however, and many items have to be enchanted with unicorn magic or suspended via balloon in order to not fall through the clouds that the cities are constructed from.

- Pegasus magic permeates their bodies, as with earth ponies, but it manifests a little differently. Firstly, a general permeation allows pegasi to stand, sit, or lie down on a cloud as if it were solid matter, or pass through it like the cloud that it is, as they desire. This same magic channeling through their wings is what allows them to fly, as otherwise their wings would be too small to carry them aloft. As with earth ponies, as this aspect of their magic is almost totally internalized, it can't be easily dispelled.

- Second, the magic channels through their wings and hooves to allow them to interact with the moisture of the air. Pegasi can gather moisture together with their hooves and wings and imbue it with their magic to create clouds and fog, or use their hooves and wings to disperse the same. They instinctively know how to construct various kinds of clouds, including thunderclouds, from which they can coax lightning with a well-placed hoof buck. There is no limit to how large or what kind of cloud a pegasus can make, though they must be gradually constructed and so building a great thunderstorm could take weeks for an individual pegasus. Conversely, working in teams can cut this time down immensely.

- Finally, pegasi can control the ambient temperature of the air around them, and can influence the temperature further with wing beats. On an individual level, this gives pegasi immense resistance to both heat and cold far surpassing even earth pony tolerances. When channeled through their wings, their ability to vary the temperature of the air allows them to create breezes and gales, or even tornadoes if they work with other pegasi.

Pegasus Pony Stereotypes
These are the views of a stereotypical pegasus pony - a jockey resident of one of the cloud cities - towards the other pony tribes and races.
Alicorns: Bet I’m faster.
Earth Ponies: I’m not into the whole “starving” scene, so I guess the ground-pounders are alright.
Unicorn Ponies: You know what this place would look like without unicorns? Cloud, CLOUD, cloud, cloud, CLOUD, cloud, thundercloud, cloud, cloud.
---
Sea Ponies: That’s nice.
Crystal Ponies: Neat.
Cervids: Last time the dragons got an Overlord, he and about a thousand dragons attacked the horn-heads. The dragons needed a new Overlord after that. They don’t like griffins either, though, so that’s good.
Griffins: Wings, check. Weather magic, check. Only they’re bigger, stronger, and got claws, and want to eat you. There’s a REASON why even with Princess Luna and the Kingdoms fragmented, they’re still considered a threat.
Dragons: I’m faster and can turn better and I thank the stars for that ‘cause it does not look like a good time down that throat.
Diamond Dogs: Um…why should I care?
Salamanders: Huh?

Unicorn Ponies

- Unicorn ponies are somewhat less common than earth ponies, but more common than pegasi. In broad terms, they are somewhat more common in Equestria's northern reaches and less common in its southern ones. As with all generaizations about pony population in Equestria, however, the margins are very slight.

- Unicorn ponies tend to be taller than pegasi or even many earth ponies. However, they are physically the weakest of the three tribes of ponies in terms of physical ability. While not precisely frail, the fact is that their immune systems, tolerance for pain and hardship, and resistances to extremes of heat and cold are not as robust as that of earth ponies or pegasi. This is not helped by the fact that unicorns, due to their telekinesis and magic, tend to be the least physically active of the three tribes.

- Unicorn magic works quite differently from that of pegasi or earth ponies. With the former two tribes, their magic is a subconscious force, naturally channeled and siphoned according to the needs of the pony at the moment. Unicorns, on the other hand, need to actively concentrate on their magic and focus it to make it function. While simple tasks eventually become so rote as to be nearly subconscious, there is still at least some degree of intentional will behind each spell a unicorn casts.

- Unicorn magic at its most basic form takes the form of being able to make their horns glow - generally no brighter than a good torch - and telekinesis. How much a unicorn can lift with their telekinesis depends upon how much practice the unicorn has had, however, most unicorns can't lift more than their own body weight. Telekinesis does not generally allow a unicorn to levitate herself. At the other end of the spectrum, telekinesis allows for fine manipulation of objects, generally on-par with what human hands are capable of.

- Unicorn magic can also express itself in more complex ways - these being through spellcasting. Unicorns are often stereotyped by other races, and sometimes even by other tribes, as all carrying the potential to become awe-inspiring sorcerers capable of doing anything - usually the fear being that unicorns could rise up and suppress the the other tribes and races at any time and so should be feared. In truth, however, unicorn magic is not generally so broad. It is intimately tied into their cutie marks, and unicorn ponies generally learn spells only related to their special talent. While there exists significant room for interpretation and customization, this nevertheless means that a unicorn with a special talent of, for example, baking, is unlikely to ever be able to cast a spell that summons Tirek to the Earth.

- Furthermore, truly complex or unusual spells require study, practice, and research, and the further away from a unicorn's special talent the spell is, the harder it is for them to cast. Conversely, spells closely related to a unicorn's special talent tend to simply occur to the unicorn at opportune times and are far easier to cast. Using the baking example above, such a unicorn would likely naturally acquire spells that enhance or suppress flavor, create heat in order to bake something, mix flour and water perfectly, and perhaps even an ability to conjure baked goods outright. These spells would likely require no true study on the part of the unicorn to learn, but rather simply be acquired by a natural progression of their talents. Spells more distantly related would include things like summoning baking tools like pots and pans or spells related to other forms of cooking (frying, boiling, etc). They are still tangentially related, but require substantially more effort.

- Every now and then, however, there exist unicorns who's special talent is magic. Twilight, Trixie, Star Swirl the Bearded, Clover the Clever, and other examples exist. These ponies often play major roles in the shaping of Equestria's history - but, it is worth noting, no more a role than great earth ponies or pegasi. A unicorn with a special talent of magic itself has no limit on the spells they can potentially learn, though their own personalities often nevertheless cause them to gravitate towards certain styles of magic (such as Trixie's preference for glamors and illusions, or Twilight's focus on conjuration and teleportation).

- A unicorn has a natural reserve of magic that they can draw upon, the size of this reserve varies from unicorn to unicorn. Everyday tasks such as telekinesis consume virtually no magic - a unicorn could carry a light object around telekinetically all day long and perform other simple magic, and have no ill effects. A unicorn that taxes their magic throughout a day, however, by casting many complex spells, will feel a drain on their energy much as though they've been exerting themselves physically. A unicorn's magic reserves naturally replenish over time at a steady rate.

- A unicorn that channels far too much magic in the day runs the risk of overchanneling. A unicorn that has overchanneled has used up virtually their entire inner reserve of magic. Common theory holds that in order to not consume their entire reserve of magic - which would kill them - the unicorn instead has drawn upon their very life-force - which is only marginally better. A unicorn that has overchanneled falls unconscious. A very narrow window of opportunity, only a few hours at most, then exists to try and replenish the unicorn's natural reserves of magic, usually through the magic of an ether flower or a direct infusion from another unicorn (which is not as easy as simply pointing one's horn at the overchanneled unicorn and zapping them; the unicorn wishing to help must have been specially trained or have a special talent related to healing (or, preferably, both)).

- If their reserves are not replenished, the unicorn slips into a coma. The coma may last for days, weeks, months, even years - some unicorns never recover, even long after their natural reserves of magic have been replenished. On very rare occasions the magic of an alicorn is enough to wake a unicorn from the coma, but usually the unicorn remains in the coma in spite of even that, and the only thing the alicorn can do is ensure that the unicorn has pleasant dreams in their coma. On a small positive note, a unicorn that does wake up from a long coma caused by overchanneling, while usually requiring long physical therapy to recover, generally suffers no permanent psychological or neurological damage.

Unicorn Ponies
These are the views of a stereotypical unicorn pony - a effete noble or high-society goer of Canterlot, Manehattan, or other large city - towards the other pony tribes and races.
Alicorns: Oh how I wish I was an alicorn…perfectly poised, perfectly proportioned, and all that magical power…
Earth Ponies: I have many earth pony friends! We meet all the time! Just…at my place. Where there’s no dirt. Wipe your hooves, dear.
Pegasus Ponies: For being the cleanest of all ponies – physically, that is – they sure do like to get down-and-dirty a lot, and I mean that in every sense of the phrase.
---
Sea Ponies: Oh, what a magical world it must be beneath the sea!
Crystal Ponies: One day I’ll figure out how their magic works.
Cervids: They have a certain grace and style to them that I admire - when they're not hiding it all beneath ugly armor and uglier words, in any event.
Griffins: For being meat-eating, warlike savages, they can be surprisingly noble at times.
Dragons: One does not talk about such dangerous creatures in polite company.
Diamond Dogs: Ugh! No, those aren’t real, are they? Just earth pony stories meant to frighten foals?
Salamanders: Oh, I’ve heard of those! How exotic!

Alicorns

Alicorns are sort of a tribe of pony, and sort of not. In the Lunaverse, they are essentially physical gods of vast power and influence. They are not, however, perfect by any means; they are just as flawed as mortal ponies in their own way.

- Alicorns need to eat and sleep, but can go far longer without either than mortal ponies, or indulge in far more at a time if they so choose. Usually they restrict themselves to pony norms for both.

- Alicorns need to breathe as a form of regulating their internal flow of magic, but can go a very, very long time without breathing if need be. They do not get sick, either.

- Alicorns are extremely difficult to kill, even by the efforts of another alicorn. Their stamina, durability, and magical power means that they can recover from just about anything. While theoretically it is probably possible to bring one down, the effort required to do so defies comprehension, and the potential results of doing so are equally unknown.

- Alicorns do not age once they reach adulthood (which all three depicted above have). As they are natural immortals, they are adapted to living out thousands of years. As such, for example, an alicorn wouldn't go insane from long periods of isolation, the way a human would. They do not easily grow bored.

- Alicorns are essentially a composite of all three pony tribes, and then that composite is basically multipled by ten.

- Alicorns are far tougher and stronger than earth ponies. They can take much more physical punishment and undertake far more endurance trials. Running full-speed across the whole of Equestria in a matter of just a few days, striking a hundred-ton boulder so firmly it shatters (or instead lifting that boulder over their heads), and using their wings or hooves to bend thick iron bars like they were made of rubber, are all within their limits. Basically, Superman-type power. They also have the earth pony connection to the natural land and growing things, as well as with animals, although they rarely have a chance to show or indulge in this.

- Alicorns can fly faster and further than almost any pegasus (though the few in history that have been capable of the sonic rainboom may be faster, but even those ones can't compete with the alicorns' ability to fly over a distance). It is comparatively easy for alicorns to fly several times faster than sound if they wish to. Thanks to their endurance as outlined above, they can maintain this speed for vast distances. Alicorns can also use their weather magic to create clouds, gusts of wind, lightning, and other feats that would require entire weather teams to duplicate.

- Alicorn spellcasting is intuitive and quick. They can literally see the flow of magic if they want, and know how to create new spells on the fly. They can achieve in moments what it would take a unicorn several minutes, or longer, to duplicate, and with only a fraction of the effort. Further, they are not restricted to magic related to their cutie marks, although they do tend to stick to magic that closely relates to it due to their personalities. Having said that, alicorns are not true reality warpers, and casting spells does take some effort. They also do, ultimately, have limits, mostly related to line-of-sight.

- In terms of personality, alicorns are just like normal ponies, albeit on a somewhat grander scale due to their longevity and power. They laugh and cry, they love and hate, they experience triumph and make mistakes. They can become victims of stress or insecurity, and even lose their mind if things get bad enough.

- On a very fundamental level, alicorns are all optimists (even Corona). Every morning they wake up with their whole lives still in front of them, and this knowledge colors what they do. Alicorns are hurt just as much as mortal ponies when a close mortal friend or loved one dies, but they are capable of eventually moving on from that pain. They never forget it, it does not lessen over time - they are simply capable of loving again. They are not bitterly resigned to living out eternity, nor are they necessarily long-term planners who move and act on a scale far larger than mortal ponies can understand.

- On a final note, alicorns cannot become pregnant and are not born through normal means, and although extraordinary circumstances could see to the creation of a new alicorn beyond the three depicted in the image above, it should only be done with caution.

Other Races

Sea Ponies

Crystal Ponies

Goats

- Goats are one of the non-pony inhabitants of Equestria, they make up less than 1% of the total population. However, in some provinces, particularly the more mountainous ones which tend to have lower overall populations, the goat population can be as high as 10%.

- There are many ‘tribes’ or ‘breeds’ of goats each covering small geographic areas with their own culture and language. Physical differences between goat tribes can be significant with differences in size, horn shape and size and coat length being common. Interaction between different breeds is rare outside of large cities. Some individuals can channel magic through their horns similar to unicorns although their spells are more linked to living and surviving in tough environments that most unicorns. These magic goats are sometimes referred to as Capricorns although this title actually refers to fish tailed aquatic breeds. Magic using goats are more common in certain tribes.

- Goats are strong and tough although less so than earth ponies, the average goat is stronger than the average unicorn or pegasus. Goats are significantly more agile than most ponies, capable of balancing on only one hoof for extended periods, and are excellent climbers capable of scaling even sheer cliffs with ease. Goat’s digestive systems are much more adaptable than ponies and they are capable of surviving on most organic materials including things like paper, cloth and tree bark, even some considered poisonous. Goat’s, unlike ponies chew the cud, regurgitating food to obtain the maximum nutrients from it. This action is voluntary and most ponies find it disgusting so goats normally abstain in mixed company. Just because goats can eat almost anything doesn’t mean they choose to when other options are available.

- Most goats show a significant resistance to magic, this both protects them from harmful and helpful spells. This resistance to magic is considered to be linked to their adaptable digestive systems, they are capable of adsorbing and ‘eating’ environmental magic. For most goats this energy is used to power their bodies reducing their need to eat and increasing their strength slightly. Goat magicians can use this energy to power their spells. Under most conditions this means the magician are incapable of extended spell casting as they quickly use up the available magic. The presence of high levels of background magic, magical items or other spell casters can increase the goat’s magical abilities.

- Goats in Equestria tend to divide into two groups, tribal and city goats. Tribal goats (referred to as Tors among themselves) live in their own small often nomadic communities in mountainous areas and other harsh environments, they normally have little interaction with most ponies. City goats are more integrated into pony society and live among the pony tribes. City goats tend to be more physically variable than the Tors as they are the result of many different tribes interbreeding. Although living closely with ponies it is not unusual for goats to not be fully integrated with pony populations, often working unpopular jobs such as cleaning and factory work and not being recognised by the larger population. Larger cities may contain a ‘goat town’ area where goats live but not work. It is common for ponies to know goats are present in their community but not be able to name or even recognize one.

- Goats can be found throughout much of the world outside Equestria and there are rumours of goat kingdoms on some of the other continents. There is some evidence that the more mountainous parts of Equestria may have once been home to large numbers of goats who were displaced by the newly arrived pony tribes. However, this evidence is limited and still debated by most scholars.

- Goats have some problems speaking Equestrian particularly if they start to learn late in life and vice versa. This is due to differences in the structure of goat and pony mouths and throats and have resulted in some rumors that goats cannot speak or even are non-sentient.

- Goats although physically capable of mating with ponies are not inter-fertile and despite the occasional rumor no goat / pony hybrids exist. All known goat tribes are capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring which normally contain aspects of both parents.

- In the pre-unification era is was common among Unicorn nobility to use female goats as nurses for their foals on the grounds that they existed outside of the power struggles of the various houses and thus could be relied on to protect their charges. This tradition carried on after unification although it has reduced over the centuries to only a few houses and other institutions, for instance Harsh Whinnies school still has goat 'house mothers'.

- Due to their wide range of cultures it is hard to define a certain racial mindset for goats, still in general they seem to be more laid back, practical and calm than ponies. Most seem to be happy to survive day by day and do not plan for the long term.

Goat Stereotypes
These are the views of a stereotypical goat – a mountain porter living in a pony town in the north west of Equestria.
Alicorns: Well I’ve never met a princess but Luna sounds nice, protecting her little ponies. It might be good if she thought of her little goats once in a while.
Earth Ponies: Some of my best friends are earth ponies, they’re great farmers, they grow good food. It’s not easy to farm on top of a mountain though.
Unicorn Ponies: Wow the things they can do with their magic, that telekinesis would be really useful to have.
Pegasus Ponies: They keep bragging they can get around the mountains quicker than I can and they’re probably right, but they still have more problems with snowstorms than I do.
---
Sea Ponies: Never met one, I guess they don’t climb mountains much.
Crystal Ponies: Aren’t they just some kind of sparkly earth pony?
Cervids: They always seem a little touchy going on about their honor, well honor doesn’t put food on the table.
Griffins: They can be trouble and they tend to live near the tops of mountains, best to keep away.
Dragons: Best left alone if you ask me, you find one of their caves just turn around and walk away.
Diamond Dogs: They tend to live underground, I live over ground. I can still get around as quickly as they can though.
Salamanders: Who?

Deer

- Deers (also sometimes collectively called elks (which is incorrect as it excludes the other three tribes), or cervids (most correct but also not very common in Equestria)) mostly hail from the nation of Elkheim, to Equestria's north. They are a proud warrior people divided into four tribes, each of which calls a different cardinal direction home: Elk (Aesir or Æsir) being from the East, the Red Deer (Vanir) being form the North, the Moose (Jötunn) being from the South and the Water Deer (Dverger), being from the west. The nation is divided up in a similar manner with each tribe having the most holding in their native area, but as time has gone by more and more travel and permanent moves are being made, and new shared settlements constructed. Each tribe has their own dialect and culture.

- The collective deer tribes have a varied warrior culture, tests of strength skill and guile are common as entertainment and rites of passage, duels are “relatively” common but rarely result in hard feeling or permanent injuries.

- Duels are sometime considered a valid way to settle disputes but usually only relating to certain matters such as “trying to impress someone, honor being insulted,” etc. Fighting to settle an intellectual debate is generally considered a waste of time…unless it’s about which mead is better, then go for it!

- Each society has differences in their dueling and wartime customs, but can combine them or work together when needed. Among Moose tribes scars are seen as a good thing denoting toughness, the water deer tend to look down as scars seeing whoever has them as weak and prone to unthinkingly starting fights. Elk and Red Deer are more lax.

- Collectively Deer are often considered wild, prideful, blunt/aggressive and abrasive, traits they admire in others viewing meekness and servility in a negative light. Boasting/bragging is generally considered good for flirting it’s more about making one’s self-seem desirable as opposed to trying to make the partner feel desires, though that plays a part as well.

- Family and clans are have varying degrees of importance within Deer society, the direct family is always very important and the collective clans is usually well connected and similarly important this is especially the case amongst the Moose and Dvergr but least so amongst the Red Deer and Elk.

- The capital of Elkheim, Yggdrasil, is built upon a giant sloped mountain with the great tree Yggdrasil (far and away the largest tree in the world) spreading over it and reaching high into the sky. The city is broken up into tiers. Each tier is connected by ramps. The buildings are mostly wooden, or stone, with thick thatched roofs, classic Viking homes essentially. Spikes and thick walls rise up surrounding the city’s territory and the buildings; the city was constructed as much as a fortress as well as a meeting place and a home. In the center and near the primary trunk lies the royal family’s keep, the largest building in the city. Watch towers are scattered over the local area, along with small forts and barracks.

- Deers access magic by drawing runes, the exact method they use to draw/use runes varies between tribes and is broken further into different schools of spell craft. They can only express their magic by carving symbols using their antlers (or in the case of the water deer, their tusks) or painting it on their body (the favored method of the Jotun). They can also be carved onto items to enchant them or directly into the ground or walls nearby to produce immediate effects. Runic magic works somewhat like writing, runes express certain concepts and by combining them you can create certain effects. Elks use a great deal of enchanted items, usually weapons, or clothing as well as things like shoes, helmets, etc. Experts might carry around totems with runes etched on them.

- Runes can only be used if you truly understand their meaning (all the possible meanings of each individual rune, including when inverted or mirrored) and that knowledge is never ever shared with non-deer. Anything they can carve runes into can be enchanted. A lot of their enchanted items are general blessing and ‘good luck’ charms that actually work.

- Of course the more runes in a spell the harder it is. Plus, not all deer know all the runes well enough to cast them.

Deer Stereotypes
The stereotypical deer is an elk or red deer warrior eagerly looking for the next fight.
Alicorns: Across the land in secret places have we carved the great runes to protect us over thousands of years. Challenge us and despair, O mighty ones.
Ponies: They are soft and weak and so may remain in their soft and weak lands. We have no need for such places, for we are strong.
---
Sea Ponies: Away, sea-creature! Your songs will not entrance me!
Crystal Ponies: Even weaker! At least the other tribes will fight if pushed. These will only hide behind their Crystal Heart!
Griffins: Worthy and good foes! We shall drink and fight in this life and the next, yah?
Dragons: Come and die, lizard! Your fire warms me and your scales shall make a fine trophy!
Diamond Dogs: Devious little kobolds. They fight without fear. Weak when alone, but they never fight alone.
Salamanders: Ha! Look at the little dragon!

Griffins

Dragons

Diamond Dogs

The Diamond Dogs of Equestria belong to a subterranean race known as the Cheeroonear who originate on the distant Stardust Island, far in the South Sea. The native Cheeroonears live in complex underground networks of tunnels and buried cities, the biggest of which is called Glass Spider, and live in amicable symbiosis with the ponies and camels who settled the mostly arid plains of the island a few centuries ago. The Cheeroonear are excellent miners and the island's soil is rich with rare gems such as opals. Ponies and Camel have long standing trade agreements that proft both sides equally, making Stadust Island a thriving and dynamic country.

In Cheeroonear culture, which believes in reincarnation, diamonds are sacred religious artifact said to hold souls in between lives. Today's Diamond Dogs are descendants of a group who committed the terrible crime of SELLING diamonds to outsiders, and were exiled for it. The heretics moved to the gem-rich Equestria where they illegally settled underground, and soon were joined by all manners of exiled and expat who fled their homeland. Diamond Dog society is split into various 'unions': autonomous democratic units that are centered around a specific trade, such as mining or stone work construction. They trade favors with one another or with ponies for anything they might need, hiring themselves out to anyone willing to pay.

Diamond Dogs try to stay out of the affairs of the surface world, and keep other folks out of their buisness, as such they make no qualm working for criminals or even Corona because they don't generally care what happens to Equestria. Since they value their privacy they are exceedingly discreet and most ponies never realize if they live above a Diamond Dog mine, as they rarely come to the surface unless there is something to be gained. This does not, however, prevent them from having a generally bad reputation amongst ponies. Diamond Dogs are excellent diggers who can move through loose soil at surprising speed, and their strong paws are capable of minute manipulations. They speak Cheeroon, their native language, with one another but all Diamond Dogs speak common Equestrian, albeit with an heavy accent and often slipping into Cheeroon sentence structure. They also have a sensitive sense of hearing and tend to dislike ponies, specifically mares, because the pitch of their voices can be grating on their ears. They have no formal cities but they have mines that serve as hubs of population, the biggest ones being Hideaway, Black Country Rock, Velvet Goldmine, Moss Garden and Crack City.

Diamond Dogs
The stereotypical diamond dog is an underground scavenger and miner, regarded largely as a pest by other races and noted for cowardice.
Alicorns: Run away!
Ponies: Ponies make things for Diamond Dogs, yes. They not know it, but that not matter. Yes.
---
Sea Ponies: Where ponies?
Crystal Ponies: Ah! Pretty Pony, please come with Diamond Dog? Yes? Please? Yes? No? Maybe?
Cervids: Nice to Diamond Dogs when Diamond Dogs show that they are strong! Hard to show that Diamond Dogs are strong, though…yes.
Griffins: They think they are better than Diamond Dogs? Diamond Dogs will prove you wrong! …Somehow! Yes.
Dragons: Sorry! Diamond Dogs sorry! You not eat Diamond Dogs, yes?
Salamanders: Filthy thieving snakes! They take what Diamond Dogs take! Get more Diamond Dogs! We attack! Yes!

Salamanders

Trixie Lulamoon

Tribe: Unicorn
Special Talent: Doing magic for others
Element: Magic
Job: Representative of the Night Court of Luna to Ponyville

Character History
Trixie was born in Neigh Orleans to her mother, Crescent Starshine; her father had run off before she was born, and unfortunately, her mother died not long afterwards. However, Trixie did not grow up alone or unloved. Her aunt, Moonsinger and her uncle Sky Shaper raised Trixie like a daughter alongside their own foals, and Trixie also had the love of her grandfather, Quartermoon (a stage magician), before he died. Quartermoon had a particular impact on Trixie, in fact: her cutie mark is the same as his was, and she earned it putting on her first magic show for him.

Trixie was apprenticed to Luna ten years ago when Luna met her and learned that her special talent was doing magic for others; or in other words, her talent, the thing that makes her happiest, is nominally helping ponies. Luna taught Trixie some magic, including her alicorn sight spell that lets her see the flow of magic itself (useful for learning spells, as Trixie is somewhat dyslexic when it comes to spellbooks), but Luna was much more interested in teaching Trixie about politics, rhetoric, sociology, law, and basically shaping her to one day ascend into the Night Court as a noble, as Luna felt that Trixie would have a positive influence on it.

At the start of the Lunaverse in Longest Night, Longest Day, Trixie has let her status as Luna's apprentice go to her head. She is abrasive, rash, and self-centered, not at all the pony that Luna had hoped she would become. Luna appointed her as the Representative of the Night Court to Ponyville to both give Trixie some actual responsibility, and to remove her from Canterlot for a time as a sort of informal exile to a nowheres-ville of little prestige or notability. Trixie did not take it well and made a bad first impression on the town, incensing Luna even more. Her story might have ended here, if Corona had not broken free from her millennial imprisonment.

After Corona sealed Luna in the moon and left Ponyville, Trixie, working with the other five future bearers of the Elements of Harmony, went into the Everfree in order to retrieve the Elements. On the way, she both got to know those five ponies better, and those ponies got to know her better. When they stood before Corona, Trixie was able to claim - with a little coaxing - that the six of them, together, were friends, and so earned the Element of Magic and drove off Corona. Luna recanted her earlier anger with Trixie and even offered to move Trixie to a more prestigious position elsewhere in Equestria, but Trixie chose to remain in Ponyville with her new friends.

Since Longest Night, Longest Day, Trixie's ongoing concern has been with the Night Court of Luna. Over several episodes - File Under "I" for "Impossible," Musicians & Dreamers, The Hero of Oaton, and Carrot Top Season in particular - it had become increasingly apparent to Trixie that she had enemies in the Night Court who wished her ill, particularly Duke Greengrass and Viscount Prince Blueblood. It wasn't until The Grand Galloping Gala, however, that Trixie realized that the problems were not with any individual members of the Night Court, but rather, the institution of the Night Court itself, which had become corrupt, complacent, and content to focus on its own internal intrigues and machinations rather than truly serve its purpose for Equestria. Hatching a complicated, and morally questionable, scheme involving a truth poison and manipulating an old enemy, Trixie and her friends were able to expose the full extent of the debasement and corruption of the Night Court to Luna, who castigated the Night Court and made it aware that future signs of corruption would not be tolerated.

Night Court aside, Trixie's biggest ongoing concern has been making sure that she keeps the friends she made on the Longest Night. Trixie has had friends in the past, but managed to lose them due to her own personality flaws; she is determined to not let this happen to her current batch. She is quite literally willing to put her wellbeing on the line, as demonstrated twice for Lyra (in Helping...Hands? and Musicians & Dreamers), although no episode showcased her absolute terror of losing a friend - in this case, Raindrops - quite as much as her chapter in Tales of Ponyville.

Defining Characteristics
Crafty, or at least, she likes to think she is (the reality sometimes differs). Trixie is also oftentimes surprisingly insightful, or at least, remarkably good at getting a read on the emotions of others. She is generally pretty sure of herself and confident of her own abilities. Finally, while Trixie's magical ability is not significantly beyond that of any other unicorn's, she is very creative and flexible with the spells she does know.

Trixie's official job as a Representative of the Night Court affords her a modicum of power and authority within Ponyville, albeit not very much. She observes town council votes, though she only votes herself in the event of a tie in order to break it. She is the official voice of the Night Court to Ponyville, and in turn is Ponyville's official voice to the Night Court.

Trixie also has a direct means of communication with Luna's office in Canterlot, through an enchantment woven into her hat. This is unrelated to her Representative position, and is rather a way for her to keep in contact with her mentor.

Flaws/Weaknesses
Trixie is arrogant and vain. She very much likes to hear the sound of her own voice, and oftimes her confidence transforms into over-confidence. For all that she is good at reading others, as well, she often fails to actually take the feelings of others into account. Trixie is also somewhat unfocused - while not lazy, per se, she often has difficulty focusing on tasks that need to get done and prefers to do things that she wants to do.

Trixie is also asexual in the extreme; while not opposed to Platonic romance, the mere thought of having sex, or others having sex, tends to creep her out at least, though if doing something of vital importance she can set that aside.

Goals
Trixie's long-term life goal is to become a noble within the ranks of the Night Court. While she dreams of becoming a vicereine with power second only to Luna, she knows that this is only a fanciful dream and fully expects to be given a low position, such as baroness, or viscountess if lucky. Her position as a Representative of the Night Court is a stepping stone towards that goal, putting her lessons on politics and rhetoric to practical use.

Trixie's Home

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Lyra Heartstrings

Tribe: Unicorn
Special Talent: Music - More Specifically Lyres, Harps, etc. Cannot play a crystaphone (a highly specialized magical instrument), status of other instruments unknown at this time.
Element: Loyalty
Job: Freelance musician. Despite the stereotype she makes a decent living wage.

Character History
Backstory: Raised by two fathers. Was foalhood friends with Bon Bon and Cheerilee. As she became older she became marefriends with Bon Bon. Was accepted into the Academy in the music program. Acquired a mentor figure in Octavia while there. Graduated with distinction. Received a solid eduction on magic theory and became well versed in musically assisted magic called "spell songs". The music itself is not magical but serves as a mnemonic device for spell casting. She manages to catch the eye of Luna just enough that Lyra is assigned as escort to Trixie Lulamoon into Ponyville.

Season 1: Guiding Trixie is not something Lyra winds up enjoying, though she does take a slight liking to Trixie and served to introduce the rest of the future Elements of Harmony to her, as well as several minor characters. When Corona interrupted the Longest Night and took a number of ponies, including Bon Bon, hostage, Lyra is one of the group that volunteers to try and recover the Elements of Harmony to defeat the mad alicorn. During the trek while doing introductions, Lyra also demonstrates that she is also double jointed everywhere. Lyra saved the party from a group of sirens by using spell songs to counter their voices. Lyra then collapsed from overchanneling, though she recieved ether flowers to recover. During the confrontation with Corona, Lyra threw herself in the way of a blast meant for Cheerilee, but Loyalty saves her. After Corona's escape, Lyra and Bon Bon were reunited.

More to come

Defining Characteristics
Loyal. Energetic and eager to try new things. In a stable, loving relationship. Well grounded personality. Understanding of others. Self-reliant. Analytical mind. Forgiving.

Flaws/Weaknesses
Sometimes too loyal (hero worship of Octavia blinded her to truth for instance). Gets too excited some times. Tendency to panic. Doesn't always think things through. Doesn't have the best magical energy reserve. Touchy about the stereotype of "poor musicians".

Goals
Marriage to Bon Bon. Becoming a respected musician like her mentor Octavia. Live a peaceful life. Bring down the corruption in the Night Court so that they'll leave her and Bon Bon alone. Re-imprison Corona so that pony kind is safe. Get Trixie to understand that she's not poor damn it!

Ditzy Doo

Tribe: Pegasus
Special Talent: Sensing air currents
Element: Kindness
Job: Mail mare of Ponyville

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Defining Characteristics:

Flaws/Weaknesses:

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Raindrops

Tribe: Pegasus
Special Talent: Making rain; storms, drizzle and all other types of rain give great joy to Raindrops, they wash away her problems and allow her to relax in a way she cannot otherwise.
Element: Honesty - expressed by honesty within & about herself and a somewhat blunt and direct nature.
Job: Weather mare for Ponyville; she often takes on a managerial role when her supervisors are distracted.

Character History
Backstory: Born to the pegasi Dewdrop and Shutter Bug in the pegasus city of Cloudsdale, she spent her early years there and was often mocked and teased for her slow flight speed. This eventually came to a head when she got into a fight with another pegasus foal and permanently crippled right hing leg; the guilt over this still has a large affect on her personality and actions today. She has a younger brother names Snails who is a unicorn, his birth caused her parents to move to the small town of Ponyville, something that came as a relief to Raindrops herself allowing her a clean slate. Raindrops eventually got a job as a local weather pony, but still lives with her parents, feeling no need to move out until she has a need to. Despite her best efforts she ended up developing a negative reputation around town because of her temper. When angered she will isolate herself and let it out either by exercise and breaking objects far away in the forests until she has calmed down and when saddened or guilt-ridden will retreat to a high place over Ponyville.

Season 1: Raindrops and Trixie did not get off on the right hoof, already stressed by Rainbow Dash's disappearance and an incoming Everfree storm right before the festival Raindrops's was already having far more duties and responsibilities thrust upon her than she could deal with and Trixie calling in a weather team for hire led to her snapping and threatening Trixie with a stormcloud. But when Corona defeated Luna and foalnapped a large portion of the town, she was willing to give Trixie the benefit of the doubt and volunteered to join her on a trip to Everfree for the elements and seemed quite willing to try it on her own if need be. Raindrops displayed her blunt nature a few times during the trip, and tried to keep the group focused on the task at hand. She show's a more direct example of her honestly later when struck with poison joke and easily explains that her turning into a giant represent her fears of hurting ponies and simply being large and clumsy in general. When the elements activate she states that she desires honesty demonstrating just how important this virtue is to her; after Corona's defeat she returned home to reassure ad spend time with her family.

Over the course of Season 1 Raindrops has steadily been opening up to her friends and grappling with her temper and her reputation within the Ponyville community.

Defining Characteristics
Honesty. Raindrops is blunt, but not unkind and is brutally honest with herself in some cases almost self destructively. She values being true to herself and about herself.

Raindrops takes family very seriously, she dearly love her parents and brother and is extremely protective of them and she has a close and affectionate relationship with her little brother whom she tries to look out for and will readily defend; they seem to be some of the few ponies she can easily relax around.

Raindrops is an extremely hard worker and takes her job very seriously often going beyond her rank to ensure things get done; despite her temper, she is a very responsible pony and damage or problems she may cause because of her temper or an accident she will work to fix and repay it immediately.

Physically Raindrops is an incredibly strong pony able to keep up with the likes of Applejack, this can be enhanced by her temper. She is also known to practice Iron Hoof martial arts.

Raindrops has shown a keen interest in "trashy" romance novels, and has a very idealized (even romanticized) idea of love and relationships and what they are meant to be and how they work, this can sometimes get the better of her, such as when Lyra and Bonbon were worried about their relationship.

Flaws/Weaknesses
Raindrops's temper is easily her biggest fault, her temper can be extremely hair trigger and she is extremely difficult to reign in when it get's out of control. Raindrops is more sensitive than she lets on and is terrified of scaring or hurting ponies, she can be rather pessimistic about herself and can be very impatient and demanding. She does not show it often but she is terrified of scaring away or harming her friends.

Goals
Excluding getting her temper under control and helping ensure the defeat of the Tyrant Sun, Raindrops does not have many concrete goals in her life and is generally rather satisfied; she might have an interest in being a bit more appreciate for her work and is certainly open to the idea of romance or expanding her friendships.

Carrot Top

Tribe: Earth pony
Special Talent: Carrot farming
Element: Generosity
Job: Carrot farmer

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Cheerilee

Tribe: Earth pony
Special Talent: Helping foals learn and grow
Element: Laughter
Job: Teacher

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Princess Luna

Tribe: Alicorn
Special Talent: Bringing forth and shepherding the night
Job: Monarch of Equestria

Character History:

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Dinky Doo

Tribe: Unicorn
Special Talent: Unknown
Job: none [student in Ponyville elementary]

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Bon Bon

Tribe: Earth pony
Special Talent: Making candy
Job: Candy store owner

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Pokey Pierce

Tribe: Unicorn
Special Talent: Perseverance
Job: Trixie's assistant and secretary

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Berry Punch

Tribe: Earth pony
Special Talent: Mixing (mostly drinks)
Job: Bar tender

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Rainbow Dash

Tribe: Pegasus pony
Special Talent: Going fast
Job: Weather manager of Ponyville

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Snails

Tribe: Unicorn
Special Talent: Empathy with simple animals like insects and snails
Job: none [student at Ponyville elementary]

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Corona, the Tyrant Sun

Tribe: Alicorn
Special Talent: Bringing forth and stewarding the day
Job: Would-be monarch of Equestria

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Zecora the Zebra

Race: Zebra
Special Talent: none/unknown [it is not known if zebras get cutie marks]
Job: Second-in-command of Corona's forces

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Solrathicharnon the Dragon

Race: Dragon
Special Talent: none
Job: Dragon

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Twilight Sparkle

Tribe: Unicorn
Special Talent: Magic (magic in general)
Job: Job: Ponyville Librarian (formerly a fugitive from the law, but now under house arrest and performing community service)

Defining Characteristics:

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Supporting Characters

Ponyville Supporting Cast
Amethyst Star (Sparkler)
Pinkie Pie
Fluttershy
Applejack
Rarity
Diamond Tiara
Scootaloo
Applebloom
Ivory Scroll

Canterlot Supporting Cast
Vicereine Puissance
Viceroy Night Light
Archduke Bobbing Fisher
Duke Greengrass
Duchess Fragrant Posey
Viscount Prince Blueblood
Baron Mounty Max
Shining Armor
Fancy Pants
Fleur de Lis
Octavia Philharmonica
Zizanie

Other Characters
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza (Cadance)
Spike the baby dragon
Silver Star
Clover Charms
Snowflake McHugeLarge
Loosey Screws and Woody Whittles
Lemondrops
Thunderous Posey
Castor Cut
Gilda the griffin

A Timeline
Thanks to Fizzy Orange for putting this together!

The following history is relatively "soft." That is, it might be changed based on story requirements, more could be added to it, or things could be removed from it if proven to be false. Still, it serves as a good framework to work with.

=The Mythological Times=
Much of the following has passed into myth and legend. Some of it may be true – indeed, all of it may be true – or, perhaps, none of it is true. While there are some beings still around who personally witnessed it, this era was an age of immortal beings who cared little in the difference between seconds and centuries and whose memories are colored by personal bias and perhaps a little forgetfulness – accidental or otherwise.

– End of the previous Universe.

– Birth of a new Universe. Chaos was the entirety of the new Universe, the first thing ever. Before there was Time, there was an eternity of roiling chaos such as a sentient mind wouldn't be able to comprehend. Concepts of all kinds, matter of all kind, all constantly changing and twisting into an infinite storm of chaos.

– Sundering of Chaos. At some points its roiling unstable mass was pulled apart by conflicting forces within it, this caused an explosion and the Universe truly began as the Concept of Time was freed to gain hold. The Concepts of Harmony and Discord battled for a time over which would reign supreme over this new universe. Ultimately the two were annihilated, their very essence spread equally over the entire cosmos, into all things in various amount. In the end only one seed of pure Harmony, and one of pure Discord were left tumbling into the cosmos.

– Birth of the planet Equestria, the land, the sea, the sky, the old sun and moon as well as Tartaros, all born from the remnants of the Chaos, gathered by the connecting power of the seed of Harmony forming the core of the new planet.

– According to Cheeroonear legends it is at this point that the Adamant Alpha appeared. A massive dog-like being of glittering crystal, the Adamant Alpha was the sum of all the souls from the previous universe. He walked the empty sky, letting the amassed souls of his being go into this new universe. Every time a soul left him, a piece of crystal fell and became a brilliant star in the sky. Soon, all that was left was the Adamant Core, an invulnerable heart that will survive this universe and carry the souls into the next. Legends state that when a star falls to the ground, its dust births new gems, like the seeds of a plant.

– Birth of the Tree of Harmony and the Tree of Discord. The seed of pure Discord landed on the new world, sprouting into the form of a wicked tree, while on the opposite side of the world the Tree of Harmony broke through the ground.

– Birth of Squirk, Sleippnir, Fenrir and the Sky Mother. Together, sometimes as one, sometimes as enemies, they began to carve and mold the world into what it is today. The Sky Mother’s first wing flaps created the winds, while the others three created the mountains, valleys, and deep trenches of the oceans. Fenrir began to play pranks and tricks on his companions.

– According to Zebra, Buffalo and most non-pony folks, it is at this point that wild animals and plants began to appear, from the footsteps, folly and musing of legendary beings. Coyote, Raven, Jackal, Quetzalcoatl, Kulili, Amemit, Yu Lung, Garuda, and plenty of others.

– Fenrir and the Sky Mother give birth to Fire and Lightning.

– Dragon legends claim this point as the birth of Tiamat and Bahamut, the First Dragons.

– Birth of the Alicorns. Ponies who know of these Alicorns argue that they are the ones who created the plants and wild animals of the world.

– Actual birth of the first dragons.

– One of the Alicorns creates the Dreaming, inventing sleep. Utilizing this new concept he defeats Squirk and lulls the leviathan to sleep.

– Birth of Celestia, and then, shortly afterward, Luna.

– A group of Alicorns depart from their native land. They will find an isolated island and, once there, create the first ponies. They will dissapear from Myth.

– Sleippnir carves the Aesir, Vanir, Jotunn, and Dverger, giving birth to the Cervids.

– Fenrir tries to devour Sleippnir's creations, sparking a rivalry between them.

– Fenrir grows mad with power and hunger. He kills the Sky Mother (her spilled blood will give birth to the first Griffons), then proceeds to devour the Sun and the Moon. Constantly foiled by Fenrir's trickery at first, Sleippnir sacrifices his eternal body in order to gain the wisdom to defeat Fenrir. From his new understanding of the universe he carves the First Rune, the Rune of Death, into Fenrir's body, ending the immortal wolf's life. From this point forth, no new immortal beings appear until Mi Amore Cadenza. Sleippnir dies but his immortal soul begins a cycle of resurrection, each time as a different species of his Cervids, and each time with more wisdom to share.

– The Alicorns craft a new Sun and Moon to replace those lost to Fenrir.

– The Alicorns fade away into the mist of History and Myth, save for Celestia and Luna who inherit the Sun and Moon.

– Celestia and Luna find the ponies. They begin by carefully observing their strange new imperfect beings and grow fond of them.

– A catastrophe befalls Ponyland. Squirk awakens and in his thrashing threatens Ponyland. Celestia and Luna subtly guide the ponies to their own homeland and go battle with the immortal leviathan.

– Those that could no escape in time fall into the sea, where a benevolent immortal saves them by merging them with creatures of the sea. Thus these unicorns, earth ponies and pegasi are reborn as merponies, seaponies and plesioponies. That same immortal then creates Thetis to protect them.

– Celestia and Luna triumph over Squirk, they then return to their home continent to see to the surviving ponies.

– Luna and Celestia find the ponies ruled by Tirek. The Midnight Castle looms over what should be their homeland, and the ponies are kept in eternal darkness and servitude by the Tyrant from Tartaros.

– Luna and Celestia triumph over Tirek, banishing him back to Tartaros from whence he came. The sight of Midnight Castle is now the Gates of Tartaros where Cerberus prevents any escapes of the dark creatures trapped within.

– The once-unified ponies, traumatized by the despot Triek, split apart into competing kingdoms and herds. Luna and Celestia are still not certain they should directly approach the little ponies.

– An unknown creature, seeking to end the attacks of monsters, or possibly seeking more power, attempts to fell the Tree of Discord. The tree is cut down, but its power remains and with nothing to hold it, it take on the form of a dark reflection of the one who cut the tree, giving birth to the twisted being known as Discord.

– Hearth’s Warming Eve tale. Celestia and Luna still governed the Sun and Moon at this time, so the Unicorn's role in the uneasy peace between the tribes was that of tool maker, being the only ones with the knowhow to craft the bronze tools the other tribes employed. It is only after the three tribes are united that an Earth Pony, learning the trade of blacksmith from unicorns, invents iron.

– A group of Earth Ponies found the Crystal Empire after finding the Crystal Heart. Other pony nations are also formed aside from Equestria itself.

=The Beginning of History=
It is at this point that pony history, at least, can be definitely tracked through records. The records are often incomplete, modified, or damaged, so some guesswork is required; still, pony historical records are the most accurate in the known world.

Year 0 of the Classic Era (CE) – Celestia and Luna introduce themselves to the ponies of Equestria, just in time to save them from some other peril. They are named rulers by the grateful ponies.

~100 CE to ~3400 CE – At some point the Royal Sisters face the Smooze, as well as other threats.

~200 CE to ~3413 CE – Ponies prosper, spreading all over the globe and encountering the other sentient races. This is a golden age for Equestria, despite all the threats from outside that still exist.

~3316 – After a war between its three tribes, Andalantis dissapears.

~3381 CE – Fall of the First Griffin Empire after a failed attempt at invading Equestria and skirmishes with Elkheim.

~3413 CE – Discord takes over Equestria.

Year 0 of the Dawn Era (DE) – Princess Celestia and Princess Luna claim the Elements of Harmony from the Tree of Harmony in order to defeat Discord and turn him to stone.

~1 DE – The Capital of Equestria is moved to Canterlot.

~251 to ~260 DE – The Minotautonic War against nomadic minotaur and bovine barbarians.

427 DE – Grogar arrives at Tambelon.

427 DE – Fall of the Second Griffin Empire. After a series of incursion in Equestria's side of the Skyshaper Peaks and the Latigo Valley fails, the Emperor is assassinated and replaced by a puppet ruler, soon the Empire is shattered into three warring states.

432 DE – Grogar kills everyone at Tambelon. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna move in to stop the Necromancer. They send him into the Shadows where he will wait, displaced in time for centuries, until a time where his name will be forgotten from History, at which time he is supposed to finally be killed.

~450 DE to ~1540 DE – A series of border conflict rocks Equestria.

1547 DE – Fall of the Third Griffin Empire after another war with Equestria and the Crystal Empire.

1556 DE – King Sombra rises to power. Once a fearsome Battle Mage in the Crystal Griffin Wars, Sombra usurps the Crystal Throne with his mastery of Fear Magic. Princess Celestia decides to deal with it on her own and obliterates the Crystal Palace at the center of the capital, ruining most of the city in the process and burying the Crystal Heart for years.

1559 DE – Celestia orders ponies at the border to march to Canterlot, many could possibly die from fatigue, sickness or starvation during the grueling march.

1559 DE – Celestia turns into Corona. Princess Luna is brought back from the pit of despair caused by her loneliness as ponies turn to her more and more. Lines are drawn and Luna confronts Celestia before she can start her forced exodus of the borderland ponies. Corona lashes out at her sister and seizes control of the Moon, declaring herself the only Queen Equestria needs. Luna is first unable to defeat her older sister, but by splitting herself in two and stealing powers from Tirek, she manages to distract Celestia long enough to gain hold of the Elements of Harmony and turn them on her sister.

Year 0 of the New Lunar Era (NLE) – Corona is trapped in the Sun. Equestria is shattered by the civil war and the country is left in disarray. Celestia's Golden Throne is taken away by the few member of the Day Court left. Luna, meanwhile, will spend the next twelve years drunk and depressed, desperately trying to forget what she did to her sister and ignoring the needs of Equestria.

0 NLE – Grogar's prison fails for the first time.

1 NLE – Princess Cadence is born.

11 NLE – Solrathicharnon's family tries to attack Equestria but they are almost all killed by Princess Luna while Solrath himself is left blind.

12 NLE – Princess Luna ends her twelve year bender.

21 NLE – Princess Luna meets her daughter for the first time since her birth.

42 NLE – Fall of the Fourth Griffin Empire. Emperor Yuri dies, leaving no heir to take the throne and the Empire shatters into the recent day Griffin Kingdoms.

63 NLE – Princess Cadence ascends to the throne of Cavallia as Luna's Exarch in Cavallia (Luna is technically the empress of Cavallia but appoints an Exarch to rule it in her stead). Not long after, the Cavallians will appoint Cadance as a Princess in her own right, which Luna raises no objections to.

~85 NLE to ~707 NLE – Princess Luna consolidates Equestria's position on the continent, annexing friendly countries such as Latigo (87 NLE) or helping set up friendly regimes in surrounding nations.

100 NLE – The Symphony of the Sun and Moon is composed.

379 NLE – The independant nation of Prance is invaded by Zaldia. Many Prench pony flee the country and move to the mostly empty province of Lunesiana, founding Neigh-Orleans. Prance is later saved from Zaldian occupation and willingly becomes one of Equestria's province.

478 NLE – Ridiculous perriwigs become popular amongst the nobility, despite Luna's best effort.

500 NLE – Grogar's prison fails for the second time.

610 NLE – Famed unicorn Red Magician finds a legendary cursed crown while trying to redeem his public image after botching his performance of the Symphony of Sun and Moon. He will later lock away said crown in a trap-filled maze of his design.

652 NLE – Diplomatic relationship with the Crystal Empire finally restored.

676 NLE – Hypogriff State established.

703 NLE – Apple Trust established following a dreadful famine.

718 NLE – The Stairs Coup occurs.

~785 NLE – Foundation of Ponyville.

~920 NLE – Birth of Quartermoon the Magnificent.

~970 to ~978 NLE – Birth of the current Element Holders.

982 NLE – Death of Quartermoon the Magnificent, Luna takes Trixie as apprentice.

989 NLE – Death of Carrot Top's grandmother.

990 NLE – Birth of Snails, forcing his all-pegasus family to move from Cloudsdale to Ponyville.

991 NLE – Birth of Dinky Doo after Ditzy runs off to Ponyville.

992 NLE – Birth of Ice Heart.

998 NLE – Count Greenmeadow of Caneighda retires and his son, Greengrass, takes over his title and seat in the Night Court

998 NLE – The Hero of Oaton legend is born.

999 NLE – Ice Palace incident.

=Current Events=

999 NLE – Trixie get sent to Ponyville as Representative of the Night Court of Luna.

1000 NLE – Corona escapes from the Sun!

– Trixie's front window gets shattered for the first time.

– Trixie, Lyra, Carrot Top, Cheerilee, Raindrops and Ditzy claim the Elements of Harmony and send Corona packing.

– Trixie turns Lyra into a 'naked bear thing' using zebra magic.

– Trixie's window gets shattered again.

– And again.

– Twilight Sparkle arrives in town for the first time.

– Trixie's window needs to be replaced on multiple occasions.

– Andalantis re-discovered.

– Trixie saves Oaton, for real this time. While there she encounters what she calls 'The Whispers', possibly a piece of the defeated Tirek lingering in the material world.

– Solrathicharnon joins Corona.

– The Grand Galloping Gala.

– Crisis on Two Equestria

– Grogar's prison fails for the third time.

– Twilight Sparkle is sentenced to house arrest in Ponyville where she becomes town librarian.

Zebronies of Equestria

What Zebronies Are
The simplest answer is that a zebrony is the hybrid offspring of a pony and a zebra. But this is a gross oversimplification.

Zebronies are the least populous equine race in the world though they are growing in number. Physically zebrony tend to be smaller than earth ponies, bigger than pegasi, stockier than unicorns and heavier than zebras. Zebronies are equal to pegasi in terms of physical strength but they lack their sprinters' endurance. They have upright manes and stripes like zebras but the bright colored coats of their pony progenitors. Like ponies their coats and manes can be almost any imaginable color though their stripes are always a darker, or rarely a lighter, shade of their coat color. While there has been very scattered reports of zebronies with horns or wings, such an occurrence would be vanishingly rare.

Zebronies do not gain cutie marks, instead their flanks bear abstract symbols made of intersecting straight and curved black lines called Beacons. When and why they get them and what they mean are Very private and personal things to zebronies and usually only shared with spouses and very trusted elders. The Beacon designs of respected and deceased relatives are often inscribed on their personal clothing or possessions.
(Note: Zap Apple Smash bases the designs of Beacon marks on simplified versions of the Veve symbols of Haitian Vodou.)

While Zebrony is the most common name for them, they are also called Zonies or Zorses depending on where in Equestria they live. Those found in Zebreca are most often called Ponbras. But the largest group, those living in southern Equestria, call themselves Zebronies.

Zebronies are far less numerous than ponies or zebras. Also while some are scattered anywhere ponies and zebra live together, over 85% of their entire population live in or around the city of Neigh Orleans, with most of the remainder living in various northern Zebrecan port towns. Something like 1 in 6 of all equines in and around Neigh Orleans is a zebrony. They are noted for inventing Jazz music and for their many ... inventive ... culinary dishes.

Zebronies have only existed in appreciable numbers, and been considered a race unto themselves, for about 500 years, making them the 'youngest' race in Equestria. Though the first recorded zebrony birth is almost as old as the recorded first meeting between ponies and zebras millennia ago.

As a group zebronies wear more clothes, and more often, than any other equine tribe in Equestria, with nearly all zebronies wearing full clothing daily. Originally a cultural thing cultivated to help them to stand apart from their pony and zebra neighbors, it is also practical as zebrony magic requires a vast array of physical components to work properly, so zebrony clothing is riddled with small pockets. While most often bright and colorful, their outfits tend to be less of a reflection of any trends and more an act of self expression and are often a bewildering mix of cuts and styles, it is not at all unheard of for a zebrony to be seen wearing a sombrero, snow boots and a tuxedo. Many zebronies feel uncomfortable if completely naked.

Zebronies didn't start out with their own culture so they decided to invent one, picking and choosing from all other sources. A lot of thier philosophy centers around the concept of dualism. That everything in the universe comprised of equal parts of opposing extremes and that everything has a cycle to it. They generally refer to this as “The Great Wheel”. Since they very strongly believe that 'what goes around comes around' they tend not to shelter anyone from the consequences of their actions, good or bad, though this also means they have a tendency to hold grudges, often for a very long time. Though they are just as willing as anyone to help out friends and family.

Zebronies also have a great cultural emphasis on self-determination and self-expression, believing that everyone must chart their own destiny and should have the freedom to do so. This means that they tend to have little respect for any form of authority that isn't earned, meaning they often disrespect hereditary positions. That said zebronies tend to be almost fanatically loyal to Luna while being almost irreverent to the hereditary aristocracy.

Zebronies are notoriously socially informal and their neighborhoods are informally organized into Krewes, loose social groups that work to keep their neighborhoods in good shape. Each is krewe has a leader or Cap'n, a group elected, some might say drafted, zebrony who seems to have more right answers than his neighbors and who has to deal with the 'Big Issues'.

Even the process of mastering Voodoo is more informal. Often Zebronies will learn the basics from either family or a close family friend until they can find another teacher. While most Zebronies understand that Voodoo involves constant self improvement, a Zebrony is considered a master of voodoo when enough members of the community refer to them as a master. While this does lead to less consistency in competence when compared to academically trained unicorns, it does mean Zebronies tend to base their learning around how better to connect with their community instead of immersing and isolating themselves in academic knowledge.

Most zebronies are very easy going but one of the things that is never taken lightly is a zebrony's adherence to "The Deal". To a zebrony, making a deal is the closest thing they have to a solemn vow. Once a zebrony makes a deal, they will do everything in their power short of complete self ruination to see it through. Failure to follow through on a deal is one of the worse things for a Zebrony because it either makes them dishonest for not making good on their side or stupid for a making a deal they couldn't follow through on.

The qualities zebronies respect most are cunning, guile and showmareship. They find outright lies distasteful and oath-breaking nigh unforgivable, but they also find plain truths to be boring and dull-witted. They will greatly respect someone who can fool somebody else without actually lying. They have a great love of friendly jokes, tricks and pranks. In all things zebronies are passionate, bombastic, charismatic, dramatic and energetic, except when they are trying to be subtle in which case they are remarkably adept at being unobtrusive. Many zebronies choose careers in the performing arts as showmares, dancers, musicians, singers, models, buskers, etc. Other common professions include being voodoo practitioners, alchemists, chefs, sailors, and farming magical plants alongside earth ponies.

While few modern Neigh Orleans ponies speak Prench anymore, most Zebronies are at least partially tri-lingual, speaking fluent Equestrian and Prench, and partial or fluent Zebra and will often speak in a patois made up of all three languages among themselves.

Zebronies have a wide scope of names. Those born to pony/zebra couples often have zebra or pony names. Equestrian zebrony couples often give their foals archaic Prench or Zebrecan names. Equestrian zebronies find it insulting to be mistaken for zebras. Zebrecan zebronies find it equally irksome to be mistaken for ponies. Despite this they willingly use Equestrian nomenclature such as "somepony" or "anypony" just to keep things simple.
(Note: Zap Apple Smash and DMGtitan have been drawing inspiration from the Haitian language for names.)

Zebrony Voodoo and Alchemy
Voodoo is the main form of magic that Zebronies wield. Voodoo was originally just a term used by Zebronies to describe the act of making use of the resources available in order to achieve the desired outcome. However Voodoo now refers to the form of magic that Zebronies use.

The genesis of voodoo is found in a very strange quirk of the zebrony body, that being that while they have just as much of an internal reservoir of magic as ponies, they have almost no natural way to express that inner magic. An earth pony needs no help in enriching the soil he walks on, a pegasus raised by donkeys will eventually learn to negate gravity to fly and walk on clouds, and a unicorn with no education at all will learn basic levitation and figure out a few spells linked with his special talent. But a lone zebrony will never learn voodoo by himself.

It took nearly a century for what is now called voodoo to be figured out, mainly because it took nearly that long for there to be enough zebronies in Neigh Orleans working together to figure it out. The zebronies of the time painstakingly gathered every technique, trick, mediation and scrap of practical magical knowledge they could from every magic using race that came through their port city. And somehow, through a very convoluted process they refuse the divulge (and many look embarrassed when asked) they created a completely learned method to expressing magic, Voodoo. This process of borrowing techniques from other magic methods continues to this day with zebronies constantly putting their own spin whatever they learn.

Much of this strange magic is cloaked in a guise of theatrics and oblique mysticism, to the point that the vast majority of outsiders think it naught but phony smoke and mirrors. Any voodoo master asked about how he does his art will go on at length about his art but the frustrating thing is that each one spins a different tale, some claim contract with powerful spirits, some talk to the dead, some know the curses and blessings of a forgotten god, some own items of power, some know the words to a tongue of pure magic, some employ only the power of the mind, some draw upon the will of the cosmos themselves. It is all very intentionally confusing, especially since no two zebronies seem to use the same words for the same spells even!

What is known to those truly in the know is that much of voodoo requires two things. First, every voodoo spell and incantation requires physical components to work. These can be almost any form of plant or animal matter which are used up in the casting of the spell. Any given spell always requires the same general items, ex; leaves from a flowering bush, grass seeds, snail shells, hair from a feline, etc. The simpler the spell the fewer and more common the items needed. But in almost any spell, substituting naturally magical ingredients (phoenix feathers, dragon scales, alicorn fur, zap apple seeds, etc) will make a given spell more powerful, indeed the most powerful voodoo require such things. This is the reason why zebrony clothing is made up almost completely of small pockets, to store the items needed for everyday voodoo.

The second thing voodoo requires is a very odd state of mind. It has been said that half the reason for the rather eccentric behavior of zebrony culture is the teach this mindset from the cradle up. Voodoo masters are very closed lipped about this point to any but students but in one interview by a voodoo master at Luna's court stated that “You have to be able to tell yourself a lie, then completely believe that lie while still knowing it's a lie, then make the lie a truth.” It can be surmised that this might be the primary reason for all the smoke and mirrors and mumbo-jumbo zebronies go in for with even every day voodoo, to help convince themselves and others that the magic is real and therefore the magic becomes real. Indeed voodoo seems to work far better on subjects that believe in it rather than abject skeptics.

One very interesting fact of voodoo is that a voodoo caster is completely immune to his own magic. A spell that gives great stamina to another will do nothing for him. A spell of flame will burn all around him but leave him unharmed, though any fire started by his spell will still burn him. Unfortunately this also includes all forms of beneficial magic like healing. This has fostered a great deal of co-dependent cooperation among zebronies.

Voodoo has been seen doing almost anything that unicorn magic can do, but it is also obvious that at any one effect cast by voodoo is weaker by half or more than the unicorn equivalent. But while unicorn spells are great at doing one or two effects per spell, voodoo is exemplary at spells with a broad array of effects. Examples: of 2 casters of equal power the unicorn will cast a bigger, hotter fireball than a zebrony could cast, but the zebrony would have a much easier time will something like a Flutterwing spell which includes cloud walking, matter manifestation, pseudo-muscular movement, neural linking to said pseudo-muscles, imitation of natural pegasai anti-gravity magics, and imbued flight instincts and training, though the end result would likely look very different from the unicorn equivalent. All voodoo spells have an array of secondary and tertiary effects but hey so what if the bonfire is green and smells like patchouli?

Because voodoo is an entirely learned magical discipline, technically any person with magic in him can learn it. Very few non-zebronies ever do though. Most people believe it is just a bunch of smoke and mirrors put on for the benefit of the gullible, while most others are happy with whatever magic they naturally have. Most just can't wrap their mind around its rather convoluted methodology. Many non-zebrony practitioners are just pretenders.

Since the first zebronies were unable to cast spells, make storms, etc. many early zebronies not interested in mundane jobs took to learning pony and zebra alchemy. The fact the every zebrony grows up learning an encyclopedia's worth of knowledge about and array of ingredients which are also useful in alchemy is one reason for the race's collective talent with potions. Some zebronies have learned to mix p\voodoo and alchemy for powerful results.

All this make voodoo a very eclectic and eccentric magical tradition but then the same can be said for the zebronies themselves. And since Neigh Orleans is where it was invented and where the most, and most powerful, zebrony voodoo masters are, it is no surprise that most zebroneis from elsewhere end up making a pilgrimage there eventually, and many choose to stay.

History of Zebronies and Neigh Orleans
To understand how zebronies went from being a loose bunch of scattered hybrids to their own cultural identity of a unique species, one must understand the history of the city of Neigh Orleans and how it was founded.

About 600 years ago the small country of Prance was conquered by the neighboring country of Zaldia, including Prance's capital city of Maris. A few decades later Equestria would liberate Prance from Zaldia's gross misrule and was, at the majority request of its citizens, annexed Prance as part of Equestria.

But immediately after the conquest, several hundred Prench ponies fled their homeland to escape Zaldian oppression. They fled to Equestria but, not wanting to just assimilate into Equestian culture, decided to found a new town of their own in Equestria's Lunesiana frontier. They rafted down the Marrissippi River all the way to Equestria's almost completely unsettled southern coast. They were hoping to create a seaport on the river delta to take advantage of the relatively recent rise of coastal trading between Garanaha, Cavallia, and Etalonia. Unfortunately this was also the same time the Pirate Brotherhoods of the 1000 Islands were coming into the height of their power and would spend much of the next century raiding the continent's southern coast heavily, likely dooming any mercantile prosperity Neigh Orleans might enjoy.

But chance and fortune played their part, for just 3 years previous the great Equestrian explorer, Sir Fearless Rake, had made the long sea voyage to the mysterious southern continent, mapping much of the territories of Zebreca and Saddle Arabia and meeting many of the native horse cities and Zebra tribes, spreading highly embellished tales of his homeland as he went.

One of the results of this was the embarking of the first Zebrecan trade expedition across the Zebrecan Sea to the pony lands. The two zebra trade ships were attacked by pirates on the way and had to flee into a storm to escape, only one of them managed to limp to shore, the shore of a small town called Neigh Orleans.

While still relatively poor and suffering from recent raids, the Neigh Orleanians were ecstatic to meet the foreign trade ship loaded with monies and exotic goods for trade. They treated the crew like royalty, did all they could to fix their ship, and traded with them. Lucky for the ponies the land they had settled in was rich with herbs, spices and medicinal plants that were exotic to the zebras. They traded well and left with a ship full of the valuable vegetation, promising to return. But founding Mayor Renard Argenté was sharp and crafty and knew that with the pirate problem, his city would never flourish. So he sent word to any pirate captain who would willingly meet peacefully with him. He threw a big party in their honor and offered them a deal, Neigh Orleans would open its doors to the pirates, buying their plunder, selling them supplies, and allowing shore leave to their crews in one specific quarter of the city (this would eventually become what is now known as the Prench Quarter). In return, they would promise not to raid the city nor any ships trading with Neigh Orleans. Amazingly many of them agreed, some of them even going so far as to defend such ships from other pirates in return for rewards. So the word spread that Neigh Orleans was a safe port, attracting merchant ships from all over, and especially from Zebreca. Between fencing the pirates plunder and the growing trade with Zebreca, the city flourished, becoming known as The Gateway to the Southern Continent.

And now we come to the zebronies. With the ever growing trade between the ponies of Neigh Orleans and the zebras of Zebreca, and with sailors being sailors … well there were slowly yet ever growing amounts of intermarrying and interbreeding between the two. While such unions could happen anywhere the two peoples met, the majority of such unions happened in Neigh Orleans and to a lesser extent various scattered Zebrecan ports. This of course led to the hybrids becoming a gradually growing percentage of the city's population and as the influence of so much intercultural contact influenced the city, it too influenced the zebronies living there. For a while there was little cultural difference between the first and second generation zebronies from their local pony and zebra parents. But 120 years after the city's founding, the growing amount of money and trade flowing up the Marrissippi River into the Equestria heartland, and the resulting expansion of settlements in the region, necessitated official governmental oversight and the establishment of several new baronies and dukedoms.

Unfortunately for the locals, a corrupt group of wealthy ponies pooled their wealth to basically buy the Neigh Orleans Lordship from the crown (a not uncommon practice at the time). They then established themselves at all the local levers of power and proceeded to wring all the money and property they could from the city. Besides greatly raising local taxes and shipping fees, they also used a loophole in Equestrian law that existed at the time, to financially abuse all the non-ponies living in the city, the largest single group of which being the Zebronies. The corrupt baroness and her minions were able to use bribery and fraud to keep official notice from their actions. Another bit of bad fortune was that at this time Luna was tied up overseeing a peace summit in the far north griffin lands so it took several months for word of what was happening to reach her. Needless to say, once she found out and confirmed what she had been told, she had the ne'er-do-well nobles arrested and the laws amended within a week.

While official apologies and reparations were made to the victims, this event changed the zebrony's group outlook. They decided that if they wanted to have a real stake in their own future, then they couldn't just be half-ponies or half-zebras anymore. The zebronies of Neigh Orleans began a concerted effort to establish a new cultural identity for themselves. While they didn't fully segregate or isolate themselves, they began to live in close knit groups and to aggressively invent new customs, often modifying customs shamelessly borrowed from some of the far off peoples that came through cosmopolitan Neigh Orleans. Over the last five centuries the zebrony population has slowly grown to become a people unto themselves while still being an integral part of the city that has been in part shaped by them as they have been shaped by it. Neigh Orleans has become a gathering point for zebronies everywhere and most of those not already born there journey there eventually, if only to learn proper voodoo. They are a vibrant people always willing to stand out from the crowd while still keeping their cards close to their collective vest. As they have forever marked their home city, the time may soon come for them to leave their mark on the world.

Zebrony Stereotypes
these are the views of a stereotypical zebrony – an entertainer or huckster from Neigh Orleans – towards the pony tribes, zebras and other races:

Alicorn: Now that is what you call a complete package!
Earth Ponies: Best herb growers around. And everyone needs a good straight-mare!
Pegasi: Always up for a fun time but they're about as subtle as a brick through a window.
Unicorns: All that magic and yet not a shred of Showmareship.
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Zebras: DON'T CALL ME A ZEBRA!! Not that there's anything wrong with Zebras.
Sea ponies: I hear they are amazing singers.
Crystal Ponies: Earth Ponies with a flare? Who knew?
Griffons: You mean they're part lion and part bird? Weird.
Goats: None of my best joke voodoo sticks to them! Why!?
Cervids: Bunch of stiffs who can't take a joke. But don't tell them I said that!
Donkeys: Dependable I guess, but not a bit of style.
Dragons: Talk about dominating the stage!
Diamond Dogs: Disreputable thugs, but they do have good taste is baubles.
Salamanders: You mean those lizards in the wood pile? Grammy uses their tails in her brews.
Camels: Talk about Dry Wit! (you know, cuz desert...)
Buffalo: Met one once. He was a surprisingly spry dancer for such a big fella.