The Ponies

The Guide will be conserning itself with the five most common types of ponies in Equestria. Other equines of Sebbia may be added later.

The Tribes
The pony tribes trace their lineage back to three progenitors. The traditional narrative follows.

''After the Cosmic Matriarch created and charged the four alicorn Keepers, she looked upon the world of Sebbia and took soil from the fertile fields that had no steward and created the Earthponies. She called them Erida.''

''One of the Erida ran across the land, reveling in the wind, leaping in the air to soar with the birds but always falling to the earth from which she was made. The Matriarch saw this, so she took a wisp of cloud and crafted wings for the running Erida. She fastened the new wings to the Erida's back with a breath. The new pegasus took to the air and flew such to make the wind envious. The Matriarch smiled and called her Kulus.''

''Another Erida saw what the Matriarch did and reached out to the Mother. She wanted desperately to know, to understand how these things were done. The Matriarch smiled and challenged the young Erida to follow. The Matriarch galloped with the swiftness of light over hills and valleys, through streams and oceans. No matter where she ran, the young Erida followed. After many days and nights, the Matriarch stopped on the banks of a mighty river that fell through tall mountains. The young Erida arrived, full of knowledge and experience. The Matriarch asked the young Erida what she wanted to know. She answered by placing her head at the Matriarch's hooves and giving thanks. The Matriarch kissed the Erida's forehead. Where her lips touched, a horn grew. She called her Alkris.''

''The Matriarch returned to the fields to see her last remaining Erida. The first and last Erida was hard at work, planting seeds to feed herself and her sisters, but the plants did not respond to her coaxing. Erida fell at the hooves of the Mother, covered in the sweat of her toil and hungry. She did not beg to be fed, instead she begged to know what she did wrong that the plants did not listen. This pricked the Matriarch's ancient heart. She placed a hoof on Erida's heart, teaching her not to tell the plants how to grow, but to feel for what they need.''

''After many days and nights, the Matriarch saw that the ponies were sad. She inquired of them the reason for their sorrow. Erida, Kulus, and Alkris answered that they had no one to share their knowledge with. So the Matriarch took from the dews of morning and formed an Erida stallion to share the land. The Matriarch then caught the lightning of a passing storm and wrought a Kulus stallion to share the sky. The Mother then clove a mountain and carved from the stone an Alkris stallion to share the magic.''

The Earthponies--Erida
The earthponies are regarded as the oldest of the races. Their special abilities involve an affinity for plants and the production of food. The earthponies are a hardy bunch, resistant to disease and injury. From joint research with the Butterpony healers, Twilight Sparkle and others have determined that the corporeal leyline pattern for Earthponies is centered on the chest. This is a possible explanation for how the earthponies interact with magic. It has been an accepted fact that they are able to feel Spectra moving. They act on instincts and reflexes that have baffled observers on many occasions but such actions have always proved to be accurate. There is a common phrase among the unicorns and pegasi; "Nopony goes against an earthpony gut."



Many earthpony professions and talents involve plants, crops and the processing or production of food. There are, of course, exceptions. Another common earthpony talent is building. Nopony is quite sure why but building and repairing edifices comes easily to them. They work best with organic materials such as wood and clay. Many of the earthpony vilages are remarkable for not using metal in their constructions. Stone and metals tend to be more difficult for them to use.

Some have speculated that this has to do with the gift the Matriarch bestowed on the first Erida. The reasoning goes that the earthponies are able to manipulate and work wood because it was once alive, or perhaps still is in a way. They are able to shape clay and brick, another favorite building material, because they were made from the soil by the Matriarch.

The Pegasi--Kulus
The Pegasi are by far the smallest population of Equestria when compared to that of the Earthponies and Unicorns. According to legend and pegasus tradition, they learned how to sculpt clouds from the Matriarch herself. The first pegasus city built was the legendary Miashema or Skyhome. The city was lost during the Millennium of Misery, but some believe to this day that it drifts on the errant winds of the great north, beyond the River Hemwiss. Many scholars believe that because of this feeling that their home is still out there somewhere, the pegasi feel out of place in Equestria. Princess Celestia has done much to dispel this feeling by fostering several strong bloodlines within the oldest pegasus families. Luna once had significant influence as well, but that died with her offspring during her exile.

The pegasi have some very unique abilities. They have an affinity for weather and an innate knowledge of the winds. Through joint research with butterpony healers, Twilight Sparkle and others have found that the corporeal leylines of pegasi are centered at the joining of their wings and back. Scholars see this as confirmation of the traditional narrative that the Matriarch attached wings to the running Erida. It has also been an accepted fact that pegasi can hear Harmony in the wind. They describe it as listening to the winds sing. Depending on what they want to do, they can manipulate the song, by changing the melody, tempo and mood. It is difficult for them to explain exactly how they accomplish this. Unicorns observing the pegasi claim to have seen large sweeping leylines that converge with the flying pegasi when they execute their maneuvers.

Physically, the pegasi differ the greatest from the Earthponies. They are more likely than not of a slighter frame and slightly longer of limb. The difference is perhaps only a few smidgens, but it is noticeable when they stand side by side. Though the pegasi are built lighter, they have a robust physicality that can withstand a great deal of punishment. They are virtually impervious to cold and are equipped with powerful lungs and strong backs. Some of the most impressive singers in Equestrian history have been pegasi, thanks in large part to this attribute. Where the Earthponies are hardy and rarely succumb to sickness, the pegasi are extremely vulnerable to disease. Doctors have struggled for centuries, trying to understand why they are so susceptible. Some have postulated that it is because of their environment of choice. Pegasi love high altitude, understandably, they are at their peak performance in the high reaches of the sky. Those who choose to make their homes on the ground often live on mountains, but those who cannot are constantly vigilant. They must pay close attention to their bodies. At lower altitudes, pegasi run the risk of developing respiratory problems, such as pneumonia, influenza, and asthma. Most agree that this is due to their physical nature, though other diseases can quickly spread through a pegasus population. Many believe that this is due to their self-imposed isolation from the rest of Equestria, and that they simply are not exposed to common forms of pathogens in their preferred habitat. Pegasi that are born on the ground and are raised there, seem to be slightly more resilient than their cloud-dwelling kin. Because of this, it is often a long, arduous process to gain citizenship in one of their cloud cities. They tend to not move from city to city because of the risk of introducing pathogens, though it is much easier for a pegasus who has lived in the clouds her entire life to move from place to place.

The Unicorns--Alkris
The Unicorns are arguably the most prevalent of the pony races. Their inherent magic makes them well suited to clerical and administrative tasks. They tend to fill roles in the bureaucracy of Equestria's government. Of the three races, the unicorns range the farthest from their birthplaces. They are naturally restless, constantly driven to find knowledge. Once they find someplace that holds their interest, they tend to cling to it tenaciously. Unicorns are very similar to earthponies in physicality. They tend to be slighter of build but they share a lot of traits. Through research conducted with butterpony healers, Twilight Sparkle and others have found that the corporeal leylines of unicorns are centered on the forehead, their apex at the tip of the horn. Interestingly, unicorn leylines are not uniform, they vary from individual to individual. Some hypothesize that this has to do with the three types of horn ridging found in unicorns, but from the many samples they have taken, the pattern variances do not follow every ridging the same way. Each pattern recorded was unique in some way from the others. However, the bases of the pattern are always the same.

Unicorns, due to their horns bestowed by the Matriarch, are the only extrovertly magical race. The wraps in the horns are a form of leyline structuring. There are three kinds of unicorn horn ridging, Spiral, the most common, Nautilus, and Crested, the most rare. Some skill sets follow the three different types of ridging but it is never guaranteed what sets. As a unicorn works with magic and hones her skill, she will begin to acquire the ability to feel and hear Harmony. Few unicorns have reached this level of affinity.

Unicorns work best with metals and stones. This likely has to do with the six materals that are considered the pure physical representations of Spectra: Ruby, Amethyst, Diamond, Iron, Copper and Cobalt. Mages use these materials for specific amplifications of spells. Stone rich in jewels is the only kind of stone that unicorns can work easily. Unicorns are also very adept at smithing and metalurgy, most can manipulate metal to a certain degree. For more information see: Magic

The Nocturnes--Niyega
The Nocturnes have a long and troubled history. Their story begins during the Millenium of Misery. Nopony really knows when they came into being. Discord's constant meddling with the Great Leylines created many strange creatures, most of which did not survive long after his defeat. The Nocturnes were one of the few creatures that did survive the sudden ousting of Discord and the return of order, along with some other species such as manticores and hydras. Shortly after the founding of Equestria, the nocturnes were driven from their subterranean homes in the Badlands by the Dragons. They wandered the dark places of the land still in turmoil after Discord’s banishment, searching for a place to call home. They were first discovered by pony settlers, during the founding of the city of Manehattan, a couple hundred years after the defeat of Discord. Their strange, frightening appearance deeply appalled the settlers; they attempted to drive the Nocturnes from the forests around the future site of the city, but when the 'monsters' resisted, they quickly involved their leaders. A few ponies were taken captive by the nocturnes, and nopony knew if they were alive or dead. Celestia, who had dealt with a similar incident only months before with Diamond Dogs, assumed that this was only more of the same. To her great surprise, the nocturnes were able to evade her. Celestia deduced that they were nocturnal; based on the information given to her by the settlers. Luna was able to locate and capture several of them. She found that they had no spoken language. They seemed to posses a secondary means of communication with their fellows, perhaps a form of telepathy. Over the course of several weeks, Luna managed to teach the few nocturnes she had captured how to speak. They recounted their history, a feat in and of itself, as the nocturnes have an ancestral memory in that they can recall feelings and general information about what happened to their forebears. Luna negotiated a treaty with the Niyega through those she had taught and secured the safe return of the settlers. Celestia offered the caves of the Shinespire Mountains to the nocturnes as a permanent home. They gratefully accepted.

The nocturnes are almost the exact opposite of the other ponies. They are a nocturnal race and are extremely susceptible to sunlight. The nocturnes also have three variants of race: earthpony, pegasus and unicorn. Unfortunately, though they were included as citizens of Equestria, the other ponies were often frightened of them. They tended to view the nocturnes as second-class and would avoid consorting with them. The nocturnes are very sensitive to mood and atmosphere, they naturally could pick up and react to the feelings of others around them. This led to changes in behavior; they became very subservient, apologetic and demure when dealing with Equestrian natives. It took several hundred years for the Niyega to assimilate into pony culture, and even as they rose to a higher status they were still shunned. They held the Sisters Royal in very high esteem, though were fiercely loyal to Luna who they viewed as their patron ruler. It was not until the creation of the Nocturne Guard by Luna's son, Crescent, that the Niyega began to enjoy some measure of respect among the ponies of Equestria.

Tragically, with the advent of Nightmare Moon, they sided with the Nightmare in the great civil war. The Niyega suffered heavy casualties and the unicorn nocturnes were almost completely eradicated in the fighting. At Nightmare Moon's defeat, the nocturnes were also banished in the moon with their dark mistress for a thousand years. They returned with Luna and have resumed their place as guards in her service. Currently they inhabit the upper climbs of the Shinespire’s northern face where they are rebuilding their population. Unfortunately, many of them are ashamed of what they did during the war and so do not try to interact with the other ponies.

The Bronies
The scholars of the Royal Archives in Canterlot are having a difficult time classifying these newest citizens of Equestria. The bronies originally hail from Earth, a world similar to Sebbia in another dimension. The bronies use a newly understood principle of physics known as Gravitational Resonance to create a portal and bridge between the two dimensions. 3,145 bronies entered Equestria through the portal. A few days after the first opening, the portal was activated again but due to a series of events on the other side, the portal collapsed, severing the connection between Earth and Sebbia. Soon thereafter, the bronies began to succumb to an ailment known as Spectral Sickness. Without the sustaining influence of Earth, their bodies began to die. They were not yet of Sebbia, so Harmony could not force Spectra to sustain them. Without magic, the ponified bronies could not survive. As Spectra withdrew from them, they lost their colors and soon lost their connection with reality. Princess Luna was able to save them by using an ancient form of Human magic, left behind by the first humans to come to Equestria long ago. She used the Oathstone in Canterlot to create a surrogate bond with the bronies. In doing so, she created a connection between them and herself, much like the bond between mother and child. Through her, the bronies had a conduit to Harmony. After the bonding, it was proclaimed that Luna considered the bronies her own offspring. A majority of the bronies settled in the ancient village of Dreamvale in Dream Valley. They are currently rebuilding the settlement.

Physically, the ponified bronies are exactly the same as the natives, if a little taller. The difference is only an inch but it is noticeable enough that most natives can pick a brony out of a crowd. The bronie's abilities are also no different from the natives in all aspects but that of magic. Any brony, no matter their type can make use of the runes. However, it has been found that only unicorn bronies can build makina that use runic magic. Unicorn bronies can use many forms of Human magic, including spoken spells. The types of magic that they have been able to duplicate have always been those deeply rooted in the arcane that also have a well defined structure.

Most scholars contend that because they were not actually born on Sebbia, the bronies are not ponies. However, they agree that the bronies are no longer human, both physically and otherwise, becasue of their transformation on Earth and later their adoption by Luna.

Not all of the bronies chose to become ponies. They were able to archive several "resonance signatures" of various races during early excursions to Equestria via a smaller portal and special equipment that could detect the movements of the Higgs-boson. Their machine could read and duplicate those signatures to replicate the form of another creature and apply it to humans. the transformation was not permanent at first but after more experimentation, they were able to make it so. Several bronies chose to be Gryhons, Minotaurs, Dragons, Diamond Dogs, Zebra, and Buffalo. Though many would like to have been alicorns, they could never record an alicorn resonace signature, despite repeated attempts. Changeling signatures were impossible to find as well.