[](/matilda) Little known fact about real life donkeys: they are incredible guard animals. Farmers keep them around not just for field work, but to protect other animals like sheep, chickens, and even horses. What sets donkeys apart from other livestock is their scrappiness. Rather than fleeing, they prefer to chase foxes and coyotes, eager to trample or kick the intruders to death. They're strong enough and fast enough to succeed, too.
[](/dog02) Anyway, I assert that ancient Equestrians hired donkeys to be bodyguards back when Diamond Dog raids were more common. Modern Equestria is a more peaceful place now, but donkeys and ponies still share a society due to the bond of friendship their ancestors forged in those heady days of early civilization.
[](/cranky) Considering that sayings such as "stubborn as a mule" and "ugly mule" do exist within pony society, it's possible that the two folks have a rockier history. Perhaps in the early years of Equestrian society, the friendship between ponies and donkeys was stronger, because ponies relied more on the donkey's protection. But as ponies became more and more in tune with their magic, non-magical threats became less and less real, while magical threats became more and more prominent. And donkeys being non-magical creatures, they started being less useful in regards to protection and ponies began seeing them as primitive and barbaric.
Although it's possible that the different pony tribes have somewhat different relations with the donkeys. Earth ponies probably still mingled with them frequently, hence why multiple donkeys live in Ponyville (which was founded as an earth pony settlement, if I remember correctly). Perhaps this could have been a source of negative stereotypes among unicorns for earth ponies. Meanwhile pegasi never really saw any donkeys at all; their view of donkeys is probably just a mish-mash of random stereotypes (similar to how Hungarians would look at black people).
[](/twinkleooh) Ooh, I didn't consider the magic aspect. Your version makes more sense: donkeys are considered has-beens rather than old friends. At the same time though, its not like ponies are *totally* dismissive or ungrateful. Mules still exist, after all.
[](/kterramarfrown) I really gotta revive my fic draft that features a hinny OC. Raised by her mother in a donkey community, I want to explore her halfbreed challenges while she visits her dad's side of the family in Ponyville. Like a more mundane twist on Terramar's story.
Stands to reason Rarity wouldn't have a Cutie Mark either then, right? Or does she wear a fake one using cosmetics? I can imagine a socialite like her doing something like that. The human equivalent would be penciled-on eyebrows.
Aha, fits both lore *and* character. Very good.
An alternative would be having Rarity be a full-blooded pony and Sweetie Belle be her half-sister. The cosmetic plot has more emotional torque though.
Nah, I think both being mules is the right call. It gives Rarity more flavor in this AU, and allows her to understand Sweetie's troubles, having experienced them herself and discovered her own solutions.
Also, while Sweetie Belle would care more about Cutie Marks due to its importance at her age, Rarity could be privately grappling with a different aspect mule biology that is relevant at her own age: infertility.
[](/lyra) One of my fics also includes a donkey OC. He's called Hinny Hendrix and... Yeah, he's an expy for Jimmy Hendrix. He is a famous musician whom Lyra is a huge fan of. He also disappears as part of a Scooby Doo mystery, where the ghost of Pranceley is blamed.
I'm under the impression that the reason why we see several talking-but-mundane farm animals in Ponyville, but not anywhere else, is because it's a rural area.
It's like how in "Flight to the Finish", the CMCs mention that Ponyville is the only town not dominated by one type of pony. Then again, in "The Last Problem", we see changelings and dragons in Canterlot, but not Ponyville.
Someone I know who has horses once described donkeys as horses with no filter: They're "the cuddliest, friendliest, most loving animals ever... if you make a friend of one, it will always remember you. But also, they stomp wolves to death."
So yeah.
Unfortunately the donkeys we saw in FiM don't match this real well, though of course those were just individuals - not representative of the entire species. Still, in a setting where the horse-equivalents aren't nearly as skittish or single-minded as they are in reality, what defines donkeys?
I've seen some stories characterize them as persistence: Ponies might not be passive or fearful, but donkeys will select an objective and just not stop working at it, no matter what life throws at them. They will achieve their goal... eventually.
I like this idea. Ages ago, I imagined a llama and alpaca nation where the two species disliked each other for silly reasons, but since llamas are also livestock guards, they could be bodyguards in that scenario instead.
You know, I *almost* mentioned llamas as being cut from the same cloth, but I left out that detail since it felt unimportant.
Maybe Daring Do would employ a llama guide while adventuring in Equus's equivalent of South America. She'd compliment his survival knowledge and he'd relate his people's history as allies of the alpacas.
Hello there! I am a bot raising awareness of Alpacas
Here is an Alpaca Fact:
Alpacas weigh a lot less than other livestock like cows. Alpacas generally weigh only 100-150 pounds. Cattle weigh a thousand and compress soil far more.
______
| [Info](https://github.com/soham96/AlpacaBot/blob/master/README.md)| [Code](https://github.com/soham96/AlpacaBot)| [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=JustAnAlpacaBot&subject=Feedback)| [Contribute Fact](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=JustAnAlpacaBot&subject=Fact)
###### You don't get a fact, you earn it. If you got this fact then AlpacaBot thinks you deserved it!
Speaking of donkeys, I do hope we get some G5 representation of E. asinus, E. hippotigris, and E. przwalski
Or even multiple breeds of donkey. Have E. africanus, E. onager, and E. kiang.
[](/celestia) I need a good picture with the four Alicorn Princesses (Twilight, Celestia, Luna, Cadence (or is it Cadance?) - no Flurry Heart thanks) to use as a profile picture somewhere. I tried searching derpibooru with all four tags but huh... 3000+ results ain't gonna be easy to sift through.
Alternatively, a nice arrangement of their four cutie marks could work I suppose.
[](/sp)
[](/klunabeam)Thanks for any assistance from any art connoisseur out there !
Try sorting by score. I did, and within a few pages saw a few images I would consider using!
Alternately, the search term 'alicorn tetrarchy' may yield more what you're looking for, as it usually refers to images with *just* those for in it (or at least, just those four prominently featured).
Thanks, the 'alicorn tetrarchy' term did not even cross my mind! I've found [this pic] (https://derpibooru.org/images/252297?sort[]=188&sort[]=252297&sd=desc&sf=score&q=alicorn+tetrarchy) which is really beautiful and perfectly fits what I was looking for.
Ok , I there a lot I want to talk about.
First off, RD is legitimately the most powerful member of the main six that isn't pinkie and it's not close. Rainbow can slam into structures with enough force to create mushroom clouds, she's able to create large powerful tornadoes as long as someone as fast as her is around, she can casually break the sound barrier in an instant as seen when she wanted to show starlight the wonderbolts. Half the time she slams into structures and insane speeds and is fine most of the time, it's only really her wings that ground her after getting hurt, and it doesn't take that long to heal. Hell, in the episode where she tries avoiding eating Pinkie's pie, she's able to move faster than everyone else could blink and perceive the world in slow motion. Of course she suffers from speedster syndrome so her abilities are null at times. Unfortunately it's both the plot and her own self, whether that be her ego, selfishness, loyalty, confidence,or lack there of that keeps her from consistently holding this title.
I honestly wish we got to see more of a dynamic between cadence and chrysalis. No not the ship. What Chrysalis did to Cadence was the most personal a villain has gotten in the show by a landslide. SHE IMPERSONATED HER, LOCKED HER AWAY UNDERGROUND FOR WHI KNOWS HOW LONG, AND MIND SCREWED HER THE PERSON SHE WAS MARRYING ( and literally screwed if you go by the headcannon that a new batch of changelings were formed thanks to shining) SHE HAS EVERY REASON TO DESPISE THIS WOMAN AND THEY DONT EVEN INTERACT AFTER. Cadence is essentially the embodiment of love, she can spontaneously make others fall in love ,her castle guards a crystal heart, she is the polar opposite of Chrysalis, who almost seems incapable of it. Thus could explain why the hate between one another could be such an issue if either is in the room with the other.
[](/matilda) Little known fact about real life donkeys: they are incredible guard animals. Farmers keep them around not just for field work, but to protect other animals like sheep, chickens, and even horses. What sets donkeys apart from other livestock is their scrappiness. Rather than fleeing, they prefer to chase foxes and coyotes, eager to trample or kick the intruders to death. They're strong enough and fast enough to succeed, too. [](/dog02) Anyway, I assert that ancient Equestrians hired donkeys to be bodyguards back when Diamond Dog raids were more common. Modern Equestria is a more peaceful place now, but donkeys and ponies still share a society due to the bond of friendship their ancestors forged in those heady days of early civilization.
[](/cranky) Considering that sayings such as "stubborn as a mule" and "ugly mule" do exist within pony society, it's possible that the two folks have a rockier history. Perhaps in the early years of Equestrian society, the friendship between ponies and donkeys was stronger, because ponies relied more on the donkey's protection. But as ponies became more and more in tune with their magic, non-magical threats became less and less real, while magical threats became more and more prominent. And donkeys being non-magical creatures, they started being less useful in regards to protection and ponies began seeing them as primitive and barbaric. Although it's possible that the different pony tribes have somewhat different relations with the donkeys. Earth ponies probably still mingled with them frequently, hence why multiple donkeys live in Ponyville (which was founded as an earth pony settlement, if I remember correctly). Perhaps this could have been a source of negative stereotypes among unicorns for earth ponies. Meanwhile pegasi never really saw any donkeys at all; their view of donkeys is probably just a mish-mash of random stereotypes (similar to how Hungarians would look at black people).
[](/twinkleooh) Ooh, I didn't consider the magic aspect. Your version makes more sense: donkeys are considered has-beens rather than old friends. At the same time though, its not like ponies are *totally* dismissive or ungrateful. Mules still exist, after all. [](/kterramarfrown) I really gotta revive my fic draft that features a hinny OC. Raised by her mother in a donkey community, I want to explore her halfbreed challenges while she visits her dad's side of the family in Ponyville. Like a more mundane twist on Terramar's story.
Reminds me of an AU idea I had where Rarity and Sweetie Belle are mules, and Rarity doesn't have the heart to tell Sweetie she can't get a cutie mark.
Stands to reason Rarity wouldn't have a Cutie Mark either then, right? Or does she wear a fake one using cosmetics? I can imagine a socialite like her doing something like that. The human equivalent would be penciled-on eyebrows.
>Or does she wear a fake one using cosmetics? That's what I had in mind.
Aha, fits both lore *and* character. Very good. An alternative would be having Rarity be a full-blooded pony and Sweetie Belle be her half-sister. The cosmetic plot has more emotional torque though.
Maybe that could have more drama, because then there'd either be a remarriage or infidelity.
Nah, I think both being mules is the right call. It gives Rarity more flavor in this AU, and allows her to understand Sweetie's troubles, having experienced them herself and discovered her own solutions. Also, while Sweetie Belle would care more about Cutie Marks due to its importance at her age, Rarity could be privately grappling with a different aspect mule biology that is relevant at her own age: infertility.
Oof. That's another good way to add an "adult" layer to the drama. (Though apparently, female mules can very rarely be fertile.)
happy cake day, BTW
[](/lyra) One of my fics also includes a donkey OC. He's called Hinny Hendrix and... Yeah, he's an expy for Jimmy Hendrix. He is a famous musician whom Lyra is a huge fan of. He also disappears as part of a Scooby Doo mystery, where the ghost of Pranceley is blamed.
Every glimpse I get into your work is the wildest thing I hear all day.
[](/hahaha)
> At the same time though, its not like ponies are totally dismissive or ungrateful. Mules still exist, after all. Love, as they say, is blind.
I was going to mention this earlier, but in {Heart of the Forest}, Discord is a hinny.
I'm under the impression that the reason why we see several talking-but-mundane farm animals in Ponyville, but not anywhere else, is because it's a rural area.
[](/ajsup) Funny how it's the rural areas of Equestria that are the more diverse. Interesting reversion of the real world.
It's like how in "Flight to the Finish", the CMCs mention that Ponyville is the only town not dominated by one type of pony. Then again, in "The Last Problem", we see changelings and dragons in Canterlot, but not Ponyville.
No one ever accused the writers of being consistent with lore.
Someone I know who has horses once described donkeys as horses with no filter: They're "the cuddliest, friendliest, most loving animals ever... if you make a friend of one, it will always remember you. But also, they stomp wolves to death." So yeah. Unfortunately the donkeys we saw in FiM don't match this real well, though of course those were just individuals - not representative of the entire species. Still, in a setting where the horse-equivalents aren't nearly as skittish or single-minded as they are in reality, what defines donkeys? I've seen some stories characterize them as persistence: Ponies might not be passive or fearful, but donkeys will select an objective and just not stop working at it, no matter what life throws at them. They will achieve their goal... eventually.
Equestrian donkeys may be less susceptible to group panic than either FiM ponies or IRL horse herds.
Hrm, you know, that is a good thought!
I like this idea. Ages ago, I imagined a llama and alpaca nation where the two species disliked each other for silly reasons, but since llamas are also livestock guards, they could be bodyguards in that scenario instead.
You know, I *almost* mentioned llamas as being cut from the same cloth, but I left out that detail since it felt unimportant. Maybe Daring Do would employ a llama guide while adventuring in Equus's equivalent of South America. She'd compliment his survival knowledge and he'd relate his people's history as allies of the alpacas.
Hello there! I am a bot raising awareness of Alpacas Here is an Alpaca Fact: Alpacas weigh a lot less than other livestock like cows. Alpacas generally weigh only 100-150 pounds. Cattle weigh a thousand and compress soil far more. ______ | [Info](https://github.com/soham96/AlpacaBot/blob/master/README.md)| [Code](https://github.com/soham96/AlpacaBot)| [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=JustAnAlpacaBot&subject=Feedback)| [Contribute Fact](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=JustAnAlpacaBot&subject=Fact) ###### You don't get a fact, you earn it. If you got this fact then AlpacaBot thinks you deserved it!
Heh. Llamas do grunt work because alpacas are literal lightweights.
Speaking of donkeys, I do hope we get some G5 representation of E. asinus, E. hippotigris, and E. przwalski Or even multiple breeds of donkey. Have E. africanus, E. onager, and E. kiang.
[](/celestia) I need a good picture with the four Alicorn Princesses (Twilight, Celestia, Luna, Cadence (or is it Cadance?) - no Flurry Heart thanks) to use as a profile picture somewhere. I tried searching derpibooru with all four tags but huh... 3000+ results ain't gonna be easy to sift through. Alternatively, a nice arrangement of their four cutie marks could work I suppose. [](/sp) [](/klunabeam)Thanks for any assistance from any art connoisseur out there !
Try sorting by score. I did, and within a few pages saw a few images I would consider using! Alternately, the search term 'alicorn tetrarchy' may yield more what you're looking for, as it usually refers to images with *just* those for in it (or at least, just those four prominently featured).
Thanks, the 'alicorn tetrarchy' term did not even cross my mind! I've found [this pic] (https://derpibooru.org/images/252297?sort[]=188&sort[]=252297&sd=desc&sf=score&q=alicorn+tetrarchy) which is really beautiful and perfectly fits what I was looking for.
Ok , I there a lot I want to talk about. First off, RD is legitimately the most powerful member of the main six that isn't pinkie and it's not close. Rainbow can slam into structures with enough force to create mushroom clouds, she's able to create large powerful tornadoes as long as someone as fast as her is around, she can casually break the sound barrier in an instant as seen when she wanted to show starlight the wonderbolts. Half the time she slams into structures and insane speeds and is fine most of the time, it's only really her wings that ground her after getting hurt, and it doesn't take that long to heal. Hell, in the episode where she tries avoiding eating Pinkie's pie, she's able to move faster than everyone else could blink and perceive the world in slow motion. Of course she suffers from speedster syndrome so her abilities are null at times. Unfortunately it's both the plot and her own self, whether that be her ego, selfishness, loyalty, confidence,or lack there of that keeps her from consistently holding this title. I honestly wish we got to see more of a dynamic between cadence and chrysalis. No not the ship. What Chrysalis did to Cadence was the most personal a villain has gotten in the show by a landslide. SHE IMPERSONATED HER, LOCKED HER AWAY UNDERGROUND FOR WHI KNOWS HOW LONG, AND MIND SCREWED HER THE PERSON SHE WAS MARRYING ( and literally screwed if you go by the headcannon that a new batch of changelings were formed thanks to shining) SHE HAS EVERY REASON TO DESPISE THIS WOMAN AND THEY DONT EVEN INTERACT AFTER. Cadence is essentially the embodiment of love, she can spontaneously make others fall in love ,her castle guards a crystal heart, she is the polar opposite of Chrysalis, who almost seems incapable of it. Thus could explain why the hate between one another could be such an issue if either is in the room with the other.