The Apple herd is one of the larger ones on the steppes. This is because when an Apple marries, they usually bring in the spouse’s herd to become a part of theirs.
So when this trio of siblings lost their parents, their family had their back. When they lost their matriarch, Granny Smith, (nomad healthcare isn’t exactly the best) many of the older mares squabbled among themselves about who would take on that role. While they fought and argued, AJ did the work of the matriarch. Nowadays, she’s the defacto leader while the elders make most of the decisions in conference with each other. When they can’t agree, AJ decides.
Same for pegasi,they can long distance can glide like an albatross and can cruise at high enough altitudes to scout out dangers for miles out. Also, their ability to manipulate clouds makes the presence of fresh water and hazardous storms a considerably reduced hazard.
Unicorns would have the advantage of setting up sensory spells at a distance, to act as an extra early warning system when scouting and fight would be less preferable or successful. The extra brain activity also means unicorns can sleep lying down, but still have 50% of their brain perfectly active to appropriately respond to danger.
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I like this au.
I can’t believe I forgot that. mb.