Culture, Biology, and Dietary Headcanons

Frustration in Excelsis
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Worldbuilding Addict
I’m going to copy-and-paste a post I made some time ago in the crazy headcanons thread, because now that this thread is up it seems to fit better here than there:
 
So, there’s this artist of Deviantart who does daily sketches of random things and includes a lot of pun-based critters among them. I was particularly taken by her take on crabapples:
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There’s something about these fellers that, if there was an episode where a swarm (or whatever you call a group of crabs) of them invaded Applejack’s orchard, it would fit right in with the show’s aesthetic, I thought.
So in light of that, I decided to come up with some more pun-based animals to keep the timberwolves and fruit bats company:
Rock lobsters: Lobsters made from animated rock and stone. Not much else to say.
Spider monkeys: (The issue here is that regardless of how I imagine these guys, they always come up as a bit too… nightmarish for MLP.)
Diamondback rattlesnakes: Snakes made from clusters of gems and crystals. Perhaps Rarity and/or Maud could stumble across a nest of hibernating diamondbacks while going mining.
Catfish and dogfish: Like mermaids and seaponies, but with cat and dog instead of human or equine. Popular pets among certain groups of aquatic sapients. The catfish is not to be confused with its bigger and more ferocious cousin, the tiger shark.
*Sand cats Cats made of animated sand that inhabit deserts. They attack by turning themselves into living sandstorms, or by ambush while lurking inside dunes.
Fire ants: Think flash bees, but with fire instead of lighting and without flight. Prone to causing wildfires.
Jewel scarabs: They look like just flawless, if a bit oddly shaped, and very colorful gemstones… until you go to pick them up, at which point the head and legs pop out of hiding and the insect scurries away in terror.
A couple of these I added some time ago to one of Tv Tropes’ wild mass guessing pages for MLP. Also another one I saw there was the idea of domesticated timberwolves called dogwoods.
Very late addition based on something I found on Deviantart this week: *hydrangeas.
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Very popular among certain gardening enthusiasts, although they’re not recommended for people with pets or small foals.
Not to be confused with the closely related snapdragons.
 
A few additional thoughts:
 
I gather that a group of crabs is called a “cast”, although I’m not sure how much I like it. I think “a clatter of crabs” or “a scuttling of crabs” sounds much more appealing.
 
The sand cats would probably fit well in the Bone Dry Desert, now that I think of it.
 
I’m wondering if I should go ahead and add *sea cows. Perhaps a second aquatic people alongside seaponies?
mjangelvortex
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Lady of Ships and Birbs
@Frustration in Excelsis  
Those pun based creatures are very creative. They kind of remind me of the Bookwyrm (who hasn’t appeared in the series yet but I hope it does) and literal Fruit Bats.
 
And I like the idea of seacows. I’m sure LightningBolt would too since she’s fond of underwater creatures.
LightningBolt
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Senior Moderator
Undead inside
And I like the idea of seacows. I’m sure LightningBolt would too since she’s fond of underwater creatures.
 
I have a siren obsession.
 
Also I wrote down a shitton more undead headcanon stuff, but I’m keeping that for vector descriptions, just gotta finish those up. But to summarize: Zombies are grumpy loners. Vampires are seductive and dependent on others. Ghosts are tricksters.
Background Pony #7628
@LightningBolt  
Interesting designs… and interesting descriptions too. I think the zombie pony intrigues me the most. If you don’t mind my offering a thought on the creation aspect, going back to the post I made about love magic, it occurs to me that, if it is in fact a vital component of life in Equestria, love magic could be what brings them back. I mean, you’d have to have a pretty strong love for someone to revive them even after any other life-force had left. Not that it would be sufficient to restore them fully, but enough to go along with what you already established.
 
Additionally, if it is (as I surmised) the case that love magic is a pretty special field of magic that only a handful of unicorns have ever had any real power over, it would also explain why we don’t see a lot of undead shambling about. You’d either have to concentrate the essence of life from plants and other natural items…  
 
… or bury the recently deceased somewhere it was found in unnaturally high quantities.
 
Although that would also mean (if true) that the most powerful necromancer in Equestria is likely Princess Cadance.  
LightningBolt
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Undead inside
@LightningBolt
Interesting designs… and interesting descriptions too. I think the zombie pony intrigues me the most. If you don’t mind my offering a thought on the creation aspect, going back to the post I made about love magic, it occurs to me that, if it is in fact a vital component of life in Equestria, love magic could be what brings them back. I mean, you’d have to have a pretty strong love for someone to revive them even after any other life-force had left. Not that it would be sufficient to restore them fully, but enough to go along with what you already established.
 
That’s a pretty interesting concept, actually.
mjangelvortex
Silly Pony - Celebrated the 13th anniversary of MLP:FIM, and 40 years of MLP!
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).
Roseluck - Had their OC in the 2023 Derpibooru Collab.
King Sombra - Celebrated the 10th anniversary of The Crystal Empire!
A Lovely Nightmare Night - Celebrated the 12th anniversary of MLP:FIM!
Princess of Love - Extra special version for those who participated in the Canterlot Wedding 10th anniversary event by contributing art.
Tree of Harmony - Drew someone's OC for the 2022 Community Collab
Elements of Harmony - Had an OC in the 2022 Community Collab
Non-Fungible Trixie -
Kinship Through Differences - Celebrated the 11th anniversary of MLP:FIM!

Lady of Ships and Birbs
@LightningBolt  
Maybe they might too. Maybe love magic has the most benefits, malicious curses caused by others has the most drawbacks, and self-induced curses has more of an in-between mix of benefits and drawbacks.
Background Pony #37A8
@mjangelvortex
What about self-induced curses? Purposely or accidentally, would they have different implications and rules?
@LightningBolt
Maybe they might too. Maybe love magic has the most benefits, malicious curses caused by others has the most drawbacks, and self-induced curses has more of an in-between mix of benefits and drawbacks.
 
I feel like intent might matter a lot in that case. We’ve seen in the show that, improperly used, love magic can be twisted into something less like love and more like obsession (case and point, the incident with Twilight’s old doll Smarty Pants). I imagine being brought back by some desperate or noble need would differ a great deal from a selfish unwillingness to let the individual go. And as for self induced curses, perhaps that could stem from loving or caring about something too much to give it up even after death. The undead who guard forgotten treasure or rise out of duty long forgotten by mortals come to mind.
 
I’m not sure where concentrating those life essences into a potion would fall. Zecora seems content to use hers mostly to heal or mend, which I doubt anyone would consider a bad thing, but it’s still her playing around with the powers that govern life itself, which is not something to take lightly. It kind of makes you wonder where the line is on something like that, and what passing it entails.
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Undead inside
@Background Pony #E8C7  
The implications of the Want It Need It spell are vastly underdone in fanworks and it should be explored more. I’ve always had a fascination with it and the moral grayness of a lot of magic in the ‘hooves’ of the right unicorn.
 
What about self-induced curses done via dark rituals gone badly?
Background Pony #37A8
@Background Pony #E8C7
The implications of the Want It Need It spell are vastly underdone in fanworks and it should be explored more. I’ve always had a fascination with it and the moral grayness of a lot of magic in the ‘hooves’ of the right unicorn.
No question, Twilight has hovered on the edges of some powers that, were she of a less guileless nature, would undoubtedly be very concerning. She definitely strikes me as an “oh, hey, a spell that completely dominates other minds and bends them to my will? This is fascinating stuff to learn about just for the sake of learning!” type. And given that she may be one of the most diverse magic users in Equestria, I do sometimes wonder if Celestia’s desire for her to make friends had an additional intent of keeping her from accidentally becoming some kind of world consuming evil.
 
 
@LightningBolt  
What about self-induced curses done via dark rituals gone badly?
Honestly? I could see that as the worst one for drawbacks. I mean, not to draw from other mediums, but you think about Lord Voldemort’s desire to live forever and what it cost him to do that, and then imagine a scenario in Equestria where you so love yourself that you would twist that love into sustaining your life even after death, and… that just seems like asking for the worst of all fates. Even if you don’t mess it up. The words “grim mockery” come to mind if you fail, and all the unending torment that goes along with sustaining yourself because yourself is the only thing you ever loved.
 
I don’t know if Equestria has lich, but if they do, I bet that would be where they come from.
 
 
@mjangelvortex  
@Background Pony #E8C7
You make a lot of good points there. A character’s motivations could probably be what causes the differences in these kind of spells.
I’d like to think so. Goodness knows the show has made a play over how emotions affect magic use (thanks, Starlight, for that), so the desire of the person performing magic doesn’t seem like a stretch.
 
On a related note, I can’t help but think that being brought back in the best way is a pretty rare circumstance, considering that it requires love not used selfishly or out of a refusal to let nature have its way. I’d like to think it would also be the one closest to actual life, whatever that would signify.
LightningBolt
Umbrella - For Patreon supporters
Lightning Dee - Derpi Supporter
Silly Pony - Celebrated the 13th anniversary of MLP:FIM, and 40 years of MLP!
Shimmering Smile - Celebrated the 10th anniversary of Equestria Girls!
Lunar Hero - Went above and beyond in the name of Lunar freedom, they will be remembered in legends and folklore as paragons of heroism for generations (April Fools 2023).
Flower Trio - Helped others get their OC into the 2023 Derpibooru Collab.
Roseluck - Had their OC in the 2023 Derpibooru Collab.
Chaotic Little Trees - 1000+ images under their artist tag
King Sombra - Celebrated the 10th anniversary of The Crystal Empire!
A Lovely Nightmare Night - Celebrated the 12th anniversary of MLP:FIM!

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Undead inside
[bq]@Background Pony #E8C7
The implications of the Want It Need It spell are vastly underdone in fanworks and it should be explored more. I’ve always had a fascination with it and the moral grayness of a lot of magic in the ‘hooves’ of the right unicorn.
No question, Twilight has hovered on the edges of some powers that, were she of a less guileless nature, would undoubtedly be very concerning. She definitely strikes me as an “oh, hey, a spell that completely dominates other minds and bends them to my will? This is fascinating stuff to learn about just for the sake of learning!” type. And given that she may be one of the most diverse magic users in Equestria, I do sometimes wonder if Celestia’s desire for her to make friends had an additional intent of keeping her from accidentally becoming some kind of world consuming evil.
That’s a pretty interesting idea. I like to imagine that a majority of ‘powerful’ unicorns are very morally gray and easy to sway one way or the other.
What about self-induced curses done via dark rituals gone badly?
Honestly? I could see that as the worst one for drawbacks. I mean, not to draw from other mediums, but you think about Lord Voldemort’s desire to live forever and what it cost him to do that, and then imagine a scenario in Equestria where you so love yourself that you would twist that love into sustaining your life even after death, and… that just seems like asking for the worst of all fates. Even if you don’t mess it up. The words “grim mockery” come to mind if you fail, and all the unending torment that goes along with sustaining yourself because yourself is the only thing you ever loved.
That’s super dark and depressing.
I love it.
I’d like to think so. Goodness knows the show has made a play over how emotions affect magic use (thanks, Starlight, for that),
Emotions affecting magic has been implied before, but they finally made it very clear thanks to her, which is nice as it’s loose enough to allow flexibility in writing, both canon and noncanon. People may bitch like “oh well twilight can teleport why didn’t she do that!” but if emotions and focus affect how your magic works, it can be very hard to teleport when in a stressful situation. It’s still possible, but it takes more concentration.
mjangelvortex
Silly Pony - Celebrated the 13th anniversary of MLP:FIM, and 40 years of MLP!
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).
Roseluck - Had their OC in the 2023 Derpibooru Collab.
King Sombra - Celebrated the 10th anniversary of The Crystal Empire!
A Lovely Nightmare Night - Celebrated the 12th anniversary of MLP:FIM!
Princess of Love - Extra special version for those who participated in the Canterlot Wedding 10th anniversary event by contributing art.
Tree of Harmony - Drew someone's OC for the 2022 Community Collab
Elements of Harmony - Had an OC in the 2022 Community Collab
Non-Fungible Trixie -
Kinship Through Differences - Celebrated the 11th anniversary of MLP:FIM!

Lady of Ships and Birbs
No question, Twilight has hovered on the edges of some powers that, were she of a less guileless nature, would undoubtedly be very concerning. She definitely strikes me as an “oh, hey, a spell that completely dominates other minds and bends them to my will? This is fascinating stuff to learn about just for the sake of learning!” type.
 
It very would. I honestly think she could have toed the line very easily. She has done morally ambiguous things with magic before (like the Want it Need it Spell or what she did to the Pinkie clones) or has gotten close to doing that (like attempting to use magic to reform Discord against his will).
 
And given that she may be one of the most diverse magic users in Equestria, I do sometimes wonder if Celestia’s desire for her to make friends had an additional intent of keeping her from accidentally becoming some kind of world consuming evil.
 
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it was. Especially if you consider what happened to Luna and Sunset Shimmer. She’s seen firsthand what happens to some when magic is misused.
 
Honestly? I could see that as the worst one for drawbacks. I mean, not to draw from other mediums, but you think about Lord Voldemort’s desire to live forever and what it cost him to do that, and then imagine a scenario in Equestria where you so love yourself that you would twist that love into sustaining your life even after death, and… that just seems like asking for the worst of all fates. Even if you don’t mess it up. The words “grim mockery” come to mind if you fail, and all the unending torment that goes along with sustaining yourself because yourself is the only thing you ever loved.
I don’t know if Equestria has lich, but if they do, I bet that would be where they come from.
Goodness knows the show has made a play over how emotions affect magic use (thanks, Starlight, for that), so the desire of the person performing magic doesn’t seem like a stretch.
On a related note, I can’t help but think that being brought back in the best way is a pretty rare circumstance, considering that it requires love not used selfishly or out of a refusal to let nature have its way. I’d like to think it would also be the one closest to actual life, whatever that would signify.
 
I agree with you on these points too. I think it would be rare for the dead to come back in a normal manner for those reasons.
 
@LightningBolt  
Emotions affecting magic has been implied before, but they finally made it very clear thanks to her, which is nice as it’s loose enough to allow flexibility in writing, both canon and noncanon. People may bitch like “oh well twilight can teleport why didn’t she do that!” but if emotions and focus affect how your magic works, it can be very hard to teleport when in a stressful situation. It’s still possible, but it takes more concentration.
 
That’s what I feel about emotion magic too.
Background Pony #37A8
That’s a pretty interesting idea. I like to imagine that a majority of ‘powerful’ unicorns are very morally gray and easy to sway one way or the other.
Well they have a restricted section of the library for a reason, after all. There are undoubtedly more than a few spells that, in the hooves of a powerful but less scrupulous pony, could be incredibly tempting to use for nefarious purposes.
 
 
@LightningBolt  
That’s super dark and depressing.
I love it.
It seemed appropriate, honestly. Fiction seldom rewards those who seek to preserve themselves regardless of the cost with a happy experience. Deciding to power your eternal life with narcissism and vanity on top of that is just asking for endless misery.
 
 
@mjangelvortex  
And given that she may be one of the most diverse magic users in Equestria, I do sometimes wonder if Celestia’s desire for her to make friends had an additional intent of keeping her from accidentally becoming some kind of world consuming evil.
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it was. Especially if you consider what happened to Luna and Sunset Shimmer. She’s seen firsthand what happens to some when magic is misused.
I actually used to wonder if the reason Celestia started her school was with something like that in mind. I mean we know Luna’s envy over the love ponies had for her sister and the anger she felt at her efforts going unappreciated lead to her downfall. Maybe Celestia felt that, had she made more of an effort to connect, she could have prevented it. A school for the gifted would be a convenient way to both connect herself to the larger world and avoid that same fate, and allow her to keep an eye on the potentially dangerous ponies that needed friends to ground them.
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