Thestral Tribe

The Thestral Tribe is a society of bat-like ponies that served Princess Luna during her uprising, alongside the Cervidians, Lycanequui and Dark Ones.
== History ==
=== Born To Stand Out ===
The origin of the thestral pony tribe is quite possibly the easiest to explain. They are the result of a genetic mutation. Long before the founding of Equestria, pegasus foals were mysteriously being born with bat wings, tufted ears, and draconic eyes. Because it was beyond their understanding at the time, pegasi were convinced that the strange looking foals were monsters that had to be destroyed. The mothers of these foals for the most part refused, knowing deep down that their strange looking foals were still normal ponies. Some did agree, but they were few and far in between. Those that refused escaped from their herds and sought refuge beyond the borders of the old pony nation. The foals were then allowed to grow and breed, allowing the genetic mutation to evolve into a full-blown pony tribe all its own in the years that followed. However, the thestrals as they called themselves lived close enough to the old country to be affected by the windigo blizzard. Like the pegasi they descended from, they headed for the newly founded pony nation of Equestria. They remained in hiding for a while, fearing prosecution. They considered coming out of hiding when the six heroes who called themselves the Pillars of Equestria first came together as they were gathered by a cervidian, a pony from one of their fellow outcast tribes. However, that plan was dashed when that very pony supposedly betrayed his friends and later became the Pony of Shadows. Eventually, they were discovered by the newly coronationed Princess Luna, who took an immediate liking to them. Much like actual bats, the thestrals were a misunderstood tribe. Ponies believed they were evil because they merely looked evil. Luna wanted to show the world that they were just ponies, so she befriended the thestrals and made their existence known by recruiting a good number of them into her newly founded Night Guard. In return, the thestrals gave her their friendship and swore to forever serve her.
=== The Rise and Fall of Nightmare Moon ===
The thestrals lived peacefully with the cervidians and the lycanequui, the three strange tribes calling themselves "night ponies" due to their love and loyalty to Princess Luna. However, the night ponies did not get along with the pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies, whom they called "day ponies" as their love and loyalty belonged to Princess Celestia. For a time, they were civil to each other at the very least. A few fights broke out, but nothing too serious. Eventually, the hatred reached its breaking point and the Night Hunts began. Thestrals, cervidians, and lycanequui alike found themselves living in fear as their day pony counterparts hunted them down tirelessly and without mercy. Luna attempted to make their plight known to Celestia, but she naively refused to believe that her subjects would be so brutal. In fact, Celestia told her sister that she should "stop making up such wild stories and just admit she's jealous that some ponies don't love the night as much as they do the day". Outraged, Luna allowed a dark power to overtake her, becoming the dreaded Nightmare Moon. Despite knowing that their beloved princess had gone mad, the Night Guard rose up and helped her stand against Celestia, taking on the Day Guard while she fought with her sister, combining forces with the forces of creatures of the night to form The Army of the Moon, leading to a long and bloody fourteen-year long war. However,  the forces of Equestria were put at a critical disadvantage, as not all ponies were against Nightmare Moon's cause, leading to the Forces of the Moon gaining a loyal network of spies throughout Equestria and multiple recruits from Equestria, who willingly fought against the Equestrian Army and their own kind. These ponies (both spies and fighters alike) and all the Thestrals fighting for Luna/Nightmare Moon's cause were given a mark in the shape of a black moon, given to them by the dark pony herself and eventually christened themselves The Dark Ones. However,  it was growing increasingly harder to identify Luna's followers, as the Mark of the Moon could be camouflaged into the ponies skin. The Nightmare Forces were conquering their way through Equestria with ease, streaming past villages that posed no threat, attacking large towns and cities that housed enough warriors to bother them. The army's way of conquering was silent and clever, with the army waiting until enough of the Dark Ones had slipped into the community, then, upon signal - a violet outline of a full moon with Luna's face etched upon its surface- the Dark Ones would drop their friendly facad and strike out at the unsuspecting members of the community while the Night Ponies and Nightmare Forces struck, destroying any escapees and finishing off what the Dark Ones had started. Eventually, all but Canterlot and the communities around it were all that remained free and the Dark Forces, massively increased by the Dark Ones of the already-conquered communities marched towards the capital that destroy the last part of the nation that remained.
Nightmare Moon's attempt to seize the throne ultimately failed however as Celestia used the Elements of Harmony to seal her away in the moon for the next thousand years. With their princess defeated, the Night Guard and the rest of the night ponies fled to the Undiscovered West, alongside most of Luna's followers, far beyond Equestria's borders so the Day Guard couldn't give chase. During their thousand year wait, they trained tirelessly so they would be ready to aid their princess in her bid to take the throne from Celestia. They also secretly reintergrated back into Equestria, hiding from the shadows so they could gather info on Celestia and the day ponies, and having the pony Dark Ones began infiltrating the pony community, spreading word of the Forces of Night's cause and implanting themselves within the community,  with at least one inhabiting nearly every community in Equestria,  save the most isolated of the kingdom and hundreds inhabiting the capitals. The Dark Ones situated themselves in the community, awaiting the return of their mistress, which would act as a signal for the Dark Ones to uprise, attacking the community from within while the forces of night struck. After Nightmare Moon's defeat and restoration back into Princess Luna, thestrals began to truly reintergrate into Equestrian society along with cervidians and lycanequui. Some remained in the Night Guard, ready to protect and serve their beloved princess and their country. Others chose to live by their true talents, working alongside day ponies in normal everyday jobs. By the time Shining Armor and Cadance's wedding rolls around, the night ponies are as common a sight as any other pony in about every city in Equestria.
== Appearance, Behavior, and Diet ==
Thestrals are recognized by their bat wings, draconic eyes, and tufts of fur topping their ears. Some even have sharp teeth. These traits are why they're also called "bat ponies". Many day ponies once believed that they were demons. Contrary to that once popular belief, they're merely pegasi that are better suited for the night. They have much clearer night vision and much better hearing. Like any other pony, thestrals come in a variety of colors. Wings however are almost exclusively dark shades of blue or purple that compliment the pony's coat and mane. Dark pink wings are possible, but only in thestrals with pure white coats. White coats and dark pink wings are a genetic abnormality and very often thestrals born with it are either blind, deaf, or flightless. Aside from looking a bit different, they really aren't any different from their day counterparts. Diet wise, they are a bit different. While they do eat typical pony foods, their absolute favorite food is basically any kind of fruit. It was once believed that thestrals also liked to drink blood, but that has more or less been proven false. As I said before, they're pretty much just ordinary pegasi with a few night-themed traits and certain boons that came with them.
* The Shadowbolts: Much like the day ponies have the Wonderbolts, the night ponies have the Shadowbolts. Like their day counterparts, they're elite flyers that do shows all across Equestria. Unlike the Wonderbolts, they're also espionage experts and assassins. This is why they're strictly thestrals with dark and dull coats and manes. Such colorations help them blend in with the shadows to hear private conversations and/or sneak up on targets to finish them off. The dark side of their work is one of Equestria's best kept secrets. Not even Princess Celestia knows of what they do in the cover of Princess Luna's night. Only Luna herself, her Night Guard, and those she can truly trust know of this secret. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie are among the very few day ponies who know about the jobs that the Shadowbolts do in the darkness, and they Pinkie Promised not to breathe a word of it to anycreature.
* Marriage with Dark Ones: During their centuries of exile, the Thestrals and Luna's followers integrated with each other and it was common practice for Night Ponies and Dark Ones to mate, making hybrids between the races fairly common and are seen as normal members of the community
Category:Characters
Category:Equestrians