Equestrian Unicorn

## Introduction

Unicorns, scientifically known as Equus Mana Vita, are the pony race that are able to more consistently perform active forms of magic, aka spell-casting.

## Physical Attributes

In Ancient Equestria, Unicorns were tall, lithe, and lean. They had long, leonine tails ending with hair similar to their manes. Their hooves were cloven, similar to Deer; it also wasn't uncommon for Unicorns and Deer to keep up connections in order to share magical knowledge, as both species could perform magic. Their horns were much longer and almost sharper than modern-day Unicorns, as they evolved through Grogar's Era (also known as the Monstrosities and the Dark Time, though these epithets have fallen off in favour of just remembering Grogar, but even then his existence is doubted). This involved almost every species on the Equestrian Landmass evolving to survive through constant monster attacks. Forehead horns are helpful for more than just spell-casting when they're sharp.

After the Celestial Era of Peace (CEP) started, although theorised to have begun earlier due to the nature of evolution, there was a notable change in the Unicorns. Due to both inter-racial breeding and the lowering of external threats, Unicorns horns became shorter and duller (though there was no drastic change to the general magical capabilities of the Unicorn populace, it was noticed that Unicorns with longer horns had more of a chance of being talented sorceresses). The cloven hooves also faded into obscurity, although many higher-class 'pure' Unicorn lineages kept these more traditional features. One such pony is Vladimir Blueblood, Prince of Unicorns and Baron of the Platinum Family.

Of course, separated geographic locations also means separate evolution. Most notably is those that hail from Mistmane's Village, or close to the Undiscovered West from which her community bordered. While they had the same leonine tails and cloven hooves, their horns curved and their average magical abilities, from the fillies to the eldest mares, weren't far off from Starswirl the Bearded's magic. Mistmane herself was able to remove her youth and reinstate it into everything around her; her mane flowed with extra mana, as if not all of it could be contained within herself. The origins of the villages peculiar horn shape and magical abilities has been researched to this very day. As if there was something extra running through their veins, that gave them that boost in magic... Something that was still in play, even a thousand years later. Most notably, Fleur de Lis, young Baroness of the Mistmane Family, has the same flowing mane and curve to her horn, even if these attributes are much less noticeable than what was seen in her ancestor.

After a Unicorn foal is born, their horn is very small and extremely sensitive, as it has barely begun the process of the keratin and velvet hardening. This also makes any magic conducted very out of control and powerful. At around the age of 6, Unicorn foals will experience a molt. This basically solidifies the horn growth, which while it makes magic less powerful than before, it also makes it easier to control and less painful. It also makes spell-casting more intentional, which is part of the process of gaining a cutie mark.

They are also the first to be 'fully grown' in a sense. While Pegasi experience their final shedding of downy feathers at around 18 or 19 years old, and Terra experience a second-puberty of sorts in their early twenties, Unicorns finish any exceptional growth in their teen years. There are minimal differences between male and female Unicorns outside of cultural norms; the only biological difference, aside from genitalia and minor bone structures, is the growth process. Usually female Unicorns experience their growth spurts early, and stop growing around 14 or 15 years old. Males stop growing around 18 years old; though female Unicorns on average are taller than male Unicorns, this is rarely generalised to all Unicorns.

## Diet

Unicorns are also the midway between Pegasi and Terra in terms of meat consumption. Unlike Pegasi, they are not required to eat meat, as in Ancient Times they were able to perform crop-growing spells, even if they were never as successful as Terra in their harvest. However, they are able to tolerate the taste and digestion of meat, and in life-threatening situations were able to hunt to survive. Nowadays, with crop harvest being consistently successful, Unicorns rarely feel the need to hunt, and sometimes it's looked down upon and viewed as barbaric.

## Life & Culture

Culturally, Unicorns aren't usually very affectionate. As of today, this is mainly a societal thing, however in Ancient times it was due to both the constant threat of attack combined with the volatile nature of magic. Nowadays, with an increased focus on magical control, this is a rare occurrence. This doesn't mean Unicorns are entirely unaffectionate; they mostly prefer verbal and indirect forms. The most common physical form of affection is a bumping of horns, something soft with a nuzzle added at the end; usually shared between family, close friends, and romantic partners. However, as uncommon as it is today, horn hitting can also be a sign of aggressiveness. It is usually accompanied with sparks of magic and far more back and forth than a horn bump. More commonly done between simple rivals during school or sports, a more extreme example of this can be seen between Queen Celestia and Queen Chrysalis during the Attack of Canterlot in 1001CEP. Its a formal declaration of war or conflict as well as an option to intimidate the opposition.

### Magic

Unicorns, on average, are more likely to receive their cutie marks first. This is due to the volatile and diverse nature of magic, meaning through trial and error and experiencing the different ways magic can be utilised, a Unicorn filly is more likely to find their special talent.