Observations into ponies: By Midnight Starfall

"Observations into ponies" The running title, a pretty good one if I do say so myself but this chapter isn't exclusively about ponies, more about the other races we share our world and Equestria with, Griffons, Zebras and Dragons being very good examples.

You might notice one thing, Griffons aren't ponies, I'm pretty sure they aren't even herbivores I mean what use would the talons and claws and sharp beaks be eh?

Anyway, moving on. Griffons are a proud race who have a rich culture and history, as well as being fierce warriors...although their nation had come under hard times in recent years, it's still a nice place to visit though, wonderful holiday destination if you like the great outdoors and sand, plenty of high ground for fantastic views as well.

Now less about the nation itself and more about the inhabitants, as said before they are a very proud race, though this can make them a little hard to communicate with, especially hard with diplomacy and Celestia has been trying for some time to no avail. I believe they simply prefer helping themselves and there's nothing wrong with that, it just doesn't mesh with the Equestrian ideal of helping those in need.

Moving onto Zebras, they are a mysterious bunch...and I mean that.

There are little to no texts on or from their kingdoms, if they even exist...and barely any accounts from actual Zebras. What we do have is speculation however. What we know is that they do speak in their own language (No known translation) and when they do speak in Equestrian common they seem to speak in rhyme...lets hope that isn't just for dramatic effect. They also seem to have their own version of Cutie marks, but they don't seem to be the same, more like markings applied to the body (Their meaning is unknown...expect to see that a lot in this paragraph) From the information available to us though it's clear despite how many physical similarities there are between Zebras and Ponies, Zebras don't have their own version of Pegasi, or Unicorns...if anything it seems like Ponies are the only race on the planet (So far) that have such distinct subspecies.

Onto the Dragons...my my...the Dragons.

These are pretty famous, everypony has heard of dragons, giant fire breathing reptiles, huge flying things with an appetite for destruction...that sort of thing, though that is a big misconception...except the part about being large reptiles, Dragons are easily the largest creatures around, but having met my fair share they only seem interested in gold or being awesome

At least younger dragons do...there's a sort of shift in aspiration when they get to a certain age, can't quite tell when though, especially when dragons have such absurdly long lifespans...

"And...how old was she when you hatched?" I ask, getting more comfortable on my pillow

"Uh, she was a filly...it was some kinda test I think" Spike replied, I'd managed to catch him without anything to do, so I asked politely if I could interview him

"Uh huh..." I quickly write down a few notes "...and Twilight is still what? 18? 20?" I ask, an eyebrow raised

"I think so, that seems right I guess" He answers with a shrug

"Okay...so why do you look so young then?" I furrow my brow, it didn't make much sense for him to be maturing this slowly...maybe it was due to his extended interaction with ponies?

"Hey I'm not young! I'm just, a little short...uh, yeah!" Spike declares, standing up as tall as he can

"Alright...calm down" I open my saddlepack and levitate over a few gemstones "If Twilight hears about this she'll kill me...or make me reorganise everything..."

Another race I neglected making a dedicated chapter of are Crystal Ponies, they're almost identical to normal ponies in every way except that their coat is pure crystal...and they exclusively hail from The Crystal Empire...you'd recognise that if you were a history buff. A long time ago in The Frozen North there resided The Crystal Empire, it was an almost literal utopia, safe from the harsh winds. But as with all stories that start with happy, they end with sadness. A power hungry tyrant, a Unicorn called Sombra, proclaimed himself king and dominated the minds of his subjects with dark magic, those he didn't mind control he simply used as slaves, having them toil away under him...a senseless act of cruelty. It wasn't long before Celestia and Luna personally dealt with him...though in his defeat he took The Crystal Empire with him, leaving no trace of it's existence, not even hoofprints, if the stories are to be believed.