Headcanon: Draconequus race

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Overview
The draconequus species (plural = draconequui) are an ancient, pan-dimensional race. Exactly how long they've been around is unclear, since clear records of them don't appear until after writing had been developed. Archaeologists speculate that they may have been misidentified as dragons in earlier analyses of prehistoric cave drawings; said drawings are still being studied.

Each draconequus is the embodiment of a universal concept*. All possess god-like magical powers, which they use to maintain the balance of their concepts in other dimensions. They exist in pairs of opposing concepts, which are perpetually at odds with each other. Certain Embodiments are inherently stronger than others; these would be the Embodiments of Life and Death, Time and Fate, and the two "World-State" Embodiments (order and chaos). The World-State Embodiments are eternally at war with each other over which should rule the other worlds. Sometimes an Embodiment will go mad with power and conquer a world by force, which may or may not ultimately end up destroying the world they've taken over; these Embodiments are treated as criminals, stripped of their powers and confined to another world, sometimes in the form of that world's inhabitants and sometimes not, depending on a variety of factors. Other, more serious transgressors may simply be executed.

Should an Embodiment abandon its post or otherwise be rendered unable to perform its duties, a successor will be instated to take its place. Successors are either born and raised into their roles as Embodiments, or converted creatures from another dimension. Converted Embodiments (often simply called Conversions) are chosen after an evaluation process, during which a predecessor will decide whether or not the chosen individual is fit for the role. Individuals do not know they are being evaluated, and several may be evaluated, but only the one who exemplifies the concept in question the best will be chosen. Conversions will retain little or no memory of their previous lives, and are much more prone to losing their minds due to mental stress; as such, they're typically only created until an infant Embodiment is full-grown and can take over the role. It's possible for more than one Embodiment of the same concept to exist simultaneously; the Active Embodiment could act as a teacher for a successor, or the successor could simply act as insurance, should its predecessor suddenly be lost.

When a draconequus has outrun its usefulness, it can either retire to another dimension or stay to offer guidance to its successor(s). In both cases the draconequus is stripped of its powers, though if it chooses to retire then it assumes the form of one of the beings which occupy the dimension it chooses to retire to. From then on it will live a normal life in its new, mortal form; when the time comes for it to pass away, the Embodiment of Death will be the one to collect its soul (even though its form has changed, its soul is still that of a draconequus).

A draconequus' lifespan is exceedingly long and seemingly immortal; as long as a draconequus continues to be useful it will continue to thrive. Sometimes a draconequus will simply grow weary of its existence, other times the long years will end up driving an individual to insanity; it's in these instances where Death must step in and provide merciful relief for them.

* - Universal concept ( abstract noun) = An intangible, disputable concept. It can be seen, the effects of it can be felt, something affected by it can be touched, but the concept itself can't be touched. The best example would be death; you can see death, feel the effects of a person dying, and touch a dead thing, but you can never touch death itself. Other examples would be things like: happiness, despair, wisdom, ignorance, conformity, individuality, freedom, slavery, disaster, fortune, love, hate, good, evil, dream, nightmare, beauty, ugliness, poverty, wealth, cruelty, kindness...


Appearance:
As varied as their appearances may be, all draconequui have the head of a horse/pony. Most have a standard, "draconic" build, with at least one pair of limbs and wings, while others are more serpentine. Still others may have either many limbs or no limbs at all.

A draconequus' appearance depends entirely on which concept they represent. Positive Embodiments are more symmetrical, usually deriving parts from only two or three other creatures. The negative Embodiments tend to have more varied appearances, sometimes even having different parts for each extremity. The draconequui with the most varied appearances are always the Chaos Embodiments.

Opposing Embodiments, as well as Embodiments of the same concept, will usually be similar in appearance to one another.


Reproduction
because everybody is curious about this even if they don't say so :V
Simply put, draconequui do not reproduce amongst themselves. All new draconequui are born from the Embodiment of Life herself, and are born whenever a new Embodiment is needed (without intercourse). The World-State Embodiments will typically inherit at least one trait from the Embodiment of Life.

Newborn draconequui are born live, with their eyes already open, and are more or less able to walk mere hours after birth (draconequui with four different limbs may take longer to learn to walk properly). Babies' appearances are as varied as their bodies are; some can be quite pudgy, with large, round heads, tiny bodies and short, stubby limbs, while others are simply a smaller version of their grown-up selves, and still others can be every shape in between. Through their infant and toddler years they're cared for by the Embodiment of Life herself; they'll also learn to talk during this time. A predecessor will be allowed to adopt their infant successor if they show interest, otherwise all draconequui are raised into childhood by the Embodiment of Life. From childhood onward they are entrusted to their predecessors (or a retired Embodiment of their concept, depending on which shows more interest in raising/teaching them), then taught everything they need to know about the concept they represent and how to use their powers. At any given time there may be as many as a dozen infant draconequui, though this number may fluctuate as often as weekly. There have never been any recorded twins, triplets, etc.

If a draconequus chooses to pair off with a creature of a different species, then the resulting child will be of the other species.



:iconlawooplz:now I have an excuse to draw draconequus babehs~

The draconequus species, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic © Hasbro/fyre-flye
© 2013 - 2024 grievousfan
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