Tiny Sapient Ungulates
is a Tumblr series by Jayrockin that interprets the world of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic in a biologically plausible way, albeit with some magic thrown in as well.
The posts can be viewed chronologically here.
This series contains examples of...
- Ascended to Carnivorism: The ponies gained sapience partially due to feeding on dairy and eggs (which is canon to the show).
- Ditto the Kirin, who are interpreted as semi-insectivores with musk deer canines.
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: The changelings are interpreted as large Four Legged Insects that are evolved to mimic ponies' appearance.
- Deconstruction Fic: This post discusses how dark the world of Equestria is when you think about it, and argues that Celestia is not as benevolent a ruler as she seems.
- Doing In the Wizard: Downplayed. While the creature anatomy is mainly based in reality, magic still exists in the world.
- Eat Dirt, Cheap: The dragons have powerful jaws and molars specialized for eating gemstones.
- Fingerless Hands: Averted. The ponies have specialized five-toed hooves used for grasping, unlike the nubby hooves in the show.
- Four-Legged Insect: The changelings. Justified, in that they evolved to mimic ponies.
- Giant Flyer: The ability of Pegasi to fly despite their size relative to their wingspan, not to mention a horse-like body plan being wildly unsuited for it, is explained by their "wings" not actually being wings as such, but rather specialized organs that conduct magic energy.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: The ponies are ponies In Name Only, with the proportions of a baby goat, rabbit-like faces, grasping hooves inspired by the feet of aardvarks, and (in later updates) manatee-like lips.
- Never Grew Up:
- Spike's growth is stunted and he is stuck in his infant size due to his incomplete diet.
- The changelings' "evil" forms are interpreted as their juvenile form, and Chrysalis prevented them from reaching their adult form by refusing them their full food source.
- Our Liches Are Different: Celestia is interpreted as a lich due to using magic to keep herself immortal.
- Pegasus: They are depicted with lobed membranous bat-like wings due to some x-rays in the show revealing that pegasi have bones in their wing feathers.
- Sufficiently Analyzed Magic: Magic exists and enables a lot of aspects of the ponies' and other creatures' biology that would otherwise be impossible, but it's treated simply as a form of energy that works according to consistent principles that can be understood, and which certain creatures have gained the ability to use through the evolution of certain bodily structures, not unlike the way some eels and similar animals use electricity.
