Culture, Biology, and Dietary Headcanons

@LightningBolt  
I didn’t notice these. That’s actually really neat that they put that little detail in. I like the idea the other people there brought up, that these might be some sort of magical organ that’s special to each pony type and helps them manipulate their magic.

@mjangelvortex  
A magical organ would be cool, and it allows interesting ideas of what it would look like for each pony. Maybe it disappears when a pony dies so it can’t be seen well, but undead still possess it.

@LightningBolt  
That could be neat. You can easily work that idea for your undead headcanons.

@mjangelvortex  
That’s the plan. :D

@LightningBolt  
Sounds like a perfect plan to me.

@mjangelvortex  
I wonder how this idea would apply to other species like griffons or dragons or sirens who lack CMs. Come to think of it, how/why would any of those have CMs if they were in a pony disguise?

@LightningBolt  
Good point. Maybe they could paint a cutie mark if they were in disguise. If Starlight could do it when she was a villain and Gabby could attempt to do it, then I don’t see why others wouldn’t try either.

@mjangelvortex  
Why do canon hippogriffs not have them? Not horsey enough?

@LightningBolt  
I don’t know why actually. Kinda wished they did.
 
I did notice that the Saddle Arabian horses don’t seem to have cutie marks either. So I like to headcanon that the movie Hippogriffs descended from Saddle Arabian horses as far as their equine side goes.

@mjangelvortex  
Huh, interesting. Never noticed that before.

That bone detail was part of the reason for my Magic System, I can go into detail if you want.
 
Also, cutie marks, whether visible or not, are a sensory organ.

@LightningBolt
 
What struck me the first time I saw the screencap with RD in the episode was the way the skeleton of her wings was portrayed – not a single limb with fused fingers like a bird’s wing has
 

 
But as a set of four fingerlike structures for each wing.
 
It really makes me wonder what a pegasus wing would “really” look like, but if nothing else it explains the show’s regular use of Feather Fingers.
 

 
Maybe each of the four “feathers” visible on a pegasus wing is actually a finger? But what about alicorn wings, then?
 
@mjangelvortex
 
Hm. That would also explain why they get to be so much bigger than ponies, too.

@Frustration in Excelsis  
My headcanon for pegasi and youkai is feathered bat wings with Flandre’s jewels.

@Frustration in Excelsis  
Explains bat ponies. :v

@Wiimeiser  
Sure.

@Wiimeiser  
Please do.
 
@LightningBolt  
Yep. They’re very much more like actual horses compared to the ponies in the show. I kind of like to think that they might not have magic. So they might be the muggles of the Equestria. And if they do have magic, it’s rather dormant and weak compared to the ponies.
 
@Frustration in Excelsis  
Good point. That could explain why they’re bigger too.
 
As for the stuff regarding the wings, you make a pretty good point. It explains the weird feather fingers and like LightningBolt said, it explains Bat Ponies too. As for Alicorn wings, maybe they have an extra finger?

@LightningBolt  
@mjangelvortex  
It varies depending on the species. In humans and Ƥoni (Ƥoni are humans but look like anthro ponies) there is an organ connecting the navel to the cisterna chyli. In Houyhnhnms (regular old ponies) I’ve decided so far that there are these mana sacs in the back, in the udders/above the testes, and behind the cutie marks. These feed into a holding sac behind the navel, which is then pumped through two additional heart chambers into a network of conduits and/or the bloodstream, I haven’t done much in this area yet. I haven’t done anything with Ynop (semi-anthros), Ponex (anthros), Poner (amazonian anthros), Poneh (haven’t decided what these even are, but probably another anthro variant) or Pyno (anthro centaurs) biology yet, though they’ll all be similar-but-different.

Pony hooves are actually sophisticated suction cups.

@Background Pony #BE99  
I like the idea someone had a while back with the ponies having these special horseshoes that help them grab things. Possibly magical horseshoes even.

@mjangelvortex  
I just go with the idea that earth ponies (and non-flying pegasi) can only use their hooves when sitting to hold objects and go with mouths when moving. Less fancy, but more realistic. :P
 
Edit: Makes it harder to make them talk when carrying things, but it’s easily workable.

@mjangelvortex  
granular jamming?

@Wiimeiser  
That actually makes sense. I like it. But at the same time, I like the magical horseshoe idea too.
 
@LightningBolt  
Yeah from an animation standpoint, they do look less weird when they use their hooves as hands when sitting down as opposed to standing up and moving around.

@mjangelvortex  
And in writing. It feels unfair to earth ponies sometimes, but they’re rather used to it. Unicorns are cheaters.

I like the granular jamming idea. If it’s horseshoes they would have to keep getting new ones as they grow.